Chapter 22

VIOLET'S POV

After Kyran left, promising to come back and check on me, I never expected him to keep his word. He was a Lycan, after all.

Even though I had never met a Lycan before, the things I had heard about them were enough to make me conclude that they were nothing but liars and vicious bastards who knew nothing but war.

I was sitting on my bed, leaning gently against the wall, when I heard a heavy thud against the door. At first, I thought it might be Kyran, but I doubted that daring man would ever bother to announce his presence before walking into my room.

"Hhmph!" A throaty grunt followed, sounding like the growl of a mighty beast.

Fear gripped my soul, sending waves of anxiety through my body. Whoever was at the door wasn't Kyran. Perhaps the other members of the royal family had heard about my arrival in their pack and had come to kill me.

Another kick landed against the door, forcing it open and revealing a tall shadow at the entrance.

My chest tightened with fear and anxiety. I jumped to my feet, watching as the figure took a step forward.

"Make it stop," came a painful grunt.

The figure stepped into my room, illuminated by the dim light of the amber bulb.

"T—the Lycan King?!" I gasped, taking a step forward as I stared at the strange man before me.

No. This man couldn't be the Lycan King. This pitiful man couldn't possibly be the beastly Lycan everyone was so afraid of. He wasn't the man I had heard so much about. The strange man standing in my room had to be an imposter.

"Please. Make it stop."

His hand was pressed against his side, gripping his gut tightly. He looked as though he was struggling to keep himself from collapsing to the floor.

"Y—Your Majesty!" I stuttered, closing the little distance between us.

My eyes were fixed on the hand gripping his side. They widened in shock when I saw what I thought I was seeing.

"Is... Is that blood?" I gasped, my heart thumping hard against my chest.

I stretched out my hand, reaching for the one pressed against his gut, hoping he would let me see where he had hurt himself.

Why was he injured? Where had he been? Had someone hurt him? Why had he come to me? Why wasn't he saying anything? Why did he look so pitiful? And why was I pitying him when I knew nothing about what had happened?

Those questions kept crawling into my head, eating away at my peace.

I gently moved his hand away from his stomach. Blood dripped onto the floor as I shifted my gaze from his hand to his face.

His eyes were fixed on me, but his gaze seemed vacant, as though he were staring straight at me without actually seeing me.

"You..."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. His body was hot—so hot that I could feel my skin burning beneath his grip.

"Please, make it stop," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tightly against his body.

His heart was beating so fast. Or perhaps mine was beating too slowly.

I stood still, not knowing what to do. Was this man truly the Lycan King? Was he the same man who made Alpha Ansel tremble in fear while he stood firmly like a solid rock?

"Please..."

He was trying to say something when he staggered, causing both of us to fall to the floor with a loud thud. His weight pressed against me, making it feel as though someone had dropped a heavy load on my body.

"Your Majesty?" I called, shaking him, but he wouldn't move. He seemed to have already fallen asleep.

He was strange. He was in so much pain, yet he could still fall asleep?

"Or maybe he's dead!" a little voice in my head screamed.

I gasped, hoping that wasn't true.

"He can't be dead!" I half-yelled, writhing beneath him as I tried to free myself. "The Lycan King can't be dead... In my room!"

I cried out, struggling to get out from underneath him so I could check whether he was still alive and breathing.

"You can't be dead. If you die here, that'll be the death of me!"

Tears spilled from my eyes without my consent. They came so fast that my vision began to blur.

Just as I was about to free myself from beneath his body, he moved slightly, as though adjusting his position.

"Mother. Please make it stop," he mumbled in his sleep.

His hot breath brushed against my face, and I held my breath at how warm it was.

He wasn't dead.

He was alive!

I breathed out in relief. I wouldn't have known what to do if the Lycan King had been found dead in my room. In a werewolf girl's room? That could only mean one thing.

Death.

I finally managed to wriggle out from underneath him. Panting heavily, I stared at his body, which was now lying face-down on the floor.

"Just what happened to you?" I sighed, moving closer to turn him over.

He seemed to be in a deep sleep. No matter how much I moved him, he wouldn't budge.

I puffed out a breath once I finally managed to turn him over. He was now lying on his back, his face turned toward me.

Beads of sweat glistened on his face.

He seemed to be at peace, despite the amount of blood he was losing.

He was wearing a black shirt and black jeans, so I couldn't see his wound until I tore his shirt open.

"Gracious! Goodness!" I gasped, slapping a hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

I shouldn't scream. No. I shouldn't even breathe too loudly, or I might draw the attention of the other residents of the royal building. I couldn't afford to let anyone know who I was or where I came from.

"He needs help," I muttered to myself, staring at the deep cut in his gut, right above the dagger tattoo that rested perfectly on his stomach.

His olive skin glowed beneath the amber light, making the wound stand out even more.

"What should I do?" I cried, staring at the blood scattered all over the floor. "He's losing so much blood. He needs medical attention."

I stood up, looking around the room to see if I could find anything that might stop the bleeding. But there was nothing.

Or perhaps it was because I didn't know how to stop someone from bleeding. I had never had to treat an injury before. I had suffered plenty of physical abuse at the hands of my father, but he had never left a mark on my body. So I had no idea how to tend to an injured Lycan.

"Maybe I should just go and get help. I can't let him die here like this."

I shook my head, convincing myself that it was the right thing to do.

I ran out of my room and down the eerily silent hallway, hoping to find someone in the building. But that hope was quickly crushed. No one seemed to be occupying the building except me.

Whatever had happened to make the royal residence so empty, I didn't let it bother me for long.

I had a King to attend to. Someone who must not die if I still wanted to live.

The cold night air hit me in a harsh gust. I bit back a wince as I stepped out of the building and into the darkness.

My stomach let out an annoying growl as I dragged my feet in the direction of the lights glowing in the distance. The other buildings in the compound seemed to be bustling with people, and no matter how strange I might look, surely someone would be willing to follow me back to the building I had come from to check on their King.

My stomach growled again, and I slowly pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, biting down on it as I remembered that I hadn't eaten anything since leaving home.

I was hungry, but I couldn't afford to think about food when someone's life was on the line.

"I just hope he's fine," I whispered, fidgeting with the hem of my dress and the King's coat wrapped around my body.

My heart hammered against my chest as I approached a lady standing in a corner with a guard beside her.

"Hel—"

My words died in my throat when I saw the lady from earlier—the one who was going to become the Lycan Queen—walking toward the people I had intended to approach.

I halted in my tracks, my chest tightening with fear as I quickly hid behind a pillar before they could see me.

My advice for you? Don't go anywhere near her. If you hear her voice anywhere, run, even before she learns of your presence.

Kyran's warning about the Lycan King's fiancée echoed in my head. It made me hesitate, even though I was determined to get help for the dying King in my room.

"I can't let her see me. I can't go near her," I panted, peeking out from behind the pillar to watch her.

But to my surprise, the three of them were already gone.

"Oh, what a relief."

I heaved a sigh, placing a hand against my chest to calm my racing heart.

"What was a relief?"

A voice whispered into my ear, making me jump in fright.

"Aargh!" I screamed, but the man quickly pressed his palm against my mouth, stopping me from screaming again.

"Shh," he hushed me, glancing sideways. "Lady Leila is still somewhere around here. You can't go around screaming when she's nearby."

He whispered while staring into my eyes.

I nodded, even though I had no idea what he was talking about.

"You're good now?" he asked, slowly withdrawing his palm from my mouth.

I nodded, opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water. I was so startled that I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"What are you doing hiding in a..." He stopped halfway through his sentence, lifting his nose into the air and sniffing. "Wait. You're not a Lycan. You're a werewolf, aren't you?"

His expression darkened as he took a step closer.

My heart skipped a beat as realization dawned on me.

My cover had been blown before I could even do anything about it.

"No." I shook my head, taking a step backward. "I'm not," I mumbled before dashing off as though my life depended on it.

I didn't stop running. Neither did I look back to see if the man was chasing me.

I ran into the empty building and didn't stop until I reached my room.

Panting heavily, I stopped by the door to catch my breath.

"That was... scary."

The Lycan King was still lying on the floor when I walked into my room. He didn't look dead yet, so that was a relief.

I dragged my feet toward him and lowered myself beside his body.

"I don't know what to do, and I don't know anyone I can run to for help," I gulped, rubbing my forehead to wipe away the sweat.

"I'm sure you'll know what to do when you wake up. So please, don't die before then."

I whispered, closing my eyes as I forced myself to sleep.

Whatever happened, I hoped someone would kill me in my sleep so I wouldn't have to witness what happened to the Lycan King in the morning.

That wouldn't be such a bad way to die.

Right?