The Lycan King’s Forbidden Craving

The Knight’s Warning

Chapter Six: The Knight's Warning

Elara's POV

Morning light woke me too early.

I groaned and rolled over, every muscle in my body aching from sleeping on stone floors and hunching over ancient books. For a moment, I forgot where I was. Then everything came rushing back, the castle, the curse, Rael locked in the dungeons fighting his own nature.

I sat up quickly. Was he okay? Had he survived the night without hurting anyone?

I changed into fresh clothes that Mira had left on a chair and hurried out into the hallway. The castle felt different in daylight, less threatening somehow. Servants moved through the corridors going about their duties. Everything seemed almost normal.

I found my way back to the throne room, hoping to find Rael there. But the massive space was empty except for a few guards standing at attention. They watched me with suspicious eyes but said nothing.

"Excuse me," I called to one of them. "Where is King Rael?"

"His Majesty is in the training yard," the guard replied stiffly. "East courtyard."

I thanked him and headed in that direction. The castle was easier to navigate in daylight, and I only got lost twice before finding a doorway that led outside.

The training yard was a large open space surrounded by stone walls. Targets lined one side for archery practice. Training dummies stood in rows. And in the center, Rael fought against three opponents at once.

I stopped at the edge of the yard and watched.

He moved like water, fluid and unstoppable. His opponents were clearly skilled fighters, lycans in their half-transformed state with enhanced speed and strength. But Rael was faster. He dodged attacks without seeming to try, countered with precise strikes, and never looked like he was struggling.

It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

One of the lycans lunged at him with a sword. Rael sidestepped, grabbed the lycan's arm, and flipped him over his shoulder. The fighter hit the ground hard and didn't get up.

"Enough," Rael called out. "Training is over."

The remaining two opponents bowed and backed away. They grabbed their fallen comrade and helped him limp off the field. Rael stood alone in the center of the yard, barely breathing hard, not a scratch on him.

Then he turned and looked directly at me.

Even from this distance, those silver eyes cut right through me. He walked over, and I tried not to stare at the way his shirt clung to his chest, damp with sweat.

"You should still be resting," he said.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Something flickered across his face. "I survived, if that's what you're asking. Thanks to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Your voice. Your presence. It kept the worst of the hunger at bay." He grabbed a towel from a nearby bench and wiped his face. "I've never had a full moon pass with so little violence. Usually, I wake up exhausted and covered in my own blood from fighting the chains. Last night was almost... peaceful."

My heart did a strange flip. "I'm glad I could help."

"You did more than help." He tossed the towel aside and looked at me seriously. "You were right about something. The curse wants me to be alone, to suffer in isolation. Maybe fighting that is part of breaking it."

Before I could respond, a familiar voice called out from behind me. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."

I turned to see Gareth approaching with that same warm smile. He wore training gear and carried a sword at his hip.

"Morning, Gareth," I said.

"Morning." He glanced between me and Rael. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

"We were just talking," I said quickly.

Rael's expression had shifted back to cold neutrality. "I need to attend to other matters. Gareth, make sure Elara has everything she needs."

He walked past us without another word, leaving me confused. One moment we were connecting, the next he was distant again. The man had more walls than his own castle.

"Don't take it personally," Gareth said, reading my expression. "The King isn't used to letting people close. It's a defense mechanism."

"How long have you known him?"

"Fifty years, like I mentioned before. I was just a young lycan when I joined his guard. He saved my life during a border dispute, and I've served him ever since." Gareth gestured toward a bench. "Want to sit? I can tell you stories if you're interested."

We sat down together, and Gareth told me about his years serving Rael. He described a king who was harsh but fair, who protected his people fiercely but kept everyone at arm's length. Rael never celebrated victories, never relaxed, never seemed to take joy in anything. He existed rather than lived.

"It's the curse," Gareth said quietly. "It's eaten away at him piece by piece until there's almost nothing left of the man he used to be. Seeing him talk to you yesterday, seeing actual emotion on his face, that's the most human I've seen him in decades."

"Do you think the curse can be broken?" I asked.

Gareth was quiet for a long moment. "Honestly? I don't know. I've seen him try everything. Rituals, sacrifices, bargaining with other gods. Nothing works. The Moon Goddess's curses are absolute."

"There has to be a way. I refuse to believe we're all just trapped in some cosmic punishment with no escape."

"I admire your determination." Gareth smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just be careful, Elara. Getting close to the King is dangerous. Not just because of the curse, but because of what he's capable of when he loses control. I've seen him do terrible things."

"He told me about Selene. About killing her village."

"That was just one night. There have been others. Moments when the curse overwhelms him and he becomes something else entirely." Gareth's expression grew serious. "I'm not saying this to scare you. I'm saying it because I like you, and I don't want to see you become another tragedy in his long list of regrets."

I appreciated his concern, but something about the way he said it bothered me. Like he'd already decided Rael was beyond saving.

"Everyone deserves a chance at redemption," I said firmly. "Even cursed kings."

"Maybe." Gareth stood up and offered me his hand. "Come on. Let me show you more of the castle. There are places you haven't seen yet, and staying busy will help keep your mind off darker thoughts."

I let him pull me to my feet, and we spent the next few hours exploring. Gareth showed me the gardens where night-blooming flowers grew, the armory filled with ancient weapons, and the tallest tower where you could see for miles in every direction.

He was easy to talk to, always knowing the right thing to say to make me laugh or feel comfortable. After days of tension and fear, spending time with him felt like breathing fresh air.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

It was small things. The way his smile sometimes seemed forced. How he'd change the subject whenever I mentioned trying to break the curse. The odd questions he asked about my feelings for Rael.

We were walking through the gardens when I finally confronted him about it.

"Gareth, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why are you being so nice to me? Everyone else in this castle treats me like I'm either a threat or a curiosity. But you've been kind since the moment we met."

He stopped walking and turned to face me. For just a second, something flickered across his features, something that wasn't quite human. Then it was gone so fast I thought I'd imagined it.

"I'm nice to you because you seem like a good person stuck in an impossible situation," he said. "And because I know what it's like to be alone in a place that doesn't feel like home."

It was a good answer. Too good, maybe.

"Is that the only reason?"

Gareth studied me carefully, and I saw him weighing something in his mind. Finally, he sighed. "You're perceptive. That's going to make this harder."

"Make what harder?"

He looked around to make sure no one else was nearby, then stepped closer and lowered his voice. "I need to tell you something, but you have to promise not to tell the King. Not yet."

My heart started racing. "What is it?"

"I'm not just a knight, Elara. I'm a vessel. The Moon Goddess speaks through me sometimes, guides my actions. And she sent me here for a specific purpose."

The blood drained from my face. "What purpose?"

"To make sure the curse fulfills its destiny. The King was punished for his crimes, and that punishment must run its course. The Moon Goddess won't allow him to break free through some loophole or trick."

"You're here to stop us from breaking the curse?"

"I'm here to make sure the prophecy completes itself." His brown eyes, which had seemed so kind before, now looked distant and cold. "When the time comes, when you've fallen in love with him and he's vulnerable, I'm supposed to kill him. That's how the curse ends. Not with salvation, but with final judgment."

I stumbled backward, horror washing over me. "You've been lying this whole time. Pretending to be my friend."

"I am your friend. That part wasn't a lie." Gareth reached for me, but I slapped his hand away. "Elara, please understand. I don't want to do this. But I don't have a choice. The Moon Goddess's will is absolute."

"There's always a choice!"

"Not for me. I'm bound to her service." He looked genuinely pained. "I'm telling you this now because you deserve to know the truth. And because maybe, if you understand what's coming, you can protect yourself. Don't fall in love with him. Keep your distance. If there's no love, the prophecy can't complete, and I won't have to kill him."

Tears burned in my eyes. "Get away from me."

"Elara…"

"I said get away!"

I turned and ran from the garden, my heart pounding, Gareth's words echoing in my head. He was supposed to kill Rael. The one person in this castle who had seemed trustworthy was actually the greatest threat of all.

I ran until I couldn't breathe, until I found myself back at the library. I collapsed against the door, sliding down to sit on the floor.

Everything was falling apart. The curse was more complicated than I thought. Time was running out. And the worst part was that Gareth's warning had come too late.

Because despite the danger and the darkness and the impossibility of it all, I was already falling in love with the monster king.