I Bought A Male Escort, Turns Out He's The Lycan King novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

HUNTER

It was long past midnight when I drove through the gates. The forest I’d grown up in loomed on either side of the driveway, the branches whispering in the breeze. The mansion finally emerged from the shadows, nestled among the trees.

The long drive had finally calmed my beast, leaving my mind clear to plan my next move without distraction. I circled the fountain and stopped at the front steps. My gamma warriors already waited on the path on both sides, heads turning in unison. How the hell did they know I was coming? Was it Elijah?

If so, Kitty wasn’t a secret anymore.

Someone opened my door and I stepped out. The warriors bowed and said, “Welcome home, Your Majesty.”

I almost rolled my eyes. They knew I hated this. Walking past them, I crossed the threshold of the house I’d not set foot in in years. The old manor house had been burned to ash with my parents inside. The replacement was a soulless eyesore I could never get used to.

It was as cold as I remembered. Marble floors, instead of the hardwood. White walls instead of the carved panels I’d marked as a child. Smooth ceilings instead of the beams my father and grandfather had laid by hand.

There was no trace of my history within these walls.

Omega servants lined the hallway, their heads bowed. A wave of anger washed over me when I saw them. They whimpered, some of them falling to their knees, and I immediately masked my aura.

“You don’t have to serve me,” I ground out.

“But the Lycan King is finally home. If they don’t serve you, who will they serve?”

My fists clenched as I turned to the source of the voice. Jasper descended in his full royal outfit-a red, high- collared military uniform, with a red cloak flaring behind him. He looked ridiculous preserving a history he’d already gutted.

“Your Majesty,” he said with a bow.

That word probably stuck in his throat.

“Uncle Jasper. You’re still here.”

His jaw twitched, but he kept his head down. Emotions that I usually kept buried rushed my beast surged. How dare this man stand before me?

up inside

me, and

Fists still clenched, I continued past him, but his quiet footsteps followed behind me.

“I didn’t expect you today. I’d have had them prepare your room, your desk-”

“I don’t need to announce my return to my own house.”

When I opened the door to my study, Jasper’s scent hit me in my face. I turned, growling at him.

“So many rooms in this house, but you still want to come for what’s mine?”

I heard the tiniest flutter of Jasper’s heartbeat. The meaning of my words was not lost on him.

“There are several pack matters to attend to, and all the paperwork is in here,” Uncle said. “I’d never have dared if you were here taking care of the pack.”

His meaning was not lost on me, either. If I weren’t around, he would have taken over the whole kingdom, not just my pack. Fortunately for the kingdom, I would never give him the chance.

“I won’t tell you again, Jasper. Stay out of my shit.”

I closed the door in his face and opened the windows. My beast paced, displeased with the stench that had seeped into everything in the room. Sometimes it felt like Jasper taunted me on purpose.

I’d just finished wiping down my desk when I sensed the new arrival, right on time. I’d already sent him a message to tell him what time I’d be home. I wasn’t surprised he’d crossed the kingdom in mere hours just to speak face-to-face. It was time to put him in his place.

This was the stuff I could control. This was the stuff that would appease my beast, so I could keep him in his cage longer. I’d put this house in order, speak to Talia’s roommates, then head back to deal with Kitty.

Someone led Kostas through the house to my door, where Jasper was still lurking.

“Pince Kostas,” Jasper said. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

That old man. Still prying. Still acting like he was the fucking king.

I growled, and the door immediately opened. An omega led Kostas in, while my uncle slunk away.

“Have you found anything?” the prince asked, rushing forward.

Leaning back in my chair, I raised my brow. Kostas immediately lowered his head.

“I apologise, Your Majesty,” he said. “I’ve been too anxious lately.”

He’d been anxious for three years. The man looked like shit. Gone was the beta who’d maintained himself while keeping control of his whole pack. His eyes were hollow, his hair overgrown, curling into his face, and his beard looked like it hadn’t been groomed in months.

“I’ve told you already that there hasn’t been a trace of Katerina since she disappeared from her room. I think it’s time you and your parents’

99

“She’s not dead,” Kostas cut in, fists visibly clenched at his sides.

Christos and Maria had withdrawn from the public eye after their early, desperate attempts to track their daughter. But if the werewolf king couldn’t catch even a scent, why did they still hope for the best?

“You kept her locked up like a butterfly. She had no skills to survive the real world. If you were so worried about her, why did you cripple her like that?” I growled.

“She didn’t need all of that when I was there. Everyone in my pack would have laid their lives down for her,” Kostas snapped, finally raising his head.

The way Kostas had touched Katerina’s hand at the ball flashed in my mind.

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