Chapter 4 The mysterious box

“I will bring your rejected mate with me after the banquet,” Julian announced later after he, his Beta, and Devon retreated into a conference room.

Devon frowned, but only for a second before he cleared his expression. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I don’t understand.”

Why would the Lycan King want to bring a worthless Omega with him? He was sure there were enough slaves at the palace. Besides, Julian had looked thoroughly disgusted earlier while observing Lyra. Why would he want her anywhere near him?

“It’s not your business to understand the king’s mind,” Julian’s Beta Asher groused.

Devon was aware that infuriating the king would do him no good. But he could not let Lyra go with him. What if she revealed Devon’s abuse to the king towards her? His entire plan would go to waste, and he would suffer the king’s wrath.

“I apologise,” he said. “I’m only worried that she is not worthy to accompany Your Majesty. A whore like her would only tarnish the king’s reputation if seen anywhere around him. I have a few slaves who would be more suitable for the palace that Your Majesty can choose from. Besides, there’s a terrifying curse surrounding her. I believe the farther she is from the king, the better.”

Julian said nothing, his stoic gaze drilling a hole into the opposite wall. Asher, who had noticed the king’s reaction in Lyra’s room earlier, faced Devon again. “And yet you kept her around you.”

“I would not dare disobey the king’s law,” Devon said. “She was my Goddess-given mate. No matter what curse afflicts her, she was meant to be by my side.”

Asher’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing for the moment. This Alpha was happy to get rid of his Omega mate. Asher doubted he had liked having her around so much. Was he really worried about the king's safety around the cursed she-wolf, or did he just not want his rejected mate to leave? Why?

Whatever, it did not matter. Asher had recognised Julian’s desire for Lyra in that room, so he knew the king was not simply looking for another slave to bring to the palace.

He took a step towards Devon, his eyes stern. “And you think the Lycan King himself cannot handle a little cursed Omega she-wolf?”

Devon’s throat moved as he swallowed, then an uneasy smile flitted across his lips. “Of course not. I did not mean that.”

“The king is taking the she-wolf,” Asher said resolutely. “Put her in the king’s quarters and get her ready to leave.”

“I’ll arrange it right away,” Devon said, backing down.

Later, Devon entered the king’s bedroom, where Lyra was staying. Try as he might, he could not understand what the king’s fixation with her was.

When Lyra saw him, her eyes hardened with hate. It was too bad that the king was unusually interested in her. Devon had planned on punishing her properly for her ‘betrayal’. It would have been a good opportunity to teach other Omegas a lesson.

“What are you doing here?” Lyra demanded, wrapping her arms around her upper body.

It appeared that she still did not know her place. She must think she was under the king’s protection and could talk back to Devon however she wanted. Devon’s hand itched to slap her face, but he held himself back. He remembered how the king had shoved Devon’s Beta, Rick, aside when he attempted to strike Lyra. Why on earth was the Lycan King protecting her when he was clearly disgusted by her behaviour?

He stepped up to Lyra, looking down at her. She did not flinch, as if showing him that she was no longer afraid of him. “You’d better keep your mouth shut,” he threatened. “The king will not believe anything that comes out of your filthy mouth.”

Lyra’s jaw clenched. Devon was probably right, but he clearly was afraid that the Lycan King would find out the truth about what had happened. The consequences for deceiving the Lycan King were far much more dire than rejecting her without permission could have been.

“We’ll see about that,” she told him.

Devon’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t think that I can’t do anything now that you are leaving. Do not forget that I still have your parents’ belongings. If you want them back, you’ll shut your mouth.”

Lyra swallowed as an uneasy feeling washed through her. Her memories took her back to the past, after her pack’s tragedy. She had met an elderly mother wolf who had given her a box, claiming that it was from her parents.

Her parents wished for her to open the box on her twentieth birthday, which was only three months away. If the box was damaged, it would bring great disaster to the pack. Since Lyra came to the Red Moon Pack, Devon had taken custody of the box. She could not risk losing it and disobeying her parents’ warning.

"I won't say anything," she told Devon. Devin left, satisfied. Just as Lyra was about to lie down and rest, the door opened again.

The Lycan King strode in, carrying his powerful presence.

"Mate, mine," Ardan growled, eyeing her body hungrily.

Lyra felt a tremor in her core, she didn't know why. She took a deep breath, struggling to steady herself.

The Moon Goddess had been too kind to her. Her first mate was a powerful alpha wolf, and now, after enduring hellish rejection, her second mate was the even mightier Lycan King.

But what would he ultimately do to her? Lyra could no longer bear Ardan's intense gaze and spoke up, "King, do you intend to accept me?"