The Lycan King’s Treasured Luna novel Chapter 4

SARGIS' POV

"Not this again, Mother," I groaned tightly, dragging a hand down my face.

"Yes, this again, son," she snapped right back, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"You are the Lycan King. You ascended the throne five years ago, five years! and yet you still have no queen beside you. It’s unheard of! You must take a chosen mate, at once."

I exhaled sharply.

My mother had been hounding me for weeks now, pressing this same tired argument with growing urgency. She wanted me to organize a mating ball, a ridiculous charade where every eligible she-lycan, she-wolf, or any other female creature worth the crown would parade themselves before me and I'd be expected to pick one like a merchant choosing cattle.

"And tell me, Mother," I bit out, "is it my fault that I haven’t found my true mate yet? Is that something you believe I can force?"

She stiffened but said nothing.

"I refuse to take a chosen mate," I continued, my anger was barely contained at this point.

"My true one is out there. Somewhere. I feel it in my very bones. One day, our paths will cross sooner or later. And when that day comes, I will not be bound to another in a hollow, meaningless union. I will not betray her that way."

"Nonsense, Sargis," she snapped, her golden eyes flashing. "It has been five years. No Lycan king has ever gone so long without his mate. You need to start accepting the possibility that something could have happened to her. She may be dead, or worse. You must put the kingdom first, son. Your people need their Supreme Luna. The Court was made for two rulers, like Solaris and umbra, equal in power, balancing each other. You cannot keep fighting me on this."

Her voice cracked slightly at the end, betraying her exhaustion and sorrow. But the weight of it only made my blood boil hotter.

I could feel the anger rolling off me in heavy, suffocating waves. Mother took an instinctive step back, as her beast sensed the rising storm within me.

The heat crawled up my spine, until it filled my chest and pushed against my ribs. My beast stirred beneath the surface maddened by the idea of taking another woman, someone not mine into my bed, and binding her with a mark that would have to be forcibly refreshed every d*mn week like some grotesque vampire ritual, filled me with disgust. It would not be love or honor. It would be a betrayal of everything I was born to protect.

And the consequences... if our true mates surfaced later, as they often did... The chosen mate would have to kill my fated mate to keep her crown. And I would have to slaughter her true mate to protect the throne.

"Mother," I ground out, fisting my hands at my sides, "have you ever thought about who you would have been or where you would be if you had never found Father?"

She faltered.

"Sargis, sirun (My love)," she whispered, the old Khragnirn endearment spilling from her lips. "From a mother's heart, I ache for you." I completely understand your pain, and it saddens my heart each day that passes watching you leave the palace in search of your mate, traveling to countries, spending weeks and sometimes even months, only to come back home disappointed, miserable, and emptier each time."

Her hand trembled at her side before she tucked it away.

"But from the Alphamaja’s seat ( the King's Mother ), I must remind you of your duty. This kingdom needs its Supreme Luna. It is not just tradition, son. It is stability. A united front that keeps other supernaturals in line."

I closed my eyes, dragging another harsh breath into my lungs, feeling the war inside me rage louder. It all eventually boiled down to duty and honor. A battle I couldn’t win.

I sighed, rubbing my face harshly. I see sense in what she was proposing but I just couldn’t shake this gut feeling that my mate was out there waiting to be found. My pacing grew restless on the stone floor of my private chamber. I was a beast caged between two impossible choices heart and crown. Frustration clawed at me until I couldn't take it anymore. With a snarl, I slammed my fist into the brick wall. The stone cracked and caved under the blow. But it didn’t ease the fire burning through me. Nothing could.

I let out a heavy sigh. I had never been one to give in easily, but I knew deep down my mother was right. I had a kingdom to run. A kingdom that needed a Luna, a queen, and someone who could stand beside me, not just as my mate but as the anchor to my storm.

"Fine," I muttered. "Have it your way, Mother. Arrange the ball and send out the invites."

Her eyes sparkled with a rare flicker of joy, as if she had just won a battle, but I raised my hand before she could speak.

"However," I continued. "Grant me until the end of this week. If by then I still haven't found her, I will follow through with your plan with no objection."

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