The Visit I Didn’t Expect

Chapter Fifty Five: The Visit I Didn’t Expect

Selene’s POV

The room was quiet—so quiet I could hear the soft ticking of the old clock on the wall and the way the wind whispered against the windows. I had pulled the blanket tighter around me, not for warmth, but for comfort. My hand rested gently on my belly, my thumb rubbing the same spot over and over again, as if I could reach him through the small life inside me.

Lucien had gone out to find herbs. He promised he wouldn’t take long, but every second without him felt like an hour. He had become one of the few people I could still trust, someone who didn’t speak to me like I was weak or broken, even though I felt both.

I sat in silence, staring at the wall, my heart heavy. I hadn’t slept well. I hadn’t smiled. My eyes felt dry, but inside, I was drowning. The only thing that gave me strength was the faint beat of life growing within me—the pup Ronan never got to hold.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the pillow, letting out a long, soft sigh.

And then… I felt it.

Not a sound. Not a scent. But a presence.

The air changed. It always did when he entered. It became heavier, colder. Stronger.

I opened my eyes slowly—and there he was.

Evric.

The Lycan King.

He stood at the edge of the room like a shadow. Tall, broad, powerful. His dark eyes fixed on me, unreadable. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t look away.

I had learned not to fear him.

He was cold to the world, yes. But he had never hurt me. Never raised his voice at me. Never looked at me with the same disgust others did when they learned I had run from my mate… or that I was carrying a pup without a pack.

He had taken me in. Given me a roof, silence, and safety.

I watched him as he took a few steps forward, his boots making no sound against the wooden floor. He didn’t speak. He just stared at me. And somehow, that stare… didn’t feel cruel. It felt like armor. Like protection.

“I miss him,” I whispered, my voice breaking like a thin glass.

Evric didn’t blink.

His jaw tensed.

I looked down at my belly. My palm spread out across the curve of it. “He didn’t leave me… I know he didn’t.” My voice shook. “But what if something happened? What if he’s out there, hurt, or worse?”

Evric took another step closer, but still didn’t touch me. His voice was cold when he finally spoke. “If he cared, Selene… he wouldn’t have disappeared in the first place.”

I turned my head toward him, hurt flashing in my chest like a dull ache. But I didn’t yell. I didn’t argue. I was too tired. Too hollow.

“He cared,” I said gently. “He always cared. Even when he was confused. Even when the world hated me, he didn’t. He stayed, even when he was angry. And… the way he looked at me…”

My throat closed up, and I swallowed hard.

Evric’s voice dropped lower, like a blade slicing through silence. “Then where is he, Selene?”

I had no answer. My lips trembled, but I had nothing left to say.

He walked to the chair beside my bed. It creaked under his weight, his large frame making the wooden seat look small and fragile. He didn’t lean close. He didn’t touch me. But his presence filled the room, steady and firm.

I stared down at my hands again.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For taking me in. For letting me stay.”

Evric’s head tilted slightly. His voice was firm. “I don’t want your gratitude.”

My brows pulled together in confusion. I lifted my eyes. “Then… what do you want?”

He didn’t answer.

He just looked at me.

A long, deep look that made me feel like he was searching for something inside me. Something even I couldn’t find anymore. After a few seconds, he stood again, tall and still as a mountain.

“Rest,” he said, before turning toward the door.

But just as he reached it, he paused. Slowly, he lifted the pendant from around his neck—a thick black chain with a dark, gleaming stone at the center. I’d seen it before. Worn only by Lycan royalty. I’d heard whispers about what it meant.

Protection. Power. Honor.

He walked back and placed it gently on the table beside my bed.

“Wear that,” he said, his voice still calm but lower now. “It will shield you. And the pup.”

I stared at the pendant. My breath caught in my chest.

This wasn’t a simple gift.

No Lycan King gave such a thing lightly. Especially not to someone outside his pack. Especially not to someone carrying another male’s pup.

I looked up at him again. I wanted to ask why. But something in his eyes stopped me.

So I only nodded.

He left without another word, and I was alone again.

But not quite.

I reached for the pendant, fingers trembling, and closed it in my hand. It was warm. Strong.

Just like him.

And for the first time in days, I didn’t feel like I was falling apart.

I felt… protected.