The Ruthless Lycan King Fell For His Slave Mate novel Chapter 22

Lyra stumbled into the table from the force of the slap, causing a glass to fall to the ground and shatter.

She covered her cheek with her hand as pain spread through her face and tears sprung in her eyes. She bit down on her trembling lip and turned her head to face Julian in disbelief. His face was a dark mask of anger as he looked at her like she was the person he hated the most in the world.

She dropped her gaze to the ground, a heavy weight settling over her chest. He really must hate her so much.

Had she really expected that he would take time to listen to her side of the story? From the moment they met, he never cared about that. She was evil and scheming in his eyes, and she was stupid to expect any kind of warmth or consideration from him.

Something streaked through Julian, piercing through his cloud of anger and melting it to nothing, bringing him back to the present. He looked down at his hand that he just used to slap Lyra and found it shaking.

Fuck.

What have I done?

His eyes lifted to Lyra’s downturned face. She was visibly holding onto her emotions, trying to hold it together. Then, she raised her eyes to him. There was no anger or defiance in them. Just silent resignation. She had never looked at him like that.

He reached out to her without thought, just knowing he wanted to comfort her. He wanted to turn back time and keep his mind from running away with him, but the damage was already done.

Lyra flinched and stepped away from his touch. The look on his face had completely changed, but she did not dare try to understand what it meant. He had shown her enough about what he thought of her.

Any lingering thoughts that their relationship could be improved upon were nothing more than wishful thinking. She was an Omega with nothing to offer. She could not hope for the same things others had. If anything had proven itself true, it was that she was destined to be unloved.

Whether she liked it or not, she was at the bottom of the pyramid and there was nothing she could do about it. There was definitely nothing she could do about how people decided to treat her. They hated her upon sight, without even knowing her. She could fight, but she could never win. That was what it meant to be an Omega. If she did not act like one, she would not survive in the palace.

Quietly, she got to her knees and started picking up shards of the broken glass. She was an Omega. She had no right–forget ability–to challenge the king. Goddess knew what he would do if she did anything like that in front of his future queen. So the best she could do was be true to her identity.

Julian turned to Crystal and offered her his hand. She took it and got to her feet, after which she held onto his arm. “You did not have to hit her so hard,” she said, directing a look of pretended pity at Lyra. “I was not hurt, after all. If you punish her too severely, it might look like you have a personal vendetta against her. Everybody makes mistakes sometimes.”

Julian could not very well admit that what he had done had nothing to do with Crystal–as he had seen the entire performance with his own eyes. He had not hit Lyra for being a bad maid. But he said, “There’s no space for such behaviour in the palace.”

“I know,” Crystal said, “but we have to be tolerant at times. After all, she is just a weak Omega, and probably uneducated too. Sometimes they just don’t know better, so we have to be patient and hope they improve.”

Julian gave a nod and stretched his lips in a fake smile. “You will make a good queen. I have no patience for many things. You could teach me a thing or two.”

Of course, he knew very well that she was probably more impatient compared to him. But since she was trying to present herself like an angel, he would go along with it.

“That’s what mates are for,” Crystal said. She rubbed her hand up and down Julian’s arm and pressed herself closer, so much he could feel her breast press against his arm. “We should complement each other. I’m sure there are many things I can learn from you too. I’m looking forward to it.”

Mates?

The word filled Lyra’s mouth with a bitter taste, but she swallowed it and tried her best to ignore the two of them. The two deserved each other–they were both like poisonous snakes, putting on a fake show while waiting for a moment to strike.

She felt stupid for asking Julian to not choose Crystal. Her mind had been clouded with sex and the connection of their bond had been stronger than ever. But now, in the reality of daylight, she couldn't care less whether he ended up with Crystal or Olivia or some other female.

She resolved to concern herself with only one thing–to find a way to leave the palace. If she did, she would do so without hesitation. There was nothing for her here. Just like there had been nothing for her at Devon’s pack. If there was a place she belonged in this world, she would go out there and look for it.

Crystal asked her to do some cleaning inside the villa, and Lyra was glad to get out of their sight. By the time she finished cleaning, Julian had left. Crystal did not give her another chore after that and allowed her to leave.

On her way back to the main residence, she caught sight of Zero ahead. Without a second thought, she took a turn down a different path, hurrying up to avoid notice. But seconds later, she heard him call her name.

She extracted her arm from his hold and shook her head. “Don’t say things like that.”

“Would you think about it? I know this might be a surprise, and I’m sorry for springing it up on you like this,” he apologised.

“No,” Lyra said firmly, shaking her head. “If you still want us to be friends or….whatever this is, you have to forget about it. You can’t have feelings for me, and I can’t accept them. Please don’t put me in a difficult position.”

Zero was silent for a moment, but eventually, he nodded and released her hand. Of course he did. Lyra was grateful that he was not pushing, but it made her even more aware of how perfect he was, and how she would never be lucky enough to be with a male like him.

“It’s okay,” Zero said, pulling himself together. He had known it might not go well, but he could not keep it to himself any longer. Not when he sensed her pushing him away. So he decided to go for it.

If there was any chance that Lyra could reciprocate his feelings, that she could accept his comfort, he wanted her to know how he felt. He wanted her to know that he was there for her and she could turn to him if things got too hard.

He ran his hand through his hair, reminding himself of the reason he had been looking for her in the first place. “Do you know about the competition held at the Queen Mother’s birthday banquet every year?”

“What competition?” she asked.

“People are welcome to make a performance for the Queen Mother, and she grants a wish to anyone who pleases her,” he told her. “I thought I should tell you about it in case you’re interested.”

Lyra had not been aware of such a competition, but she saw the opportunity as soon as Zero told her about it. The Queen Mother granting a wish?

Her pulse sped up again at the thought of what she would ask for if she won the competition. This could be her chance to get out of the palace.

“When is it?” she asked Zero eagerly. “And what kind of performances are we talking about?”