The Ruthless Lycan King Fell For His Slave Mate novel Chapter 38

The final task before graduation that Lyra was taking part in alongside Beryl and Zero was a treasure hunt event to retrieve hidden flags. There were a few flags around the royal forest, and each would be contested by three groups.

During the event, the students were forbidden from shifting into their wolf forms. The task was designed to test their resilience, teamwork, and stamina.

Lyra was determined to get the flag and win first place with her teammates. She wanted to prove Julian–and anyone else who shared his way of thinking–wrong.

She was not useless.

She had proven that she could go against the elites of the kingdom and hold her own. He could go for the female with the bluest of blood to be his queen, but she would not let his treatment put her down. She was capable and strong and did not deserve to be in the shadows. She could shine just fine. She would show him.

“What’s that look on your face?” Beryl asked, coming from the side. “Are you trying to scare our opponents before we even begin?”

Lyra looked at her friend and cracked a smile. She had not realised that her inner turmoil was showing on her face. “You mean they are not scared yet?”

“They are,” Zero said, joining them. He cocked his head towards one of the other teams. “I just heard them strategising on how to hold you back.”

“They are worried about me?” Lyra asked, disbelieving.

“Of course,” Zero said. “Everybody knows you are the ace of our team. Beryl and I will do our best to not slow you down. We’ll also keep an eye out on any enemies trying to get in your way. You are our best hope.”

“Flatterer,” Lyra mumbled. Initially, there had been an awkward air between them after she rejected him, but over the weeks, that air had dissipated. Zero no longer involved himself in her affairs, but they maintained a cordial relationship.

Suddenly, Zero dropped to one knee. Looking down, Lyra saw him tying her shoelace. A few other students noticed and started whispering mischievously. The attention–and knowing what her classmates were definitely saying–made Lyra’s cheeks pinken.

Done, Zero stood back up and gave her a disarming smile. “First, we need to make sure you don’t take yourself out.”

Beryl patted him on the back. “Ever the gentleman. How come Julian is the complete opposite of you when you two grew up together?”

“I’m not a gentleman,” Zero said, meeting Lyra’s eyes before looking away.

“Thank you,” Lyra said, wondering what the look in his eyes was about. And Beryl was right, he was a gentleman. But why didn’t it feel as if he was just being humble by denying it?

Beryl gave an enthusiastic nod. “Right. And I’m not female.”

Shortly after that, the maps were distributed. Their flag was in the western part of the forest, and Lyra recognised some of the features right away. “I know a shortcut,” she told Beryl and Zero.

Zero raised his brow. “What do you mean? You’ve never been there.”

“I have,” she told him. “I train in the forest after school sometimes.”

The way back proved to be tougher than the way into the forest. The other two teams, after finding out that the flag was captured, set out with one goal–to hunt them down. This time, the three of them stayed together to better defend the flag. About a couple hundred metres away from the base, they were cornered by two enemies.

“Go,” Zero told Lyra, stepping in front of her. “We’ll keep them busy.”

Beryl looked at Lyra and nodded. “We’ve got this.”

With a nod, Lyra turned and streaked towards the edge of the forest. The two enemies tried to go after her, but they were stopped by Zero and Beryl. By the time Lyra was out of sight, it had turned into a merciless fight. When Lyra got back to the base, she found out that their team had been the first one to bring back the flag.

It was not until a couple of hours later that the last winner appeared at the base with their flag, the entire team looking like they had survived a hundred battles.

During the graduation ceremony, Lyra was awarded as the MVP of the final test and also commended for her outstanding performance throughout the training period. As was customary, as the top graduate, she was assigned to the King’s Guard.

It was a position which she never would have thought would be possible for her, and which before then would have seemed unattainable for a shewolf of her rank. But, while it was an achievement worth celebrating, it was not all roses and rainbows.

After her appointment, the captain of the King’s Guard informed her that she would be part of the team that accompanied the king to the Blacksword Pack to fetch Crystal Black to the palace for the engagement ceremony.

Since the King’s Guard had many members, and she was just a newbie, Lyra thought that it was impossible that she would be allocated to guard the king from up close. But it turned out she was wrong. To her horror, she was assigned to drive in the same car as Julian, and not in the front with the driver!

That was how she found herself sitting across from Julian, trying her best to numb her pain as they got closer to Blacksword pack, closer to the female her mate had chosen over her.