The Lycan King's Offer

Xander's POV

The scent of storm lingered in the air—thick, electric, foreboding. I stood at the edge of my chambers, overlooking the darkened forest below. Somewhere out there, monsters plotted in silence. But it wasn't the looming threat of rogues or traitors that kept me awake tonight. It was her.

Reya.

After the blood oath, she didn't flinch. Not when the magic sliced through her palm, not when my blood mingled with hers, binding us in a pact deeper than loyalty. The court had been stunned into silence. She had become more than a soldier. More than a protector. She was turning into something else entirely—something dangerous, something... mine.

A knock echoed off the chamber walls.

"Enter," I said, not turning from the window.

Her scent hit me before her footsteps did. Wolfbane and wild lavender. She walked with quiet force, every move precise.

"You summoned me, Your Majesty?"

I turned.

Even now, after seeing her bloodied and battle-worn, she held herself like a queen. Her eyes locked onto mine, guarded but curious.

"Close the door," I said.

She did.

"Sit."

She remained standing. Defiant.

Of course.

"Fine," I muttered, crossing the room until we stood face to face. "You swore loyalty in front of the entire pack. You didn't ask questions. You didn't hesitate. Why?"

"Because I meant it."

Simple. Honest. No hesitation.

But that was Reya. She never said more than necessary. Her silence always meant more than words.

"And if I told you your loyalty might come at a price you didn't expect?" I asked.

Her jaw tightened. "What price?"

I took a breath I hadn’t realized I needed.

"Become my Luna."

She didn’t blink. Didn’t react at all. Her expression turned unreadable.

Seconds passed like hours.

"You needed a weapon. I became one."

My eyes searched hers. "And she said now you’re asking for more than that?"

"You're not serious."

"I am."

She took a step back. "Is this some political game? Make the rogue girl Luna to stir the council into madness?"

"I don't play games, Reya."

"Then what is this? You think binding me in magic makes me yours to command in every way?"

I closed the distance between us again. "This isn’t a command. It’s a choice."

"A choice," she repeated bitterly. "Like the ones Tristan gave me?"

I flinched.

Low blow.

"I’m not him," I said.

"And maybe something more. If you let it be."

"You think offering me your bed and your crown will erase the scars?"

My expression darkened. "No. But it might forge new armor over them."

"I have children."

"I know."

"Enemies."

"So do I."? 

"A mate who betrayed me."

"And I’m not him."

She sucked in a sharp breath. "Say it plain, Xander. What do you want?"

I tilted my head. "I want you to stand beside me as Luna of the Mooncrest Pack. Publicly. Officially. Permanently."

"Why me?"

"Because you’re the only wolf I trust to survive what's coming. And because I see the fire in you. It matches mine."

The silence stretched.

Her eyes softened for a split second—long enough for me to see the war beneath.

"I know," she whispered. "But you’re still a king. And kings don't ask. They take."

"Then maybe I’m a different kind of king."

She turned away, pacing now.

"Why me? She asked again? You have your pick of noble-born females. Alphas' daughters. Trained diplomats."

"Because they don’t challenge me."

She laughed bitterly. "You want someone to fight you?"

"I want someone who isn’t afraid to."

She stopped. "And what if I say no?"

"Then I’ll respect that. You remain under my protection. Your oath stands. Nothing changes."

I shrugged. "Then you remain my soldier. Respected. Feared. Alone."

The last word cut deeper than it should've.

I moved past her, poured a drink, handed it over.

"You don't have to answer tonight. But you will."

She took the glass, sipped. Fire on her tongue.

"And if she accept, what changes?"

I smiled, feral. "Everything."

She faced me again. "And if I say yes?"

I stepped closer. "Then everything changes."

Silence again. She looked up at me, and for the first time, I saw something more than defiance. I saw fear. Not of me, but of herself.

She turned to leave. My voice stopped me.

"Reya."

She glanced over her shoulder.

"You were never just a soldier. You were always a queen. You just forgot."

The door clicked behind her. But the fire in her chest didn’t fade.

Safety. And I’ll give your children protection the Riverdale pack could never offer. But more than that—I’ll never lie to you. I’ll never pretend to be something I’m not. I’m a king. And I want a queen who’s clawed her way through fire.”

“she’s not a queen,” She breathed.

“Then be my monster.”

Her breath caught.

“You have until the full moon,” I said. “Say yes… and you won’t just be my Luna. You’ll be feared across every territory. No one will touch you. No one will question you.”

She stared at me. At the fire behind my words. At the throne behind me—empty.

Her fingers curled at her sides.

“You don’t want a Luna,” She said slowly. “You want a weapon no one else can touch.”

“And you don’t want a king,”I said. “You want someone who sees the storm in you and dares to step closer.”

She turned to leave. Her hand trembled on the door.

“I’ll give you my answer before the full moon.”

“Good.”

My voice followed her out:

“When you say yes, Reya… the world will never be the same. 

"I’ll think about it," she said.

I nodded.

She turned to leave.

"Reya."

She paused.

"This isn’t about power or control. It’s about survival. Yours. Mine. The pack's. But it could be more than that... if you let it."

She nodded once and disappeared into the shadows.

Later that night, I found myself pacing.

What had I done?

The pack wouldn't understand. The council would revolt. But I didn't care. Because for the first time in years, I felt something shift in my chest. Something dangerous. Something real.

Not lust. Not strategy. But something primal and impossible to ignore.

I wanted her.

Not just as a Luna. But as the missing part of myself I didn’t know was missing.

A flash of movement outside the window caught my eye. A shadow among shadows.

I threw open the balcony doors.

"Guards!"

The alarm rang out.

Another attempt on her life.

Damn it.