All Chapters of Rejected and Banished: Claimed by the Lycan King: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

ARESI used to think that having power was the most important thing in life. I wanted a throne, a kingdom, and an army that would do what I said without question. I thought that would make me strong and worthy. Now standing in the nursery at dawn, watching my two little boys sleep peacefully in their cradles, I realize how wrong I was.None of those things has ever made me feel what I feel now. Nothing comes close. I stand quietly near the window, watching my sons. My sons. The thought still surprises me every time. I feel like my heart is going to stop when I think about it. Not because I'm scared or shocked. Because of something much stronger. Love. Pure overwhelming love. The kind that changes a person. The kind that makes you want to do anything to protect what belongs to you.I understand now what it means to be a father. I get why fathers are always worried about their kids. They want to make sure they're safe and happy. They want to protect them from harm. I feel that way too.

KAELSomething was wrong with me, I knew it. Not just because I was tired or sad, something was really wrong. The truth kept hiding from me, coming and going in flashes. It was like trying to catch smoke with my hands.I sat alone in my room staring at the fire. The flames twisted and for a second, I thought I saw a face. Silver eyes, silver hair, Lyra. My breath caught, then the image was gone..just the fire again.I blinked hard. My headache came back. Those headaches never stopped anymore. Sometimes they felt like nails in my skull. Sometimes they felt like claws tearing at my thoughts. Sometimes they came with memories that did not make sense.I pressed my hands against my face, trying to think. Something important was hidden from me, something I should remember; it was just out of reach. Then the door opened, and everything slipped away again."Lyra," I said her name before I even looked up. Relief flooded me because she was here. She always came when things got tough. Didn't she

SERENAThe invitation arrived at sunset.I knew who it was from before I broke the seal.Nobody else would have dared.Nobody else would have been foolish enough.Or confident enough.The silver wax alone told me everything.Lyra.I stared at the envelope for several seconds.For the first time in a very long while, I felt something dangerously close to hesitation.Not fear.Never fear.But caution.The kind that came when facing an opponent who had survived every trap you'd set for her.An opponent who had somehow turned every attempt to destroy her into another reason people rallied behind her.I slid a knife beneath the seal and unfolded the letter.The message was short.Direct.Exactly like her.The Queen of the Lycans requests your presence.That was all.No threats.No conditions.No demands.Just an invitation.My lips curled slightly.Interesting.Very interesting.I read it again.Then a third time.Looking for hidden meanings.Subtle warnings.Anything.But Lyra had never b

LYRAI spent years learning to control my anger.Years of learning when to fight and when to wait.Years of learning that not every battle was won with claws.Some enemies deserved patience.Others deserved a strategy.Some deserved enough rope to reveal exactly who they were.Serena had just revealed herself.The moment Ares placed the intercepted letters in my hands, I felt something inside me go still.Not calm.Not peaceful.Something colder.More dangerous.The kind of silence that comes before a storm tears a forest apart.I stood in my study reading every page.Then, I read them again.Every line felt like poison.Every word made my grip tighten.Descriptions of my sons.Assessments of their abilities.Estimates of their value.Their value.As though they were objects.As though they were weapons to be bought and sold.As though they weren't children.My children.The room blurred for a moment.Silver mist crept across the floor.The windows rattled.The candles flickered viole

KAELThe first thing I noticed was the silence. Not the kind of silence that fills my rooms. Not the silence that falls over Stormclaw at night. The silence inside my own mind. For a time, my thoughts were a mess. There were voices and fragments and memories all mixed up with hallucinations. Dreams and reality were all jumbled together. Every day felt like I was drowning. Every morning started with confusion. Every night ended with uncertainty. I did not know what was real and what was not. I did not know what I saw or what I remembered. I did not even know if I could trust myself.Then slowly the silence came. It did not happen at once. It was like a fog lifting from a valley. Under that fog, I started to find pieces of myself. Some of these pieces were. Some were broken. They were mine. At first, I thought I was just imagining things. Maybe it was another trick or another hallucination. Then I remembered something real. I remembered Lyra standing by a river, laughing and happy. Her