Page 34 of Lycan Prince's Secret Baby

Turmoil whirled through me. Despite wanting to sever our mate bond, my wolfstilllonged for him. I felt her eagerness at the first sight of Kyle. The blood roared in my ears as soon as his green eyes were unveiled. His vision adjusted to the light, and his gaze settled on Roman. Then, my whole body felt as if it lit up, prickling with awareness as his gaze found me.

Surprise and excitement glimmered in his stare. “Leah?” His voice was thick, like a man who’d stumbled on an oasis after days in a desert. But then, tension fluttered over his face as he opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, gritting his jaw.

What was he thinking?

Did he have regrets about us, about how he’d treated me? The aching hope clashed with the bitter memories of the final moments we’d spent with each other in the Moonlight Council Chamber.

“I’ve been searching for you ever since you left,” Kyle continued, his voice low and serious, each word a weighty stone castthrough the silence that sent ripples through my body. “The night you left, I uncovered the truth about our packs. I know my father’s responsible for my mother’s assassination and the deaths of both of your fathers.” His gaze flicked between me and Roman, seriousness settling over his chiseled features. “I know that all of you Blood Moons,” he declared, noting the murmurs that swept through our gathering, “are blameless.”

“I want to ally with you,” Kyle continued, urgency lacing his voice, “so that we can end my father’s tyranny and restore your lands to your pack.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding with mixed emotions. This was what Mark had assured Roman. Kyle sought to reclaim his honor and help us. Yet, as I studied him, the memories of our entanglement loomed large, and how easily he’d cast me aside stirred my doubt.

“Will you swear loyalty to us in blood?” Roman’s challenge sliced through the tension, mistrust coating his voice.

To my astonishment, Kyle nodded without hesitation, a fire igniting in his eyes. A blood oath wasn’t a matter to be entered into lightly. Betraying one invited the moon goddess’s punishment and brought the pack’s scorn and exile. I’d only ever seen one used at a marriage ceremony to seal the love of two shifters’ vows.

Lyvia stepped forward, the hum of ancient magic radiating from her as she unbound Kyle’s hands.

He offered his hand to the witch. She made a ceremonial, precise cut on his palm, and bright crimson droplets beaded along his palm. Then, she turned to Roman, taking another ceremonial dagger and slicing his palm.

The witch’s melodic voice resonated within the cavern, wrapping around us. “Do you, Kyle, swear your allegiance to the Blood Moon Pack?”

“I swear it,” Kyle declared as he grasped Roman’s palm and shook. The air thrummed with the sacred covenant that the fusion of their blood formed.

Tremors ricocheted through the ground beneath our feet, responding to the blood oath as it dripped from their joined hands, binding Kyle to his oath.

A turbulent mix of hope and dread pitched through me.

Roman broke the weighty silence after the oath, “We allowed you here for our own reason, Kyle. I know you know my wife, Leah.”

The moment those words left Roman’s lips, I felt the air crackle with tension. Kyle’s gaze darted to me, his emerald stare betraying surprise and pain. Then, his expression hardened, emphasizing the chiseled features that had once ignited both warmth and resentment within me.

My heart pounded as I watched him absorb that fact. The corners of his mouth edged downward, a flicker of remorse shadowing his features. Perhaps he was grappling with the consequences of his past decisions and the way he had treated me. “I—” Kyle began, his voice thickening. Then, he simply said, “Yes, I know Leah.”

Roman’s gaze remained steady on Kyle, focused and fierce. “But it is our child who suffers from a strange illness that we have brought you here for.”

The impact of those words seemed to resonate through Kyle even more than Roman’s last. His shoulders tightened, jaw clenching as he processed that not only was I married, but I had a child with another man—ourchild. Roman’s words resounded in my ears, and I was almost certain from the way Kyle tensed that a similar shockwave was ricocheting through him.

The weight of Kyle’s expression shifted, morphing from surprise to solemnity. His gaze went to the child in my arms, his eyes burning with the intensity I remembered so well.

“Lina requires the essence of one of the pack who has robbed us of our land.” Roman continued. “Lyvia foresaw that it is your presence and essence that we need.” His gaze traveled to the witch still standing near Kyle. “It is the absence of our pack lands that is robbing our daughter’s wolf of her strength.”

“If there’s anything I have that can help, it’s yours,” Kyle vowed, his gaze fixed on me.

My heart hammered my chest with each one of Roman’s words as he carefully obscured the truth. I’d known my friend would find a way to protect me from Kyle. That was why he’d claimed I was his wife and Lina, his child. But Roman had also cleverly camouflaged our need for Kyle in treating Lina.

“The blood oath you made secures your place here. You will stay and heal Lina,” Roman declared, his voice firm and unwavering. “Through this, you can atone for your past misdeeds. But, if you wish to make your case for our assistance, you must first prove you are a wolf worth helping. Will you fight me to prove your strength?” he challenged.

My breath hitched as the reality of his words sank in. As an Alpha, Roman needed to assert his dominance over a newcomer.A wolf fight was standard protocol in our packs. But beneath that necessity lay a more personal motivation. Roman was driven by his fierce protective instincts and was determined to teach Kyle a lesson for the pain he’d caused me.

In a moment, Lyvia had removed the wards preventing outsiders from shifting, and Kyle’s impressive gray wolf stood before us. Roman’s equally large red wolf soon shimmered in the torchlight.

If Kyle was to gain our pack’s help, he had to prove himself worthy in a fight against our Alpha. As I glanced at my best friend and the leader of the Blood Moon Pack, his red fur gleamed like a bonfire in the darkness, each muscle tensed and ready.

My heart hammered in my chest as anticipation fired through me. The Blood Moons, Lyvia, and I retreated from the center of the cavern, congregating by the stone staircase to watch from a safe distance. The onlookers around me held their breath.

Roman prowled forward, his massive red wolf casting a long shadow. I could see the glint of resolve in his ferocious blue stare. He was fully prepared to defend what washis. Kyle’s powerful gray wolf stood poised and fierce, too, fur rippling like liquid silver, mirroring the determination in his emerald eyes. The raw energy between them crackled, a palpable force that echoed off the stone walls.

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