Vanished Sisters The Lycan King's Slave Island novel Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Natasha’s POV

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Caelan nodded. “Eventually. It took years. But yes. She told me one evening, simply and directly. I love you,’ she said. Just like that. As if

it was the most natural thing in the world.”

He smiled at the memory.

“And that’s when I discovered what she truly was,” he said. “An Endurer. I’d suspected it before-she was too healthy, too resilient for an

ordinary human. But when I told her I wanted to bond with her-to make her truly mine-she revealed the truth. And I kept the secret

since then.”

“Mate bonding,” I said quietly. I’d heard Victoria mention it. A sacred connection between Lycans and their chosen partners.

“Yes,” Caelan confirmed. “It’s rare for a Lycan to bond with a human. Nearly impossible, in fact. Our life spans are so different. The human

ages and dies while we remain unchanged. It’s considered… unwise. Painful.”

He looked directly at me.

“But with an Endurer, it’s possible,” he said. “They live longer. Age more slowly. Can survive the bonding ritual itself, which would kill an

ordinary human.”

“How long?” I asked. “How long did she live?”

“Fifty-three years,” Caelan said. His voice was thick with emotion. “Fifty-three years from the day I brought her here until the day she died

in my arms. She was ninety-one years old. Still beautiful. Still sharp-minded. But her body finally gave out.”

He fell silent, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Caelan wiped his eyes roughly. “It was eight years ago. And I still wake some mornings expecting to find her beside me. Still hear her

voice in empty rooms. Still-” His voice broke. “-still miss her every single day.”

The room was quiet except for the crackling of the fire. I didn’t know what to say. What comfort could I possibly offer?

Finally, Caelan composed himself. Sat up straighter. Took a deep breath.

“You’re wondering why I’m telling you this,” he said.

I nodded.

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Chapter 90

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“Because I want you to understand,” he said. “I’m not like the other Lycans. I don’t hate humans. I don’t see them as lesser creatures to be used and discarded. I loved a human woman for over fifty years. My partner. My equal.”

He looked at me intently.

“And because of that,” he continued, “I know what you are. The moment I touched you at the arena, I felt it. The same energy I felt from

her. You’re an Endurer. Just like she was.”

My breath caught. Hearing that sent a jolt through me.

“How do you be sure?” I asked.

“I didn’t, until just now,” Caelan admitted. “But your reaction confirmed it.”

I should have been terrified. Should have run. But something in his expression-the genuine grief, the openness-made me stay.

“Why help me?” I asked. “Even if I am an Endurer. Even if I remind you of her. Why risk exposing yourself?”

“Because I know what it’s like here for humans,” Caelan interrupted. “Especially for women. I know the cruelty. The abuse. The casual

violence. My wife told me stories-things she’d witnessed before I bought her from the King. Things that haunted her nightmares for

years.”

He stood and walked to the fireplace, staring into the flames.

“I couldn’t save all of them,” he said. “Couldn’t change the entire system. But I could save a few. Thomas, the man who greeted you-I

bought him from a fighting pit six years ago. He was being starved and beaten and forced to kill other slaves for entertainment. Now he

serves me freely. Lives well. Has hope for the future.”

He turned back to face me.

“I have a dozen slaves on this estate,” he said. “All rescued from worse fates. All treated well. All-I hope-content with their lives here.”

“That’s why Thomas looked so healthy,” I said, understanding. “Why he seemed almost… happy.”

“Because he is,” Caelan said simply. “As happy as any slave can be in this place. Which isn’t saying much, but it’s more than most have.”

I looked down at my plate. I’d eaten most of the food without realizing it. My stomach felt full for the first time in weeks.

I stood slowly, my mind racing.

Can I trust him? Is this real or an elaborate trap?

But looking at his face-seeing the genuine pain when he spoke of his wife,-I found myself wanting to believe.

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Chapter 90

“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted.

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“You don’t have to say anything,” Caelan replied.

The rest of the meal passed in comfortable silence. Caelan refilled my wine glass. I finished the cheese and fruit. We didn’t speak much, but the quiet felt companionable rather than awkward.

Finally, I stood. “I should go.”

“Of course.” Caelan walked me to the door. “Thomas will escort you to the edge of the property. From there, you know the way back.”

He opened the door and called for Thomas, who appeared almost immediately.

As I stepped out into the hallway, Caelan touched my arm lightly. I turned back to face him.

His expression was conflicted. Vulnerable in a way I hadn’t seen before.

“When she died,” he said quietly, “I thought I would never care for anyone again. That I’d live out the rest of my centuries alone. That the

capacity for love had died with her.”

He paused, his amber-green eyes searching my face.

“But then I saw you at the arena,” he continued. “And I realized-” He swallowed hard. *—I realized I was wrong. That my heart isn’t as

dead as I thought.”

I stood frozen, not knowing how to respond.

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