Chapter Seven

Lucian’s POV

 

I turned around immediately after making that statement, afraid that my beast would burst out of my skin if I didn’t step away from Selene.

 

He growled in my head on hearing me mention her in my thoughts again.

 

“Go back to her, I want to see her face again.” He said and I rolled my eyes.

 

My insides had churned with excitement all through the night, but that didn’t last for long because the next morning, I was surrounded by some of the council members on getting to my office. They followed me inside and I didn’t stop them.

 

I already knew what they wanted.

 

“Your Majesty, we think you made a mistake in the judgment you passed back there.” The head council who was handling the case before I got to them earlier said.

 

“I don’t think I did.”

 

Their faces contorted with displeasure and the head council took it upon himself to talk again, ignoring the glow in my eyes—which had only ever meant that my beast was on the surface.

 

“But your majesty, what if they’re really spies? They could have brought the rogues with them.”

 

Another councilman continued, “No outsider crosses our border and leaves here alive.”

 

I swiveled around in my chair, “Well, consider this one an exception.”

 

“But why— if we may ask, your majesty?”

 

I shrugged, “Because I said so.”

 

They stared at one another as if communicating with themselves. My gaze stated intent on the head council who opened his mouth as if to say something. The glare on my face intensified but I only relaxed more against my chair.

 

He swallowed thickly and shook his head, “We just… we think that you should review your judgment, your majesty.” Then he stood up, “We’ll take our leave now.”

 

I watched as they all filed out of my office, my face void of any emotion.

 

My beast retreated, but was still in the forefront of my mind. My mind traveled back to when I first got to the pack’s entrance. I had smelt the difference in the air from the moment I crossed the border.

 

Something just wasn’t right. And my wolf on the other hand pranced around in my head. I frowned, my warriors walking past me into the pack while I tried to find the source of the strangeness in the air.

 

“Turn to the left.” My wolf ordered, and I did just that.

 

Suddenly an alluring scent engulfed me. I inhaled it slowly and every stress embedded in me left my body. A sense of calmness washed over me, and I suddenly felt free—almost like I had just been freed from a shackle.

 

I hastily walked towards the source of the scent, and the moment my eyes landed on her, the world around me stilled.

 

No, it wasn’t her beauty that attracted me. It was her aura. The magic that surrounded her overrode the lycan magic that I had grown up to. It guarded her like a shield.

 

Just as I took a step forward, a strange pull came from the ground.

 

The land had accepted her already.

 

Someone like that definitely couldn’t be a spy, nor could she be dangerous.

 

My wolf rustled within me as I snapped back to reality, numerous papers scattered across the table before me but I couldn’t read up to a sentence from any of them. Selene was everywhere in my head instead.

 

“When next are you going to see her?” My beast questioned me for the tenth time since the day broke.

 

“Kairos, who’s she?” I asked him.

 

“Honestly… I also don’t know. All I know is that I want to always see her, and her scent, it’s the most intoxicating thing I’ve ever perceived. It’s very… alluring.” He responded.

 

The frown on my face deepened. The last time he was this reactive to any female, it was towards my last mate.

 

And that didn’t end well too…

 

“I want to see her again,” Kairos said in my head.

 

I rolled my eyes at him, suppressing him with every bit of strength I had. If I allowed him, he’d shift and take control and run over to wherever that woman was.

 

We really have to suppress whatever is happening with her. There’s no fucking way I’d go through what happened the last time again.

 

No.

 

Just then, a knock sounded on my office door and the pack’s healer came after I told her to.

 

I stared at her with rapt attention, already knowing what she was about to say.

 

“Your majesty,” she bowed. “I bring a report of the two captives you told me to look after.”

 

I nodded at her to continue.

 

“The male has injuries but will recover.” I nodded stoically, but my fists clenched. I don’t think I like that boy.

 

“And the female passed out from shock and exhaustion, she’ll wake up anytime from now though.”

 

I calmed down a bit and nodded once again, still staring at Lily who looked like she still had something to say.

 

“The female…” She trailed off, and my breath seized. Something was wrong and I knew it.

 

“She’s pregnant.”

 

I froze, but my wolf howled loudly in my head. He pranced around, forcing out fangs and claws from me. He shook violently and said words that I couldn’t even catch up with. He was mad furious.

 

I should have sensed it on the first meeting though. Once again, something wasn’t right about that girl.

 

“Does the child belong to the male she came with?” I forced myself to ask Lily, almost speaking with my beast’s voice.

 

“No.”

 

Kairos calmed down a bit, but he was still very bothered. With Lily still in my office, I dialed the number of the warriors outside my office and they came in immediately, understanding that I needed them to come.

 

“Move the two newcomers to the west wing immediately,” I ordered and they all stiffened, including Lily.

 

The west wing had been unoccupied since the time I became king and renovated the whole castle. That should be five years ago. And oh, it’s opposite my wing.

 

“That’s… the captives are meant to be in the dungeon or one of the cellar houses.” Lily interrupted.

 

“They aren’t prisoners. They’re guests under supervision.” I countered.

 

They all nodded but their displeasure was glaring. It wasn’t like I cared about that though. With a flicker of my hand, I waved them off.

 

I tried to work once again, but I was only able to get past two sentences before my legs were taking me to the infirmary. No, to Selene’s room.

 

I went through the back door, trying to avoid the stream of people who’d make a scene out of seeing me at the infirmary. I could only watch from the window, Kairos propping up in my head as though he was watching a show.

 

Her lashes were tightly shut, and her heartbeat was normal. Well, that was before she must have sensed my gaze on her. Because she suddenly shifted in her sleep as if she felt someone staring at her.

 

“Selene, who are you?” I asked as a nurse entered her room.

 

I had to move away eventually despite Kairos’s protests. We had a lot of work to do.

 

I didn’t go back to the office. Instead, I went over to the gym. I had never felt so many emotions burst through me at once before.

 

As I ran on the treadmill, my mind wandered to the news of Selene’s pregnancy. Could she be mated to someone else? But if she was, I’d have known. Her mate’s scent would be dripping off her.

 

For some weird reason, the thought of another man’s scent on her propelled me to go faster on the treadmill.

 

“She’s ours,” Kairos growled, his voice guttural.

 

Before I could respond to him, we were interrupted by one of my warriors who held a letter with the seal of a wolf pack. I stopped the treadmill and got off it with a throaty growl.

 

He bowed, “Your Majesty, it’s a letter from the Moonbound Alpha.”

 

Moonbound. The pack sounded familiar. I had definitely seen or heard about it some— Selene! It’s written in the report that she was coming from Moonbound pack alongside that boy.

 

“Hand it over.” I stretched out my hand to the warrior.

 

He placed it there and I cut off the seal immediately, bringing out the letter to see that it wasn’t a personalized letter. It was meant for every pack and clan around the werewolf kingdom.

 

“Alpha Leo of the Moonbound pack is searching for his mate.” The first line read, and a frown coated my face.

 

I wondered why the letter was even brought to me to begin with. Most of them were either discarded or handled by my Beta.

 

I continued reading the letter, my eyes straying over each word. “He believes that she was taken by his enemies and is currently being misled to do things she wouldn’t do normally. She has eyes impairment, please help us bring her home if you find her in or around your pack.”

 

Eyes impairment?

 

Everything about the letter pointed to one woman.

Selene. Selene is the missing Luna of Alpha Leo.

 

That only means… her pup. He’s the father of her unborn pup.

 

My wolf rustled with fervor within me and this time around, I didn’t try to restrain him. He shifted mid air and we proceeded into the woods.

 

The moment we got close to the border, the foul smell of rogues wafted through my nostrils.

 

Kairos leapt in their direction, and we saw some of my warriors there already. Good. We rounded them, and although we were a bit outnumbered, they stood no chance against us.

 

Two of them pounced on me at once, and I sent one flying back while tackling the other one on the ground.

 

“Leave one for questioning later,” I said to one of my warriors even though I knew they knew the drill.

 

The rogue tried to be stubborn, but I found his weak point and slashed him right there using Kairos's claws. The second one came right at me with a loud howl, probably mourning the loss of his friend.

 

I battled with him a bit, rolling on the grass for some seconds before I could get a grasp on his skin. He was so blinded by rage that all he wanted at that instant was to kill me.

 

The last time rogues ever dared to enter my territory was years ago.

 

As I tore through the chest of the last one, it finally dawned on me that maybe my councils were right. Maybe Selene is affiliated with rogues.

 

Kairos yelled “No” in my head, but I knew he was just being clouded by emotions or whatever he felt for her.

 

It was now obvious that the lady is trouble.