I Bought A Male Escort, Turns Out He's The Lycan King novel Chapter 105

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**Leaves Falling Like Promises**
**By Amara Grant**
**Chapter 105**

**HUNTER**

The winding path snaked its way through the desolate forest, a ghostly trail that seemed to stretch on for hours, pulling me inexorably into unfamiliar territory. Elijah was moving at a swift pace, and I found myself grappling with uncertainty. Did he know I was on his tail, or was he simply keeping himself on the move to evade any potential detection? The truth of it eluded me for the moment.

I had taken measures to mask my scent, lurking in the shadows as I observed the haze swirling around me. With every passing moment, I felt those new threads tightening around me, growing stronger, pulsating with a life of their own. They surged through my being, intrusive and impossible to ignore, demanding my attention.

I shoved that unsettling thought aside. I couldn’t afford to dwell on the aftermath of my encounter with Katerina. Not yet. Not when her lingering heat clung to me like a haunting echo, refusing to release its grip.

But as I pressed on, ignoring it became increasingly difficult. By the time I tracked the haze to a small village nestled near the boundary, I caught a whiff of that masked scent that had previously eluded me. It was peculiar. I had thought I’d reached my limits in my recovery from Katerina’s heat, after the way she had clawed her scent into my skin. Yet, something else had taken root within me, burrowing deeper, invading my senses and claiming territory I was reluctant to yield.

Even my beast, usually a tempest of fury, had retreated into a wary silence. It was observing, waiting.

As I walked along the dirt paths, my senses sharpened, taking in the thatched houses that were hidden in the quiet shadows around me. I could sense several omegas and betas, but no alpha. What was Elijah doing here? Was he after yet another weak victim to prey upon?

I paused, focusing intently as I picked up something else. Stronger auras, familiar yet expertly masked. I would have detected them even before this strange surge of power, but now they were easier to pinpoint. It felt almost unfair, as if I were cheating in a game that everyone else was still struggling to play.

Moving slowly, I treaded lightly until a shabby house came into view. A faint coil of magic surrounded it, unlike the other homes, which appeared lived in. This one, however, lacked the warmth of habitation. Yet, it wasn’t entirely empty. The strong auras were concealed in the shadows nearby. A dim light flickered in one of the rooms, spilling out through a broken window and illuminating the heaps of rubbish strewn across the ground outside. Then it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, suggesting that someone was buried deep behind those protective wards.

Elijah’s scent lingered where I stood, heavier now, indicating he had lingered in the same spot for an extended period before moving on. I hadn’t managed to get close enough to sense his exact location, but my instincts told me he would return.

This was one of our safehouses. Elijah would have sensed the familiar magic surrounding it and the auras guarding it.

“Guess where I’m heading next,” I mused bitterly. His bloody message made sense now. This safehouse was the most convenient route to Lordswood Castle. That bastard was going after April.

My jaw clenched tightly, and the image of the terrified servant burned vividly in my mind. She was the last person I would allow to suffer on my watch. I would make amends by tearing Elijah apart and sending him to the afterlife to beg for forgiveness from all his victims.

With a determined stride, I stepped out of my hiding place, approaching the house with caution, releasing my aura in controlled threads. My agents were trained to kill first and ask questions later. I waited for them as I inspected the house. The magic surrounding it felt significantly weaker than that around the cabin. Perhaps that smug bastard would prove useful after all.

The thought of facing him again after what he had done with Katerina made my beast snarl, baring its teeth. It surged within me, already waging war. Rivers would never be safe around me.

But this hunt was far more important than my personal feelings. More important than my pride. I had to become the king everyone deserved, the king my parents would have been proud of.

“Your Majesty?” one of the agents communicated through the mindlink.

“Elijah found you. Move quickly. I’ll escort you back to the castle.”

In mere minutes, they had April and her family outside, moving with the precision of a well-oiled machine, trained to act swiftly. My gaze met April’s just before she was bundled into an unregistered car. Her eyes were wide, a clear reflection of fear, and her body trembled uncontrollably. I should have used my ability on her family that day, to calm their fear, unlike her parents, who were lost in their own minds.

“Move quickly,” I said aloud, my voice firm, before I turned and shifted.

I looked down at my paws, now heavy and undeniably larger. The car appeared significantly smaller than I was accustomed to. The world had shrunk around me, and waves of fear washed over me—not just from the car but from the few villagers nearby. My beast drank in their fear, yet there was something steadier within it, a newfound control.