Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 268

Chapter 268: Putting An End to This

When Kira woke the next morning, Derek wasn’t beside her. She reached for him through the mind-link, but it wouldn’t connect. She knew straight away he wasn’t anywhere near the palace, and she wondered where on earth he’d got to.

She sat up, stretched, yawned, and was about to swing her legs out of bed when her eyes landed on the nightstand. A note sat tucked under the lamp. She picked it up and unfolded it.

It was Derek’s handwriting. She smiled as she read it.

You looked so beautiful and peaceful sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you. Don’t miss me too much. I’ve gone to tie up loose ends. See you at the council later.

A small frown creased her brow. What loose ends? She sighed, folded the note back up, slipped it into the nightstand drawer, and got up to start her day.

Once she was dressed and about to sit down to do her hair and makeup, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," she called, not bothering to look up.

The door creaked open and Braxton stepped inside, hands clasped behind his back. Kira let out a resigned sigh, not ready for whatever lecture her twin brother had brought with him today.

"Look, Braxton—" she started.

"Today is the D-day," he said, before she could get any further.

She turned properly to face him then, and whatever fight she’d been gathering in her shoulders eased out of her at the sight of him. There was no edge in his voice, no lecture waiting behind his eyes. Just his usual steadiness.

"Yes," she said, turning back to the mirror and fidgeting with a hairpin to give her hands something to do. "What brings you here?"

"You’ve been avoiding me." His voice was steady, but there was a flicker of hurt underneath it that he didn’t quite manage to hide.

She met his eyes in the mirror. "Because I’m tired of your nagging."

"Nagging?" One eyebrow lifted, and something like disappointment crossed his face. "I was only ever trying to look out for you, Kira. My intentions were never bad where you’re concerned. I suppose I go the extra mile because you never had anyone doing that for you for years."

She closed her eyes, guilt pressing gently against her chest. "I know, Braxton. I know. But I need you to trust that I can make good decisions too."

She turned to face him fully this time, softening. "I really do appreciate everything you and Mum have done for me since we found each other again."

"You don’t need to thank us for that." He crossed the room and stopped in front of her, his voice steady and warm. "We’re family. Looking out for each other isn’t a favour, it’s just what we do."

Kira felt something loosen in her chest, and she gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Braxton."

He nodded, then drew his hidden hand out from behind his back and held out a small box along with a folded note. "This isn’t actually why I came, though. Viktor sent this over for you. He told me what happened between you two."

Kira took the box carefully and lifted the lid. Nestled inside was a gold bracelet. Her breath caught, just slightly, and a smile spread slowly across her face as she lifted it out and turned it between her fingers.

"This is gorgeous," she whispered, almost to herself.

"He said you told him to stop coming round," Braxton said, watching her expression carefully.

"Yeah. I did." She slid the bracelet onto her wrist and fastened the clasp, her thumb brushing over the cool metal for a moment before she let her hand drop. "It’s high time I went back to school."

Braxton shrugged, turned towards the door, then paused with his hand on the frame and looked back at her. "For what it’s worth, you have my blessing with the King. Anyone with eyes can see how much he loves you."

Something warm rose in Kira’s chest at that, and she looked at her brother with surprise. "Thank you, Braxton."

He gave her a small smile in return and slipped out, the door clicking softly shut behind him.

Alone again, she unfolded Viktor’s note, her fingers smoothing over the crease as she read:

Hey, I just want to say sorry again for how everything turned out. I hope you’ll take this little gift from me. Think of it as a good luck charm. I hope you win your mother’s pack back today. I’ll be there cheering you on the whole way.

She held the note a moment longer than she needed to, then folded it back up, tucked it into the box beside the bracelet’s little velvet lining, and left the room with her chin a touch higher.

I’m scared, she admitted to Derek through the mind-link. I don’t know if this is ever going to go my way.

He looked unbothered, calm in a way that steadied her just by watching him. His thumb brushed once over her knuckles, warm and grounding. I’m certain you’ll win this.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify