Found By The Lycan King novel Chapter 24

XANDER'S POV

I sat there, staring at my sister with a stubborn expression on my face. I couldn't believe that she was still trying to convince me to release Adriana. I had made his decision, and I wasn't going to change it. Still, she was clamoring insistently that I had a change of mind.

Daciana, on the other hand, was getting increasingly frustrated. She could see the pain and guilt etched on my face, but she also knew that I was being stubborn. She took a deep breath and tried once more to make me see reason.

"Xander, you can't keep punishing her like this. She's. Your. Mate.” She growled out her patience thinning. She breathed in, calling herself. She has always had a better grip of her emotions than me. “You need to take care of her. She's been through a lot, and she needs your support and understanding."

I let out a sigh, "I know that, Daciana, but she needs to learn her lesson. She needs to learn to obey me and my rules."

Daciana shook her head, "Xander, that's not the way to handle this. Locking her up and treating her like a prisoner is not going to solve anything. You need to talk to her, understand where she's coming from, and work through this together."

I clenched my jaw, "I don't have time for this, Daciana. I have more important things to worry about than my mate's disobedience."

Daciana's eyes widened in shock, "Xander, how can you say that? Adriana is the most important thing in your life right now! You can't just throw her away because she made a mistake. You need to work through this together, as a team. How long have you waited for a mate but you're willing to throw her away because of some-"

I let out a growl, interrupting her. "I'm the Alpha here, Daciana. I make the decisions, and I decide when it's time to release her. And it's not now."

I could sense that Daciana's heart ached for me, she could clearly see that I was hurting, but she also knew that I was being stubborn. She knew that it was going to take some time for me to see reason. Except I know, she isn’t going to give up on me or Adriana.

"Fine, I'll let you make your decision," she said, her voice low and filled with disappointment. "But just know that I'll be here for Adriana, and I'll be here for you when you're ready to get over your arrogance and damn inflated ego.” With that, she turned and walked towards the door.

"Come on, Daciana. We're not done. You know we could talk about other things like we used to." I said in a weak attempt to make her feel better.

I had hurt Adriana, and by refusing to let her go, I was hurting Daciana who seemed to have gotten close to her. I was the Alpha, and I was responsible for the Pack's safety, letting Adriana's disobedience go unpunished wouldn’t only destroy my image, it would make it seem like I wasn’t fit to rule. There were no exceptions when it came to right or wrong, and just because she was my mate, wasn’t good enough a reason for me to let her go without any repercussions for her actions.

Daciana stopped, shook her head and walked back. "I need to make sure she is OK. I don't think she has eaten this morning."

I was always thinking about Adriana. The mate bond tugged at my insides, a part of me that he needed her always seeking, searching for her. But I had to be strong, and the Pack needed to know that I was in control. Not the mate bond and certainly not whatever feelings it had borne in me.

It was going to take some time for things to be resolved, but I was willing to wait. I would wait for Adriana to learn her lesson, she has to understand that I was only doing this for her own good. When the right time came to release her, when it had finally sunk into her skull how she should behave, then there would be no reason to hold her in her room. She had to be free if she was going to be the Luna, she needed to learn the pack and its members . I didn’t believe you could lead people you didn’t know, it was why I worked close with my followers. They trusted me because they saw me.

"Wait a second, Daciana." I started, she gave her head a slight shake, her lips flattening into a thin line like she was in thought.

"You know, she said something else about Donovan." I shook my head, sick and tired of hearing that name. I couldn't believe that she was still trying to convince me that Donovan was lying. But even if Donovan was lying, Adriana still needed to be punished for going to meet the warrior when I clearly forbade it.

Daciana, on the other hand, was getting increasingly frustrated. "Xander, please listen to me. Donovan is not a trustworthy man. He has always been jealous of your mate and he would do anything to come between you two."

I let out a sigh, "I know that, Daciana, but it doesn't change the fact that Adriana disobeyed me. She needs to learn her lesson."

Daciana shook her head, not hiding her irritation. "Xander, that's not the way to handle this. Adriana is injured and she needs medical attention. She's been locked up for days with no food or water and she's in a terrible state."

My expression softened as he realized the gravity of the situation, "What do you mean, injured?"

Daciana's voice was filled with concern, "She has a wound on her cheek that's still bleeding. I found her last night, crying and weak from starvation. She needs your help, Xander. You can't just leave her to suffer like this. And if I didn’t do anything about it, you would have found her corpse whenever you were planning on letting her out."

My heart ached as I thought about Adriana, injured and alone. I shoved those thoughts aside and spoke. “Well, that’s part of the punishment. But you did better by not letting her out.” I commended her, a smug smile on my face. She hissed, rolling her eyes. “You look so ridiculous, Xander.” I chuckled and opened my mouth to speak.

That's when Donovan burst into the room, his expression smug and self-satisfied. Daciana's face twisted in anger as she saw him, and I could feel my own anger rising as well. I felt he was here to cause another mischief, as always.