I Bought A Male Escort, Turns Out He's The Lycan King (by lg savage) novel Chapter 182

10:05 Sat, Feb 21 G GG.

Chapter 182

Chapter 182

KAT

The forest wasn’t as dead as I remembered.

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I stood at the edge of the clearing beyond the castle walls, my boots sinking into damp earth, staring down at something small and stubborn.

Green.

It pushed through the soil in thin threads, looking fragile and easily missed. I’d only noticed it because I stood here for hours every day, my mind blank, fighting the ache in my chest. Even the distance from Hunter still tugged at me.

If only he hadn’t-

I shoved the thought out of my head and crouched, focusing on the little miracle in the dead land. I brushed my fingers over the shoot. Warmth stirred faintly inside me, as it had done many times since I’d been home. I only registered it because it brushed against my senses, and my wolf shifted lazily before curling back into herself.

The air no longer smelled of rot; that corrupted magic was fading. The tree still looked skeletal, the bark scarred and brittle, but they no longer felt hollow. Life was returning.

Behind me, voices drifted from the treeline. Wolves had begun trickling back in cautious groups, the ones who’d fled when the land started dying. They’d lingered at the borders after The Lycan King announced that the threat was neutralised.

The Lycan King

My fists tightened. I pushed back to my feet and inhaled slowly before my thoughts spiralled. There were still too many problems in the pack. I’d focus on those first.

The pack was watching me, waiting to see if I could really fix what had been broken. If their Alpha King could reclaim his glory and regain his respect. Keeping my head straight was for the honour of my family, but how could I do that when…

When it hurt to breathe.

They stopped talking and bowed when they saw me before rushing past. In a moment, those whispers would follow. None of them knew what I’d had to do for this pack; they only knew the old me. The one who’d had to lower her eyes and obey. I hadn’t spoken much since returning, so even my parents didn’t know.

All they knew was that the adopted son who betrayed them lay in his bed in the west tower, fully healed with no scars, no lingering infection, but his mind had not yet woken. And that I’d severed my bond with the Lycan King completely. That I was no longer a traitor to the family.

My chest tightened. The wounds that refused to heal reopened. My blood warmed, and magic flared in my veins restlessly. I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe until it calmed down.

When I opened them again, a grotesque shadow slid along the tree trunk before dissolving. Fear sparked somewhere behind me, but I didn’t turn. The people hurried away without a word.

I turned and walked back towards the gates. For years, I had only seen this forest from behind the windows. Now I just had to survive long enough for it to recover. I kept my eyes on my feet, on the steps I took, counting every breath and keeping my mind blank. It was how I’d kept myself alive.

Inside the outer courtyard, I paused and drew a breath. When I looked up, Mother and Father were walking down one of the garden paths. They stood closer than they used to. Not touching but near enough. They looked healthier. Still lean but no longer pale, no longer fragile. My mother’s hair had been cut and styled, and Father was clean-shaven and looking younger.

They smiled when they saw me, but I still braced myself as I walked over to them. I saw the questions beneath the smiles. 1/3

Sat, Feb 21

Chapter 182

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The sadness in their eyes. They hadn’t pressed; neither of them had asked about Hunter beyond what was necessary. They

gave me space.

Mother’s hand brushed Father’s as I stopped in front of them. It was a subtle, unconscious reassurance. I understood their gestures differently now.

A true mate could not survive long after their other half died.

If the magic had succeeded, if one of them had fallen, I would have lost them both.

“I can feel it.” Mother said softly, glancing at the trees in the courtyard. “The land is waking.”

“Yes,” I said. My voice sounded distant even to me.

Father studied me from the corner of his eye. The closeness we’d once shared wasn’t fully there. Part of me wondered if he could sense this thing inside me. If he knew I was a rare white wolf who would cause him more problems in the future.

He didn’t say anything because something had shifted now. I wasn’t just their daughter anymore. We were rulers now.

“Don’t stay out too long. You’re still recovering.” I said before walking past them.

My mind returned to its blissful numbness as I counted my breaths towards the inner courtyard. It had been my prison before, but now it was the only place I found solace.

The scent of pine hit me before I saw Nathan leaning against the stone wall near the pond. He didn’t say a word when I crossed to the swing beneath the cherry blossom tree and sat down.

He’d been doing that a lot lately. Just watching me. Spending time near me without intruding. He didn’t crowd me or offer comfort.

“You’re changing things,” he said quietly.

Was II hadn’t done anything beyond breathing to stay alive.

I pushed off gently, letting the slow movements quiet my mind. Nathan joined me a moment later.

“Everyone will know the truth sooner or later,” he said.

The truth? That I was a monster? Or that I’d slept with the enemy?

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Nathan sighed and looked towards the pond. I sensed his emotions without even trying. I wasn’t sure if that was a gift or a curse. It was too easy for me to read the people around me.

“You’ve been thinking about April,” I stated.

He didn’t look surprised.

“She’s a good girl,” he replied.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

I’d long since realised that everything I’d felt towards her wasn’t the poor woman’s fault. It was all Hunter’s doing.

He exhaled faintly. “She deserves someone who isn’t me.”

“And what are you?”

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Chapter 187

If he wasn’t safe, then what was 11 hugged myself and looked up at the tree that had brought me so much comfort in my childhood.

“I’m going back to Mal,” he added after a moment. The words settled heavily between us.

I longed to go back to Mal, too, but would I even fit in my old life anymore? What would happen if shadows appeared among the humans, causing panic?

“When?”

“Soon. When you’re okay,” he said. “Mal would kill me if I left you like this.”

Envy flooded me. Nathan didn’t belong in forests or castles. He belonged to shadowed cities, living outside of rules and boundaries, living freely. At least he could still go back to that. The new semester would start without me, and I’d probably lost my job at the Bureau. Was that life over now?

Could I walk into a lecture hall pretending I wasn’t once the Lycan Queen? That I hadn’t painted walls in blood? I wanted to go back, but the thought of so much distance between Hunter and me-

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