CHAPTER THREE

I blinked slightly, raising my arm to shield my eyes as a bright light seared into them, forcing me to shut them instantly.

Then it hit me.

I... was alive?

I sat up in a rush, only to be struck by a sharp, throbbing headache. I groaned, clutching my head tightly with both hands.

“Did I... rebirth?” I whispered.

“You didn’t rebirth. You were saved; by me,” came a cold, dangerous voice.

I snapped my head in the direction of the voice, and froze.

A familiar man sat in a chair, legs crossed, a book resting in his hands, eyes locked on mine.

Lucas?!

He looked like Lucas… but something was different. Something darker.

His hair had grown longer, sleek black strands cascading over his shoulders like raven feathers. His jaw was sharp like marble, and his piercing blue eyes cut through me. He wore a long, black, majestic coat that gave off a chilling aura, powerful and deadly.

“Lucas?” I muttered in disbelief.

He let out a cold sneer. “Lucas? No. But I curse the day we came from the same womb.”

His attention returned to the book, fingers, decorated with black rings, tapping against the book rhythmically.

His aura was overwhelming. He wasn’t just an Alpha.

He was a Lycan King.

Lucas had a brother?

“You’re Lucas’s brother?” I managed to ask, my voice shaky.

He nodded once. “Not just a brother. His twin.”

My eyes widened in shock. Lucas had a twin brother? How could he never mention this?

I took a moment to really look at the man in front of me, and I was mesmerized. He resembled Lucas, yes, but he was more handsome, darker, and far more dangerous.

He caught me stealing glances and looked up from his book.

“How did you even fall in love with someone that heartless?” he asked, his piercing gaze still on me.

I looked away, suddenly uneasy under his stare. “I... I don’t know...” I paused. “Where am I?”

He shut the book and tossed it aside. “In my pack. Far away from the Fangsmoon Pack, your mate’s pack.”

“Far away,” I echoed under my breath.

Then, panic surged through me. My baby!

I placed my hand on my stomach and let out a shaky sigh of relief. I could still feel the heartbeat.

He noticed. His blue eyes studied me as if seeing straight through to my soul.

A Lycan King…

I glanced around the room, taking in the majestic space. It was nothing like the rooms in Lucas’s kingdom. This room was grand, ten times better in size and design.

But then my eyes fell to myself, and I froze.

I wasn’t wearing my gown anymore. Instead, I had on a silk, body-hugging dress.

I panicked and turned a glare to him, but his expression didn’t change. He just kept observing me, calm and unreadable.

“Did you... change my clothes?” I asked, voice rising with disbelief.

His red lips curled into a smirk. “Yes. I did.”

In that moment, my entire body stiffened, disgust and shame washing over me. How dare he?

I wanted to scream at him, but I couldn’t. He was a Lycan King. I had to respect my boundaries.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a middle-aged woman entered, followed by two younger ladies carrying a healer’s kit. She bowed deeply to him.

“Good morning, Your Highness. You sent for us?”

He gave a small nod. “Check if the child is fine and give her any treatment she needs,” he commanded, voice booming with authority.

I guessed she was the pack healer.

She bowed again and approached the bed, placing the kit on the nearby table. As she sat beside me, her weight dipped the mattress, and she reached for my forehead.

“Are you feeling feverish?” she asked softly, her warm, olive-green eyes looking at me with motherly concern.

I nodded slowly. “Just a little. I’ve got aches in my head and body.”

“Any pain in your stomach?”

I pressed my lips together and shook my head. “No... I’m not.”

“That’s good then. Have you eaten anything?”

I looked down. “No... I don’t feel like eating.”

To be honest, I was still trying to process everything. My mate; the man I loved, tried to kill me. And he didn’t even care that I was pregnant with his child.

What if his brother hadn’t come?

“You need to eat,” Lucas’s brother spoke again,“Do you want something to happen to the baby?”

Why does he care?

But he was right. If I wanted to protect my baby, I had to stay alive and healthy.

“Would you like to eat?” the healer asked gently. Her eyes reminded me of my mother’s when she was alive, warm, caring, almost enchanting.

I gave a soft nod.

“Good. Celine, go to the pack kitchen and bring a variety of meals. Let her choose what she wants,” she instructed one of the girls.

Celine bowed and quietly left, closing the door behind her.

The healer then unlocked the kit and pulled out some herbal balm and pain reliever supplements. She applied the balm gently to my forehead.

“This will help ease your pain,” she whispered.

“Good...” I was about to speak again, but a soft knock at the door interrupted me.

“Lycan Damien, your attention is needed,” a male voice said from the other side.

Damien. So that was his name.

“Damien...” I muttered under my breath.

He stood slowly, dangerously calm, and walked toward the door.

Before stepping out, he paused and looked over his shoulder. “Eat. Keep the baby alive.”

Then he shut the door behind him, hard.

Why does he care so much? And why... does seeing Lucas’s face in his makes my skin crawl.

“You seem surprised by his name. Never heard of it?” the middle-aged healer asked as she sorted through the kit.

I sighed and shook my head. “No.”

“No?” she repeated, her brows furrowed.

“What pack are you from?”

“Fangsmoon Pack,” I said flatly, my voice weak. I was struggling to even speak. My soul felt crushed. Betrayal ran deep in my bones. How could he do this to me?

He doubted me... and tried to kill me.

He’s going to pay.

“That’s strange. Didn’t you arrive here on Moon Dance night?” she asked again.

This time, her words made me freeze.

“I... came here?” I asked, confused.

“Yes. You did.”

That doesn’t make sense. I didn’t even know Lucas had a twin. I didn’t even know this pack existed.

That night, the Moon Dance… I was in the forest collecting herbs. I remember being knocked out. I woke up the next day in a small village town, completely disoriented.

Wait... what?

Something isn’t right.