Page 32 of Lycan King's Captives
“I don’t like the tablecloths, and I am changing them from royal blue. Which ones, you can choose?” she tells me, and I point to one randomly, not caring for tablecloths. Carina smiles and pecks my cheek before sauntering out. All the while, I think it should be Sienna choosing, she is the woman I should be meeting at the end of the aisle, not a woman I feel nothing for.
16
The night I hoped would be uneventful turns into one of my biggest nightmares as pain erupts suddenly, tearing through my body with a ferocity that leaves me gasping for breath, every nerve ending ablaze. Helplessness crashes over me like a tidal wave, and terror clutches at my heart as I struggle to understand what’s happening to me, feeling so utterly alone as the pain intensifies and grows worse, every bone aching like they are thickening and stretching, pulling from the sockets. The coldness of this place only adds to the aching of my bones.
As my body begins to contort and change, I focus on the sensations, trying to make sense of the incomprehensible. My bones crack and shift, and my muscles twist and reform beneath my skin with agonizing slowness that has me passing out only to come to with the next enduring crack. The pain is indescribable, like being ripped apart and stitched back together all at once. My vision blurs then sharpens, colors and shapes appearing more vividly than ever before, as though the world has come alive in ways I never thought possible. With new clarity, that is both mesmerizing and terrifying.
My hearing becomes more sensitive, and I can now pick up on the faintest of sounds echoing through the dungeons—the distant dripping of water, the scurrying of unseen rodents in the shadows. The scent of damp and decay is overwhelming, making me want to throw up, the stench invades my senses like a suffocating potent cloud. The stench burns my nose and throat. I can taste it.
My body grows larger, and more powerful. The horrifying realization dawns on me that I’m shifting into a Lycan. Into a monster. A monster he made me into. Panic surges through my veins, the fear of the unknown gnawing at my sanity while ripping apart my insides.
As my transformation completes, I take a shaky moment to explore my new form. My senses are heightened beyond anything I’ve ever experienced, the world around me seems both familiar and entirely alien. I have an undeniable strength coursing through me, a power I’ve never known before and it terrifies me, because I do not know what it means or what it might bring let alone how to use these new senses without hurting myself.
However, with this newfound power comes an increased sensitivity to the bond between Xandros and me; it’s like a dam wall has burst open, tidal waves of emotion so strong it steals the breath from my lungs and nearly brings me to my knees.
The pain of our separation is unbearable, a constant ache that threatens to consume me entirely. I have an urgent need to be near him, to seek comfort and security in his arms. However, I know I am trapped in this cold, dark cell, a prisoner of fate. A prisoner of his. I’m no one. Only an unwanted bond.
Fear and pain continue to course through me. However, I can’t ignore the feeling that this transformation has unlocked a part of myself that was always hidden away, waiting to be discovered. I am both fascinated and repulsed by the creature I have become, torn between the power and the darkness that now resides within me.
The walls of the dungeon seem to close in around me, suffocating any hope of escape. The torment of my isolation is amplified by the maddening knowledge that Xandros is somewhere above me, beyond my reach, with his wife. Desperation claws at my soul, and I struggle to adapt to my new reality. My heart is heavy with the weight of my uncertainty. There’s a new thing to contend with: trying to decipher the emotions I can feel emanating through the bond, the touch that belongs to Princess Carina, her caresses, though unwanted, I can feel like she is pawing at my body, my soul tugging painfully. I know I will have to eventually accept her presence.
I can’t bring myself to do it. I can feel the pain emanating from my soul, a pain that only I can understand. I must find a way to cope with my reality, yet it is cruel that he expects me to live with her like this, living with knowing it’s her on his arm, while I rot in this cell.
As I wrestle with the depression that threatens to engulf me, I can only hope one day Xandros and I will find a way to heal the rift between us and embrace the bond that fate has forged between us. Until then, I remain a prisoner—not only of these cold, unforgiving walls but of the bond we share together. I haven’t even marked him yet. My teeth ache to do so, and my bond tugs at me, too.
My fingertips graze over my teeth, razor sharp and deadly. Then my clawed hands linger on the mark on my neck, the one he gave me, a mark I’ll never be able to give him. I can feel his presence, his scent, his soul. I can practically feel the warmth of his touch, even if he’s not here with me. I can almost hear his voice, whispering in my ear, telling me everything will be alright when I know it won’t be. It is hard to fathom that without having marked him the bond could be so violently strong already.
I wipe my eyes as tears spill, the saltiness I can smell in the air, the slashes marring my face from his mother feel rough, crinkled in this form, some part of me hoped they would heal, but feeling them beneath my furry fingertips I feel the scars with so much more definition.
17
I pace the floor in my room, my heart pounding in my chest as Carina and I argue about her suggestion to have Sienna as her handmaiden. I still can’t wrap my head around it.
“How could you even suggest such a thing?” I demand, my voice shaking with fury.
Carina stares at me, her eyes filled with judgment, and for a second, I actually thought she truly did have feelings for me.
“Xandros, I’m trying to be understanding and be merciful. Allowing her to be my handmaiden will let you keep your mate close while we maintain the alliances between our families.”
I grit my teeth, torn between my love for Sienna and the hatred I feel for her parents. She’s the daughter of monsters, and yet, the bond between us is undeniable.
“I can’t believe she’s the daughter of the people who destroyed my mother, destroyed me,” I argue, my voice heavy with emotion.
Carina sighs, placing a hand on my arm. “I know, Xandros. But doing this will allow you to remain strong and our marriage to go ahead. Only a few people will know of her existence.”
I stare at her.
“Those who know we can force quiet.”
I shake my head, struggling with the conflicting emotions swirling inside me. “How can I accept that, knowing the truth about her family? How can I deny her when she is in front of me?”
Carina’s eyes fill with tears as she pleads, “Please, Xandros, we can find a way to make this work.” I stare at her. This woman never shows emotion, yet the idea of me canceling the wedding seems to petrify her.
As I’m about to respond, a crippling pain tears through me, stemming from the mate bond. The bond strengthens beyond comprehension, and the pain is so intense it brings me to my knees.
Carina rushes to my side, her eyes filled with concern. “Xandros, are you okay? What’s happening?”
I gasp for breath, struggling to speak. “The mate bond… Something’s wrong.”
