Rejected Luna: Desired by the Lycan King

chapter 4

The heavy door of the luxury sedan clicked shut, sealing out the cool night air and trapping me inside a rolling fortress of leather, expensive cologne, and the thick, suffocating stench of decay.

Sitting next to the Lycan king felt like sitting next to a dormant volcano. Every instinct I had—forged through twelve years of running from predators—told me to jump out of the moving vehicle. But I stayed. I had nowhere else to go.

"What is your name?" the King asked, his voice cutting through the dark interior. He didn't look at me; his silver eyes were fixed on the passing trees outside the window.

"Elena," I said, my voice matching the coldness of the leather seats. "Elena of the Crimson Lake Pack."

A slow, dark smirk spread across his aristocratic face. "Elena. I’ve heard a lot about you."

I let out a bitter, humorless laugh, leaning my head back against the headrest. "I’m sure you have. Bad news travels fast, especially when it involves a failed Luna."

"I didn't hear about the failed ceremony," he murmured, finally turning his head to look at me. His gaze felt heavy, stripping away my defenses.

"I heard about how the Crimson Lake Pack treats the eldest daughter of their alpha lineage like a weak, useless Omega. A stray brought back from the woods who doesn't know her place."

My jaw clenched so hard it ached. I snapped my head to face him, the rejection bond flaring in my chest, but my pride overriding the pain. "I am not an Omega."

"Clearly," he said, his eyes dropping to the torn lace of my dress before rising back to my face.

Silence stretched between us for a few miles, heavy and suffocating. The only sound was the quiet hum of the engine. Then, the King shifted, his broad shoulders blocking out the dim light from the dashboard.

"I want you to treat me," he stated. It wasn't a request. It was a royal decree.

"I told you outside, I am not a healer," I replied flatly. "I am just someone who can smell your sickness. If your royal high healers couldn't save you, a broken wolf from a border pack certainly can't."

He leaned in closer, his terrifying presence crowding my space. "For someone who couldn't even handle her own family issues tonight, you are incredibly bold." He paused, his silver eyes flashing with a dangerous amusement. "But I like your boldness. It’s a rare trait in my presence."

I stared back at him, refusing to look away. As I breathed in, the sickening, rotten scent of his illness flooded my senses again, but this time, it brought a sudden, vivid clarity.

The force from before seized my mind, and I spoke before I could stop myself.

"You weren't infected by a rogue, and you didn't catch this from a wound," I whispered, the realization sending a chill down my own spine. "You were born with it. It was a curse, wasn't it? Formed from black magic and passed down to you by someone close."

He froze. The amused smirk vanished from his face, replaced by a expression so murderous and dark that the temperature in the car seemed to drop below freezing. His claws accidentally extended, puncturing the expensive leather of his armrest.

"You are overstepping, girl," he growled, a warning rumble vibrating in his chest.

I didn't flinch. I had already lost my mate, my family, and my future tonight. Death didn't scare me anymore.

"I might be overstepping, but I'm also the only person who has ever told you the truth about what is killing you." I took a sharp breath, gripping the edge of my seat. "I want to make a deal. A favor for a favor."

He raised an eyebrow, the murderous tension in his posture shifting into dark curiosity. "A favor?"

"I will help you find a way to get rid of that rot," I said, my voice hardening as images of Eliana's smug face and Caleb's rejection flashed in my mind. "And in return, you will help me destroy my enemies."

A deep, rich chuckle rumbled from the King’s throat. It was a terrifying sound. He leaned back against the seats, shaking his head. "Do you have any idea who you are asking a favor from, Elena? I am the Lycan King. I don't make deals with broken wolves."

"And you have a lot of patience for someone who is actively dying," I shot back, my venom dripping from every word. "You have less than three months, King. What do you have to lose?" I paused, looking at his regal features. "Besides, you know my name, but I don't know yours. What do I call the man who is going to help me get my revenge?"

He leaned in so close I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. The smirk returned to his lips, sharp and lethal. "You have a lot of nerve, Elena. That boldness is going to get you into severe trouble one day." He held my gaze for a tense, agonizing moment before speaking. "My name doesn't matter to you right now. But I accept your offer. From this moment on, your life belongs to me until I am cured. Is everything clear?"

I hesitated, the weight of the contract pressing down on me. I didn't answer immediately.

"Is. Everything. Clear?" He repeated, this time using his true Alpha-King authority. The sheer power in his voice bypassed my mind and forced my body to submit.

"Yes," I choked out, nodding my head.

Satisfied, He leaned back and pulled a sleek black phone from his suit jacket. He tapped the screen, reading a message that had just come through. A look of sheer annoyance crossed his face.

"It seems your Alpha is eager to meet me," He muttered, a cruel edge to his voice. "He just messaged my guards. He wants to welcome the royal entourage to his pack immediately to secure our alliance."

"No," I said instantly, panic tightening my throat. "You are meeting him. Not me. I am not going back there tonight."

"I am not going if you are not going," He countered smoothly, his phone disappearing back into his pocket. "I don't trust that incompetent Alpha as far as I can throw him. If I am going into his territory, you are coming with me."

He looked out the window as the car slowed down near the town center. "Tell me, are there any good hotels around here? I refuse to stay in the pack house with a leader who can't even keep his own house in order."

"The Grand Horizon," I murmured, still reeling from the fact that I had to face Caleb again so soon. "It’s a luxury hotel on the neutral border of the town. No pack wolves go there unless they have official business."

"Good," He said to the driver, who immediately steered the car toward the hotel's glowing sign in the distance.

As the car pulled into the grand driveway, The Lycan king turned to me one last time. His silver eyes gleamed with a cold, possessive certainty.

"Listen to me carefully, Elena. Once all of this meeting is over ,I am taking you back to the capital with me. You will serve as my royal seer."

He reached out, his leather-gloved finger catching my chin and forcing me to look at him.

"But for now," He whispered, his eyes locking onto mine, "you need to wash that dirt off your face and clean yourself up. We are going to meet your Alpha and your family. Tonight."