The Ruthless Lycan King Fell For His Slave Mate novel Chapter 97

After confining Lyra in her room for a few days, Nile arrived with news of a royal banquet.

“This is your chance to show me whose side you are on,” he told her after presenting her with the gown she was to wear for the occasion. “I have invited Alphas, Lunas, and Elders from all around the kingdom. The banquet is in your honour as the future queen, so I expect you to act the part. Will you have a problem with that?”

“No,” she said, eyeing the gown. It was a red gown, embellished with glimmering gems. Alongside it was a beautiful diamond tiara which Lyra recognised as being one of the royal family’s heirlooms.

“Good,” he said, holding her chin and lifting her face. “If you help me get through this banquet, you'll have done your job well, and I'll make sure Julian continues getting the best medical care. But if you make a mistake…” He trailed off, moving his hand to her throat and resting it there. “...you'll pay.”

“I understand,” she told him. Such a gathering could go very wrong for him if his true identity was revealed.

Nile let go of her and stepped back. “The event will begin in an hour's time. Get ready and I'll come to escort you to the hall when it's time.”

When Lyra walked into the banquet hall later side by side with Nile, everybody turned to stare and applause. Scanning the room, Lyra realised that Nile had not lied about the attendance.

None of the Alphas or Lunas present, however, had any clue that this was not Julian but the rogue king. Lyra suspected that Nile intended to use the occasion to find out sensitive information from the pack leaders, but there was nothing she could do at the moment. She hoped that a chance would present itself to reveal his deception, but she had to be careful so it wouldn't backfire.

“Your dress is so pretty,” one of the Lunas commented when a group of Alpha females walked up to Lyra after Nile stepped aside with one of the Alphas. “Where did you buy it?”

“Julian got it for me,” Lyra replied with a fake smile.

“You are so lucky,” one of the others said. “Looking at the two of you together, it's clear that he is good to you. I'm so jealous.”

“Tell us the secret,” the third one said, “how did you win his heart?” She looked at her friends with a knowing smile. “Many of us have tried before, but he was as cold as stone.”

“Well, he is my fated,” Lyra replied.

“Ah, yes,” the first one said, hitting her wrist on her forehead. “I keep forgetting, but that explains it. To be honest, I never thought His Majesty would accept a lowly mate even if she was his fated one. Everyone knows he was considering mating with one of the Alpha females.”

“Well, that's the force of the mate bond,” the second one said, taking a sip of her champagne. She smiled at Lyra. “Don't you agree?”

Lyra barely held back an eye roll. Plastering on another fake smile, she nodded. She knew that the females did not Iike her and were only pretending–unconvincingly–to like her because she was the future queen.

“It must be so hard adjusting to life in the palace when you were used to being just a…” the third one started but trailed off suggestively before continuing, “you should come to one of our social events so you can acquaint yourselves with the right kind of people.”

“You are right,” number two said, shortly after throwing her friend a narrow-eyed look that looked like a warning. “Suni of the Clearwater Pack is having a hunting party next month. You should come. Can you hunt?”

“She worked as a slave, where do you think she would have learned to hunt?” number one asked. “The hunt is attended by the best hunters, do you want to put the life of our future Luna Queen in danger?”

“But I heard that she won the first place at the royal training,” number three said. “Isn't that right, Lyra?”

Before she could answer, number one jumped in again, “Of course she won, she is the future queen. If you took part in the program, would you dare go against the king's favourite?”

Lyra blinked, her fake smile becoming increasingly tiresome. She had a few jabs on the tip of her tongue, but she did not want to cause any trouble that would attract Nile’s attention.

Lyra excused herself and left the group, making her way to the other side of the room. After stopping to talk to a few more guests, she made her way outside.

Finding a secluded bench, she sat down with a glass of wine. It was quiet for a few moments before she heard movement then the sound of feminine voices reached her.

“Did you see that?” the first one asked, and Lyra instantly recognised it as one of the females she had just been speaking with. “She must think she is one of us.”

“This entire thing is ridiculous, but what can we do?” another one from the same group as before asked.

“Not invited her to the hunting party for one,” the other said snarkily. “What were you thinking? I cannot stand being in the same place as her, leave alone the same room.”

“You'll have to get over it when she becomes the queen,” the first one said.

“If she becomes the queen,” the other said.

“If? She is his fated mate, it's a done deal.”

“Let's see,” the other said, unconvinced.

“What are you going on about? Would you dare go up against the king? Did you forget what happened to Black sword?”

An uneasy feeling washed over Lyra, and she took a step towards Crystal. “If you touch him–”

“Get out of my room,” Lyra told her calmly.

“This is all an act,” Crystal said, gesturing to Lyra's outfit. “In the end, I'm the one who'll become the queen of this kingdom. Never forget that.”

She turned around and left the room as quickly as she had appeared, slamming the door behind her.

Even though she was used to Crystal’s harsh words and threats, Lyra was unsettled by what she had said.

Was Julian safe?

Crystal had wanted Nile to introduce her as the future queen. As the Lycan King, he could make up any excuse to reinstate her in the position. Instead, he had made the banquet in honour of Lyra, even if he was not really Julian. This must have angered her seriously.

Lyra was well aware that unlike Nile, Crystal was not keen on keeping her alive. She had once claimed to wanting to keep her as a pet, but after seeing how Nile treated her, there was no doubt that Crystal would happily kill Lyra any chance she got.

If she could not harm Lyra, her target would be Julian. By getting rid of Julian, there would be no reason for Lyra to obey Nile, and their deal would be off.

Walking out of her room, Lyra started towards the southern wing of the palace. It was where Julian had held Anna in confinement, and she suspected that Nile must be holding Julian there too.

The place was just as deserted as it had been back then. The room where Anna has been staying was locked, and Lyra could not sense Julian through their bond. She continued farther down the hallway and took a right turn, finding more doors that way.

She was halfway down that hallway when she sensed Julian's scent and stopped in her tracks. It was faint, but she was certain of it. Trying the door nearest to her, she found it locked. His scent got stronger as she moved to the next, but it was also locked. At the third door, the scent weakened.

She hurried back to the door in the middle, and right at that moment, she heard voices coming from the other side. There was no exit on that side, so to get away, she would either have to get into one of the rooms, or go back the way she came, and that was not an option.

The middle door opened just as she reached for the handle again. Spencer, the royal healer, was on the other side. He reached for her arm and pulled her into the room, then shut the door quickly.

Inside there, Julian's scent was strong, and when she turned, she found him sitting on an examination table.