Traded To The Lycan King by MG Wattsons novel Chapter 163

*Kyra*

Trees blur past me as I sprint past trees, my lycan relishing every second of freedom as she drives us further from the group. This is exactly the type of fresh air I need.

The kind that is full of clues and a hint of burning wood. Someone is out here and I intend to find them before the others realize I picked up a scent before they did. Not that I think it is Ezrah. In fact, I know it’s not.

No matter how I would have explained it before, Hayes would have put his foot down and demanded we go as a group, but truth be told, I travel faster on my own. Not only that, but regardless of how things have turned out since being near Hayes, I can take care of myself. It’s likely I need to prove it to myself again.

I glance up, the smell of smoke tickling my muzzled face as I slow for a moment, my fur prickling as I sense someone near. The trees provide me enough cover as I hide behind them, dropping my shirt from my claw and shifting back into my human form. As I tug it down over my head, I lean into the rough bark of the tree, searching until I see the massive frame sitting near a campfire.

In the light, I can see his forlorn face and dark hair as he throws bits of a broken stick into the flames, as if lost in a daydream. He looks lonely, his demeanor all too familiar. Who ever he is, he isn’t some hunter in the woods like the dragons I have come across, and he sure as shit isn’t all too concerned about being found.

My head tilts to the side as I move silently around in a wide berth, my eyes watching him as I come around to his backside. There is no one else with him, just a singular dragon shifter on his own in the woods. Which means he is either exiled or strong enough of a fighter he doesn’t need to travel in pairs.

I move from my foliage cover, going closer as I watch him, waiting for him to notice my presence. He doesn’t seem to notice as I break a stick, trying to garner his attention.

Whether it is smart or not, I move around him, standing facing him with the fire between us. After a moment he lifts his gaze to meet mine, a slow blinking before his chest rises in a deep breath.

“Can I help you?” He asks, his voice gruff though not as demanding as his words make him seem.

“Unlikely.” I admit and he smirks, just a small twitch of his lip up ticking before he goes back to throwing his broken stick. “Are you alone?”

“That’s the punishment.” He mutters, a flicker of anger and then indifference over his face.

“You are a dragon…” I say, looking him over as I reach back and take a seat on the ground, inviting myself to his little party.

“I am,” He says warily, pausing only slightly before going about his business.

“And you are alone?” I ask, reiterating what he said as I continue to scan the area. He finally stops, a sigh breaking from his lips as he raises his eyes and blinks at me.

“That is what I meant when I said that is the punishment, yes.” He tells me, his brows furrowing as if he is trying to get a read on me and my purpose without asking the question. “What is it you want with me? Have you come to try to kill me, too?”

A chuckle breaks from my lips as I shake my head.

“I’m not in the habit of killing someone who isn’t actively attacking me.” I tell him and he nods.

“Well, I have no intention of fighting you or any others so you can be on your way, Lycan.” he mutters, looking away.

“I just have one question. Any chance you have seen a fae around here with an egg?” I ask him, ignoring his dismissal of me.

There is a change in the air, his back straightening and his chin cocking to the side. He finally seems interested in me as his eyes grow more curious. Then he leans forward, his elbows on his knees and his demeanor more guarded as he watches me with interest.

“Have you?” He asks, an urgency in his voice that makes me grin.

“Weirdly enough, I have.” I tell him, watching as his eyebrows raise in surprise. “But I lost him as I was swept away in a mudslide.”

“Recently?” He asks and I nod. “Do you mind sharing in which direction you saw him?”