Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 303

Chapter 303: The Right Thing

"Kai has lost his mind!"

Angelica did not even wait for the car doors to close properly. She was on them the moment Derek and Kira stepped out onto the gravel.

"He’s conjuring Jessica out of thin air now, and this evening he asked me to postpone the engagement. Postpone it! With the invitations already out!"

Derek and Kira exchanged a look over the roof of the car.

Behind them, the rear doors flew open and the twins tumbled out, Tristan and Trisha, both giggling like something funny had happened on the drive over. They spotted Angelica and took off across the gravel towards her like two very small, very happy bullets.

Whatever fury Angelica had been carrying went out of her instantly. She dropped down to their level with her arms open and gathered them both in, kissing one cheek and then the other.

"And how are my two little pumpkins?"

The twins cackled and informed her, over the top of each other and at considerable volume, that they were fine.

Angelica laughed properly for the first time that day. She straightened up, took a small hand in each of hers, and led everyone inside the pack house.

The nannies collected the children. The moment the door shut behind them, Angelica turned round.

"I’ve asked you both here as King and Queen," she said. "I want you to persuade Kai to go through with the engagement tomorrow."

"Aunty." Kira glanced at Derek, who gave her the smallest nod. "We understand. Truly, we do. But I don’t think we’ve got anything like the power you’re imagining here. Kai isn’t a child. We can’t force him into something he doesn’t want."

Derek nodded. "He should have more time. It was a soul bond he lost, Aunty. That takes a toll on a man that nobody outside it can really measure."

Angelica stared at the two of them as though they had begun speaking a language she had never heard. Then her eyes filled. "His father was my soul bond too," she said, and her voice shook. "I didn’t fall apart or stopped living. I buried him and I carried on."

Derek and Kira shifted uncomfortably.

"Aunty, you had the best years of your life with him," Derek said gently. "You had all of it. A marriage, children, decades. Kai got left dangling. There was no body, no funeral, nothing to close the door with. His mind hasn’t refused to move on out of stubbornness. It’s never been given anywhere to move on to."

"So what exactly are you telling me?" Angelica shot to her feet. "We’ve sent invitations to alphas, to kings, to every high-ranking and noble family across the packs."

"Then call and tell them there’s no engagement. Simple."

Every head in the room snapped up. Kai stood at the top of the stairs, one hand loose on the banister, and started down without hurrying.

"Hello, young cuz," Derek said, moving to meet him at the bottom.

A small smile touched Kai’s mouth. "My favourite man."

He walked straight into Derek’s arms and they held on to each other for a long moment, Derek’s hand coming up to pat his back twice, hard, the way men do when they can’t say anything useful.

Kai pulled away and turned to Kira. Her eyes were already streaming, and he gave her the old mischievous smirk, the one that used to get him out of trouble in about four seconds flat, and spread his arms wide.

"Are you going to hug me, or what, Your Grace?"

Kira made a small broken sound and went into him, pressing her face against his chest as his arms folded around her.

"I’ve missed you so much, Kai," she whispered.

"And I’ve missed you." He pulled back and looked her dead in the eye, then brushed a tear off her cheek with his thumb. "Hang on. Shouldn’t I be the one crying here? I lost an entire soul bond before I even got to mark her."

"She was my best friend in the whole world." Kira’s words came out in pieces. "I miss her so much it hurts."

Derek came up behind and wrapped an arm around Kira’s shoulders.

He had known this would happen. That was exactly why he had been reluctant to bring her to Crescent Moon in the first place. Kira had been holding herself together for three years with a great deal of will and very little help, and the moment she laid eyes on Kai, the whole thing was always going to come apart.

Make sure you talk sense into him about this engagement, Derek. I would rather like grandchildren of my own before I die.

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