บททั้งหมดของ When My Mate Chose Another, the Lycan King Chose Me: บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 80

Lucien’s POVWhen I left Natasha’s room, the corridor felt colder than it had when I’d walked in. My steps were steady, my face unreadable, but inside me, there was a pull I hadn’t expected.Her hug lingered.The way she had reached for me so suddenly, without thought, without restraint. The warmth of her arms, the light weight of her frame against mine. It had been brief, almost clumsy, and yet it was enough to make my heart falter. For a man like me, that was dangerous.My heart… skipped.It had not done that in years. Not since—well, not since before I became this version of myself. Hardened. Stoic. Untouchable. Emotions were things I had buried deep, locked away so no one could use them against me. Yet here she was, a girl who didn’t even know the half of what I carried, managing to stir something I had sworn no one could touch.Strange. Too strange.I forced myself to steady. My body had stiffened when she touched me, a reaction born of instinct, defense, habit. But my heart had

Natasha’s POVThe moment my lips touched his, the world felt like it had stopped. My heart was racing, my hands trembling where they clung around his neck, but his body—his entire self—remained still.Lucien didn’t move. He didn’t pull me closer, didn’t kiss me back. His mouth stayed unmoving beneath mine, his hands remained at his sides, and it was like I had leaned into a wall instead of a man.The realization hit me in seconds. My chest tightened with a sudden, burning embarrassment. My heart dropped like a stone.What am I doing?I pulled back quickly, heat rushing to my cheeks. I couldn’t even look at him properly, afraid of what I might see in his eyes—indifference, rejection, maybe even disgust. My lips parted, my breath shaky as I tried to form words.“I—” My voice cracked. I swallowed and tried again. “I’m sorry… Your Majesty.”The title slipped out sharper than I meant it, almost like I was hiding behind it. It felt safer than saying his name, safer than admitting how much I

Lucien’s POVThe day dragged, endless meetings stacked one after another, parchment and ink blurring into a monotony I’d grown too familiar with. Decisions about trade, disputes among noble houses, military reports—all of it weighed heavily, yet it was the kind of burden I had long since learned to carry without complaint. Responsibility was the marrow of my bones; it kept me upright even when I wanted nothing more than to collapse.Still, when dusk fell and the halls finally emptied, I felt the weight pressing harder than usual. Natasha’s presence lingered at the edge of my thoughts like a flame behind closed doors, and Abram’s sudden reappearance gnawed at me in a way I hadn’t expected. It had been a while since I’d last shared a drink with him, since I had allowed myself that kind of release, that kind of company. Perhaps it was weakness, or perhaps it was inevitability, but when Abram suggested we go out, I didn’t refuse.We found ourselves seated in a dim tavern tucked into one o

Lucien’s POVAbram’s words followed me into the morning like a shadow that refused to fade. I could still hear the lilt of his voice, the sharpness veiled in drawl. Why does it feel like you’re trying to convince yourself… rather than convince me?It had been meant as a jest, or at least he wanted me to take it as one, but I knew better. Abram never wasted words. He had pierced through me, the way he always did, and the question lodged itself in my chest long after I left the tavern.I had never wanted this—any of this—to reach beyond duty. I had sworn, long ago, that I would not allow another woman to hold the kind of power Korah once did. Love was weakness. Affection was a leash. It gave others something to pull, something to use. I built my reign on steel and distance, my emotions buried beneath command and calculation. It kept me alive. It kept the crown on my head. It kept enemies from finding where to strike.But now…Now I found myself here, seated at the long table as the gold

Natasha’s POV“Girl, you don’t even want to know,” I muttered, pressing the phone tighter against my ear. The words slipped out low and teasing, but behind the playful edge was something heavier. Lani wasn’t buying it. She never did. Her curiosity was like wildfire—relentless, always hungry for more.Lani’s voice crackled through the line, sharp and playful, pressing on like she always did. “Come on, Tasha, don’t play with me. Spill it already! You’re living in a palace with a freaking king. Don’t you dare hold out on me!”I exhaled, heavy and tired, before sinking onto the edge of my four-poster bed. The velvet duvet dipped beneath me, soft but not comforting, the weight of it pulling me down instead of propping me up.“Lani, I told you… you don’t want to know.” My voice dropped lower now, tinged with a hesitation I couldn’t disguise no matter how hard I tried.“Oh, please.” Her groan vibrated through the phone. “You can’t say something like that and then shut me out. What’s the tea?