The Werewolf King

CHAPTER 5

𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓, 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑨𝒌𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓, 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓.

"𝑲𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒂, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍," 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒇𝒕. "𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔."

𝑰 𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒂𝒛𝒆, 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔. "𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐," 𝑰 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅. "𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅'𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒌𝒆."

𝑨𝒌𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒏𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅, 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈. "𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓, 𝑰'𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑾𝒆'𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓."

𝑨𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆, 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝑳𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏'𝒔 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒆. 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆, 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒉.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒚, 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.

𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔, 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑰 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑳𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏, 𝒎𝒚 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎. "𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒚," 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈.

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔 𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏'𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑨𝒌𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆, 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒎𝒆.

"𝑨𝒌𝒊𝒓𝒂, 𝒏𝒐!" 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚. "𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇!"

𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑨𝒌𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚, 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏'𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒅.

𝑨𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑨𝒌𝒊𝒓𝒂'𝒔 𝒆𝒚𝒆. "𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖," 𝑰 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒅, 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆.

𝑨𝒌𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅, 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔. "𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒕, 𝑲𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒂," 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅. "𝑾𝒆'𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆'𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑳𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓.”

My dreams were too good to be true!!

I stood in my quarters, surrounded by Lyrien's loyalists, who were busy preparing me for the ceremony. Akira was styling my hair, her hands moving with precision as she braided my locks.

The wedding gown, a beautiful white dress with intricate lace details, lay on the bed, waiting for me to put it on. I felt a sense of dread wash over me as I gazed at the dress, knowing that I was about to bind myself to Lyrien for life.

"Akira, help me with the dress," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Akira nodded, her eyes avoiding mine as she helped me into the gown. The dress fit perfectly, hugging my curves in all the right places.

As we finished the preparations, Lyrien arrived, his eyes fixed on me with an unnerving intensity. He didn't say a word, but a glint of something - possession, maybe, or triumph - flashed in his eyes.

I felt a shiver run down my spine as he approached me, his gaze never leaving mine. Akira stepped back, her eyes downcast, as Lyrien's loyalists escorted us to the ceremony site.

The pack was waiting, their faces a blur as I walked towards the alpha. The ceremony began, and I felt my heart sink with every word. I was trapped, and I didn't know how to escape.

The Alpha's voice droned on, his words echoing through the clearing. I felt like I was in a nightmare, unable to wake up. Lyrien's gaze never left mine, his eyes burning with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

As the ceremony reached its c****x, the alpha asked the final question. "Kaida, do you accept Lyrien as your mate and Alpha?"

I hesitated, my mind racing with options. But I knew I had no choice. I had to protect my child, no matter the cost.

"I accept," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Lyrien's face twisted into a cruel smile, his eyes gleaming with triumph, and I could swear I heard him mutter,‘’ Of course you do. The pack erupted into cheers, their voices deafening.

The alpha pronounced us mates, and Lyrien's loyalists closed in, forming a circle around us. Lyrien reached out, his hand closing around mine like a vice.

I felt a surge of revulsion, but I forced myself to smile, to pretend that I was happy. For my child's sake, I had to play along.

As the pack celebrated, Lyrien's grip on my hand tightened. I knew I was trapped, bound to him for life. And I wondered if I would ever find a way to escape.

The celebration continued, the pack's cheers and laughter echoing through the forest. Lyrien's grip on my hand never faltered, his fingers digging into my skin like claws.

I forced myself to smile, to pretend that I was happy, but inside, I was screaming. I felt like I was losing myself like I was being consumed by Lyrien's darkness.

As the night wore on, the pack's revelry showed no signs of slowing. Lyrien pulled me closer, his breath hot against my ear. "You're mine now, Kaida," he whispered, his voice dripping with possession. "Forever and always."

I shuddered, my heart racing with fear. I knew I had to keep up the charade, but it was getting harder by the minute.

Suddenly, Akira appeared at my side, her eyes locked on mine. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something - regret, maybe, or apology. But then it was gone, replaced by her usual stoic expression.

"Congratulations, Kaida," she said, her voice flat. "You're now the Alpha's mate."

I nodded, my smile faltering for a moment. But Lyrien's grip on my hand tightened, reminding me to keep up the act.

As the night wore on, I felt myself becoming more and more trapped. I was Lyrien's mate now, bound to him by pack law. And I didn't know how to escape.

As I scanned the crowd, my eyes met Ryker's gaze. He stood at the edge of the clearing, his arm around Aria's shoulders. They were laughing and smiling together, and for a moment, I felt a pang of jealousy.

But then I remembered the situation I was in. I was Lyrien's mate now, bound to him by pack law. I felt a surge of guilt for leaving Ryker behind, for choosing to protect my child over our love.

Ryker's gaze never wavered, his eyes burning with intensity as he looked at me. I felt like he could see right through me like he knew I was trapped and desperate.

Aria, on the other hand, seemed to sense my gaze. She turned to me, her eyes narrowing as she took in my wedding dress and Lyrien's possessive grip on my hand.

For a moment, our eyes locked, and I felt a spark of tension. Aria's gaze was accusatory as if she blamed me for leaving Ryker behind.

I looked away, feeling a wave of shame wash over me. I knew I had made a difficult choice, but I had done it to protect my child. Not like I had a choice anyway

Lyrien's grip on my hand tightened, pulling me closer to him.

I forced a smile, trying to appear happy and carefree, but my heart was heavy with regret.