Saving the Last Lycan King

Chapter 5

Liam

To say I didn’t notice the disappointment in her face, I was pleased to see it being replaced by something else entirely. Her eyes were twinkling in the rays of the sun, her lips slightly parted and her breathing was uneven as she took in my words. I’ve never seen a woman this beautiful. The way her long dark hair was bundled in a strange updo on top of her head with several strands falling around her head. How her face was being framed by the much shorter hair resting on her forehead. Her light blue eyes and how they practically stared into my very soul. Those inviting and plump lips, and how her upper lip was slightly thinner than her bottom lip. To think that she for the briefest second felt jealous made me want to kiss her even more.

“You seem to feel uncomfortable around him. Nathan.” I stated the obvious, hoping that she would tell why she was feeling like that. My first impression of the guy wasn’t great. He seemed arrogant and dominating, and I didn’t like how he stared at Sophie as if she was his to control. That’s why I held his hand longer than I had initially planned and I was surprised to find him squeezing back with equal fervor. I could tell from the sound of her racing heart, her nervous and uneven breathing that she felt uncomfortable around him.

“No, I’m not… What makes you think that?” She asked me, cleverly trying to re-focus on me instead of herself. She shifted on the stool and I watched her fiddle with a button on her shirt.

“Clever.” I scoffed out, before speaking again, “But if he ever as much as looks at you like that again, I will intervene.” I said casually and I couldn’t help but smirk as she gasped in horror. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill him.” I added playfully, watching she graced me with a beautiful smile, but I knew deep inside, that I would kill anyone who dared hurt her in any way.

***

Sophie

It was quite unnerving how his words so easily affected me, even though he had practically threatened Nathan. For some reason, I didn’t care. Feeling a little beside myself, I managed to guide us through the camp to the lot where the cab would arrive in a matter of minutes. Once it arrived, the driver packed my suitcases into the trunk and we went into the backseat. As the car slowly rolled away, I looked out the window, watching how the dust was whirled up into the air, making all the tents disappear.

“What’s bothering you?” His voice sounded calm and concerned, but I couldn’t bear to face him when I was still feeling slightly agitated. My heart was beating frantically inside of my chest, my eyes unfocused on the landscape drifting by, but as soon as his hand touched my shoulder, my whole body relaxed and all the tension I felt evaporated.

“Are you analyzing me?” I asked him, still looking out of the window.

“Is it that obvious?” I scoffed and I could sense him nodding his head. “Oh, you’re probably a mindreader, right?” He nodded his head again, making me whip my head towards him, not believing how he just confirmed that.

“I’m not a mindreader, relax. But I do have an enhanced sense of sight, hearing, strength and smell…” I looked at him, wondering why he was telling me all this, but at the same time eager to absorb everything he was willing to share about his kind. “and fear has this distinctive smell, which you emitted a fair amount of just before.” I gulped and turned my head away from him, not liking how he was analyzing my smell.

“As much as I don’t like him or his hidden intentions, I want you to know that you’re safe with me. I won’t let him hurt you and, more importantly, I will never hurt you.” I couldn’t help but smile, because what he said was kind of adoring, but he wasn’t aware of all the ways Nathan could hurt me if he figured out how I had just left with the Lycan King. The internet was a perfect way to discredit someone and he could ruin my reputation overnight or even make me lose my job. I gave Liam a small smile, trying to look thankful, but I wasn’t sure if he was buying my act with his heightened senses. He could probably smell my thoughts or something crazy like that. Liam leaned forward in his seat and whispered something to the driver in French, making me wonder what that was about.

***

Liam

I could easily tell that my words had confused her quite a bit. She was staring at me with furrowed brows and wide eyes, her lips slightly parted as if she couldn’t believe what I was saying.

“You’re sure you’re not a mindreader?” Her voice sounded both accusing, but still interested, as if she had put aside her vulnerable side to replace it with a more professional one.

“I cannot read a person's mind. Don’t be foolish, but I can create a mind-link with someone. Be that a link between pack-members, a family or a mate,” I explained, and I noticed how she dug into her bag only to pull her hands back with a piece of paper in her hand.

“… Link between family, pack-members…” She glanced at me questionably as if checking she got it right, “… and, did you say a mate?” I nodded while she scribbled down the rest of it and then turned her body towards me as she made herself comfortable in the seat.

“And what did you just say to the driver?” She asked and gazed up at me with those beautiful blue eyes. A lot of her hair had escaped her strange updo and a lot of it fell just above her eyes, drawing all the attention to those bright blue orbs staring back at me.

“I asked him to take us to a place my family and I used to visit. I hope that the help we need can still be found there.” I glanced out at the horizon, praying to the Goddess that they would still be there and willing to help me. It was our only chance to stay safe, because I knew that the hunters would eventually come for me. And while she was in my company, they would come for her too.

“Help with what?” She whispered and she leaned her shoulder against the side as she chewed on the pen, looking like she was deep in thought, “What do you mean?”

“Help to keep us safe from the hunters.” I replied, not wanting to reveal too much. I wanted her to feel safe around me, not afraid that something was going to happen that would jeopardize her safety, but I owed her honesty.

“Hunters?” She gulped and her hands seemed to tremble a little, but I wasn’t sure it was in fear. When I nodded, she nodded too. “The ones you mentioned in the story?” She said, probably more to herself than to me, “Wait, but why? How do you know they will come for you?” How was I supposed to answer this without making her even more confused? I didn’t want her to push me away if I told her that she was my mate, but at the same time, she had surprised me already with her interest and acceptance of the fact that I was alive and not dead as predicted. I turned my head away for a moment to collect my thoughts and when I turned back to face her, she was still looking at me with that encouraging look in her eyes.

“Doesn’t it seem strange to you that someone is specifically trying to find my tomb when the whole world thinks that Lycans are extinct?” I could tell that my question left her thinking.

“You’re right, it’s a little strange. Actually, I’ve had the feeling they were only doing it for the money.” She said, looking deep in thought. “But what does it have to do with me?” This was really not the way I had intended to have this conversation, but it seemed the Goddess had other plans for me.

“Because you’re also important.” I tried to sound confident and hoped that she wouldn’t ask me to elaborate, “You managed to find me after all.”

“Oh, I think I get it now,” She whispered and I noticed how she had pulled away slightly, “they want me because I’m important to you.” Her blue eyes were locked on mine and they were almost glistening in the light of the sun. She was an intelligent woman, I had no doubt and I could almost imagine how the wheels were turning in her head as she connected the dots. “Am I your mate?” She asked me in a low voice and I gulped because it was overwhelming how she affected me so much when we were just having a conversation.

“Yes, you are my mate.” I replied with a nod, not aware how we had suddenly moved closer to each other, but just as I leaned forward, breathing in her calming and alluring scent, she pulled away with a chuckle.

“Oh my god, this is surreal,” Both her hands went up in her hair, grabbing the knot on top of her head, “I can’t be your mate, Liam, you shouldn’t even be alive!” I could tell that she was riled up, but it pained me to hear her denying the bond between us. The mate bond should be cherished and respected.

“Maybe it was our connection that kept me alive?” I suggested and reached out to pull her hands down from her head and held them in mine to calm her down. “I can feel deep down in my heart that we were meant to meet. It doesn’t mean anything that I’m older than you. It doesn’t mean anything that you're human. It doesn’t mean anything that I was supposed to be dead. What’s important is that I’m not and I hope that you’ll give me a chance to show you what the bond between us means.” I told her in a serious tone, hoping that she could feel how important this was to me. How important she was already to me. I would do anything in my power for her to realize that what we shared could be amazing and I knew that she could feel it too.

“You’re really good with words, but I’m not sure I can do this. My luck is the worst. I only care about my job and, as you say, I’m just a human. I can’t be who you need me to be.” She tore her hands out of mine and turned away from me, making me sit back in my seat in defeat, staring at the curly strands of hair resting on her neck.

“I don’t want anything from you other than your heart. I’m only asking for a chance,” She kept still, looking out on the passing landscape and when she didn’t answer, I sighed deeply, thinking that she might need a moment to think my offer through, “don’t you feel it?” I asked her as I boldly reached out and grabbed one of her hands again, feeling the sparks dance between us.

“I do feel it and it freaks me out!” She whisper-yelled at me before glancing down at my hand covering hers. “I’ve read about it several times and studied the whole concept of one having a mate, but I never imagined to feel it myself,” She looked confused, distraught even, as she tried to find the right words, “It’s wishful thinking, Liam, to think that someone was created as your other half, or that was at least what I used to believe… I don’t know what to think honestly.”

“You need time to process it.” I told her, my thumb gently caressing her hand in a desperate attempt to calm her down a little. Once her breathing was slowing down and I could hear her heart thudding calmly inside of her chest, I released her hand. “I just want you to know that I’ve waited my entire life for you and I’m not sure if I’m able to let you go without fighting for our bond.” She looked at me and it almost looked like tears were brimming in her eyes. Then she bit her bottom lip gently and took a deep breath before she turned away, returning her gaze out of the window.