Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 219

Chapter 219: One Last Favour

Outside the packhouse courtyard, Connor stood before a cluster of Crystal Moon gammas, dressed in a dark hoodie pulled low to hide his face, glaring down at them.

"The queen is not here," one of the gammas said, holding his ground.

Connor kept his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie. "I want to see your Alpha, then, go fetch him," he said flatly.

"Our Alpha is occupied at the moment," the gamma replied. "He won’t be receiving any visitors. Especially not uninvited ones."

Connor tilted his head slightly. "Then let’s try this a different way, shall we? If you’re certain the queen isn’t here, I’ll go straight to the King. And he will order a compulsory search of the entire Crystal Moon packhouse. Top to bottom."

He paused. "Shall I try? Would you like to explain to your Alpha why Dravengard’s forces are turning his home inside out?"

The gammas exchanged nervous glances, shifting on their feet, suddenly far less certain of themselves.

But before any of them could respond, the front door of the house opened, and Alpha Braxton strode out, his Beta Oliver close on his heels.

His face was pulled into a deep scowl, clearly unhappy about the shouting match happening in his front yard. He waved a hand at the gammas, dismissing them.

The men bowed and withdrew, though each one shot Connor a final, wary glance over his shoulder as they went.

"Now then," Braxton said, his voice cool and even. "Would you care to explain exactly what this loud disturbance to my pack is about?"

Connor slowly pulled his hood back, revealing his rugged face and inclined his head respectfully.

"Alpha Braxton. I mean no disrespect to your pack. I’m here because I need to see the Queen."

Meanwhile, up at the window, Kira watched the whole exchange unfold.

Her racing heart had settled the instant she’d seen it was just Connor, standing before the gammas, no army at his back, no King beside him.

Now she stood there, torn, contemplating. Should she go out to meet him? Or simply pretend she wasn’t here at all, let Braxton turn him away, and keep herself hidden?

Her brother had told her never to come out of the house.

But then again... it was Connor. The man who had thrown himself into a wall of shadow so she could escape. The man who had nearly died holding the line for her. She owed him a thank you, at the very least. She owed him far more than that.

Down below, Braxton was pressing on, his tone hardening.

"And what, precisely, makes you so certain the queen is in my packhouse? And where, exactly, did you find the nerve to march into my home and make demands of my men—"

The front door opened.

"It’s fine," Kira said, stepping out and walking toward them. "I’ll see him."

Connor’s eyes shifted from the Alpha to Kira, and a wide, genuine smile broke across his weathered face.

Braxton, however, was thrown. He turned to his sister, bewildered. Then, swiftly, he caught her by the wrist and drew her aside, into a quiet corner, out of Connor’s earshot.

"What are you doing?" he asked, low and urgent.

Kira exhaled calmly. "Don’t worry about Connor. He isn’t dangerous, Braxton. He’s never been dangerous to me. Just the opposite."

"That’s not what I’m worried about," Braxton said, his jaw tight.

"That King hurt you. Badly. And I am not going to stand by and watch one of his men come and drag you back to that place, before you’ve even had a chance to heal, before you’ve learned to cultivate your powers and defend yourself properly."

Kira gave him a small, sad smile. "I’m no longer married to that King, Braxton. He tore up our contract himself. And now he’s marrying the daughter of his enemy. There’s nothing for him to drag me back to."

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