All Chapters of THE LYCAN KING’S CLAIM: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Elara’s POVThe moment I saw him, my chest tightened. Aldric looked… broken and shattered.The light in his eyes, that was normally so fierce, was dulled by exhaustion and worry. His posture slumped, shoulders heavy with invisible weight.Even from where I stood, I could sense the storm he carried inside him, and my heart clenched.Without thinking, I crossed the space between us.When I reached him, I didn’t pause. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close to me.He stiffened for a heartbeat, shocked by my reaction, but then melted against my hug.His head pressed into my shoulder, and I felt the subtle tremor of his hands as they held against my back.He had come from the hospital… I knew it.I saw when he drove off and judging by the loom on his face, I knew it wasn't good news about Seraphina.“Aldric,” I whispered, my voice trembling even as I tried to steady it. “Shh… it’s okay. I’m here.”He didn’t respond at first, only pressed himself harder against me. I could feel the

Aldric’s POVThe faint morning light spilt through her windows.I lay there on my back, staring at the ceiling, the same one, I’ve been staring at for the last thirty minutes, maybe even longer.Elara was asleep beside me.Her body was warm and grounding, as she tucked herself half under the sheets and half wrapped in her own arms.Her breathing was soft and gentle.I should’ve been at the hospital. I should’ve been pacing beside her bed, holding her hand, begging her not to leave me… leave us.Instead, I was here.My chest tightened. I dragged a hand over my face and exhaled slowly, quietly.Just then, my phone vibrated o the table beside me.The sharp buzz on the nightstand cut through the quiet and punched me straight in the chest.I froze, staring at the screen glowing in the dim room.I reached for it slowly so I didn’t wake her.One look at the screen and my heart stopped.Shit.The breath punched out of my lungs.“I’ve got an hour.”I said it out loud without meaning to, my voi

Elara’s POVThe waiting room was too quiet and still. The kind of stillness that wasn’t peaceful, but suffocating. It pressed against my chest as I sat on the farthest corner of the long leather couch, hands clasped so tightly my fingers were beginning to ache. I didn’t care.My knee bounced restlessly. I’d stopped trying to control it.Seraphina.We should have died.If I closed my eyes, I could still hear it.. the violent blast of the car, shattering it to pieces.One second we were stepping out of the car, and the next… destruction.My throat tightened. Seraphina shouldn’t have been there in the first place. She wasn’t supposed to be caught in any of this.I dragged my palms over my face, exhaling shakily.Then I heard it… quiet and steady footsteps approaching.My heart lurched. I looked up, and Aldric was walking toward me from the end of the hallway.I stood up instantly. “Aldric—”He shook his head before I could reach him, a faint but tired smile touching his lips. “I’m fine.

Aldric’s POVThey were here.The vampires.My vision snapped into clarity all at once, adrenaline sharpening every sense.My muscles tightened and my claws began breaking through my skin on instinct.Then, I heard it.Slow footsteps approaching the door way.Then another set and more and more.They were coming and fast….I pushed off the wall and stepped forward, planting my feet to the ground as the first figures materialized through the smoke.Their eyes glowed blood shot red, their faces hungry and vicious.Thier skin were pale and thier fangs glinting under the faint hospital lights.Vampires!!They trooped in plenty, first five, then ten and then more..They formed a circle around me, closing in like predators who thought they’d found an easy feast.I rolled my neck.“Come on then,” I growled.The vampires snarled back, shifting slightly as if awaiting a command.But none attacked.Not yet.Because they weren’t the ones in charge.Then, a space opened up between them, as if an in

Chapter 50Elara POV I could almost feel a fang scrale my cheek before Jonas grabbed me by the waist and hurled me through the exit door.The metal slammed shut between us, and I heard claws scrape down the surface with a horrid screech…. That would have been me..? The cold night air hit me like a slap as we were by the other side of the door. My knees buckled under me, and I collapsed onto the concrete, my lungs burning, my pulse hammering so hard it felt like it would burst through my ribs.Jonas locked the door shut as claws continued to scrape violently from the other side. Seraphina whimpered softly, leaning against the wall, still weak and little groggy. Jonas planted his shoulder against the door, holding it with brute force until the banging faded.I forced myself to sit up, dragging in sharp breaths. My whole body trembled.Jonas finally stepped back from the door and turned to us, his face tinged with urgency. “Move,” he said. “Now.”He didn’t raise his voice, but we