The Ruthless Lycan King Fell For His Slave Mate novel Chapter 65

Anna was leaving the library late one night when she noticed a movement to her left. Normally, she would have been alert, but she could tell it was Zero even before he stepped out of the shadows and into the light.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as he walked towards her.

“Waiting for you,” he told her.

“Me?”

He nodded. “I'll walk you back to your room.”

“Were you waiting for long?” she asked him. “You could have come inside to get me.”

“I did not want to distract you,” he told her. “You get really absorbed when you are reading.”

Well, that was true, but she wouldn't have minded if he had gone inside for her. He was right, she would have been thoroughly distracted. But she wouldn't have minded it a bit.

“I'm done now,” she said with a shy smile. They had been hanging out a lot lately, but she still got flustered when he was being all sweet.

Stepping forward, Zero leaned down and gave her a short soft kiss to her lips. “I missed you,” he whispered when he pulled away.

Anna's face heated up while her heart beat crazily. “I missed you too.”

He smiled and reached for her hand. “Have you had dinner yet?”

She nodded. “Yes, before I came to the library.”

“Alright,” he said. “Let me walk you to your room.”

Anna did not want to go to her room so soon. She wanted to spend some more time with him. “The sky is so beautiful tonight.”

Zero followed her gaze upwards. It was a clear sky with the stars twinkling brilliantly. “Yeah.”

“Do you want to go and sit in the garden for a while?” Anna asked him. “It'd be a shame to let it go to waste.”

Zero looked down at her and chuckled. “You are right.”

They walked to the garden behind the library and sat down on one of the benches, staring up at the sky. Zero put an arm on her shoulders and pulled her into his side. They sat in the peaceful silence, occasionally pointing things out in the sky. Shrouded by the darkness under the starlit sky, it felt like nothing else existed in the world.

Zero had never felt such a sense of contentment before. He constantly wanted to be close to her and the thought of being separated terrified him. All day long, he thought about her, looking forward to when he would see her. Once, he had thought that he would never feel anything close to this for another person besides Lyra. He had been wrong.

***

“Where were you last night?” Anna asked Lyra the next day as the two friends caught up over lunch.

“In my room, why?” Lyra asked.

Anna shook her head and waggled her finger in the air. “No, you were not. I came by to look for you. It was quite late.”

Lyra smiled slightly, then looked down at her food. “I was with Julian,” she confessed in a low voice.

“Ooooh,” Anna cooed mischievously.

“It's nothing,” Lyra said, shrugging.

Anna lifted her brow. “Are you sure about that?”

Lyra looked at her friend. “ I mean…I don't know. He is probably passing time while looking for the next best queen candidate.”

Anna frowned. “Would he really do that? Choosing another Alpha's daughter after unceremoniously abandoning another would be like fuelling chaos in the kingdom, right?”

Lyra imagined that was true. Blacksword was not a pack to be trifled with, after all. After Julian snubbed Crystal, they had already caused many packs to turn their backs on the royal family. If Julian was to choose a different Alpha female as his queen, it would not bode well with Blacksword and their allies.

Beryl waited until Lyra stepped through the threshold before pulling the door shut. The room was dark, and Lyra reached towards the wall in search of a light switch. Before she could find one, however, a beam of light came on at the other side of the room.

The beam shined on a grand piano and someone sitting on the bench. Lyra walked forward and realised it was Julian. Before she could ask what was going on, sweet piano notes filled the air. Lyra quickly recognised the notes as the music to her favourite song, which she had mentioned to Julian one night while they lay in each other's arms.

She remained rooted to the ground as he played the entire song and did not realise that tears were running down her face until he struck the last chord.

She wiped them away as Julian stood from the piano and the lights in the room came on. Julian walked to her and held her hands before kissing her. “Happy birthday, my love.”

“How did you know?” she asked.

“Of course I know,” he said. “What sort of a mate would I be if I didn't celebrate you on your birthday?”

Lyra smiled. “I did not know you could play the piano.”

“I can do a lot of things,” he said teasingly. “Did you like it?”

“I loved it,” she told him. “It was beautiful.”

“Happy to impress,” Julian said. Taking her hand, he led her towards a table in the room. There was a bottle of champagne on it, place settings, and a few candles. Julian pulled out a seat for her.

“Thank you,” Lyra said, turning to him. “For this. I've never…” she trailed off as emotions choked her up.

“No need for that,” he told her.

Lyra shook her head. “This means a lot to me. I haven't celebrated my birthday in a long time, or had anyone wish me one.”

Julian brushed his knuckles over her cheek fondly. “Let's make up for that, then. I'm here now. You'll never be alone on your birthday ever again.”

Lyra stood on her toes and kissed him. She could not put into words the emotions coursing inside her, but for the first time in a long time, she felt like she had found somewhere she truly belonged.