Unwanted Mate Of The Lycan Kings (by jessica hall) novel Chapter 123

~Regan~

Zeke’s Kingdom, a place of radiant beauty and ceaseless activity, is now an ominous ghost town. The destruction is widespread but selective; the castle lies in ruins, a show of the ruthless onslaught. Yet, the homes of the ordinary citizens remain untouched, their lives spared from the savagery. As if it’s a mockery of the population, showing how easily with it being overcrowded it is to come and go from here unseen.

I walk over scattered debris and broken bodies, the once vibrant castle now echoing the cries of the fallen guards. The scent of death hangs heavy in the air, intertwining with the coppery tang of blood staining the stone floor. It’s a ghastly scene straight out of a nightmare – guards fallen like broken toys, their lifeblood pooled around them, painting a morbid portrait of defeat.

On the second landing, I find two familiar figures huddled together – Hunter and Shadow. Their condition is just as horrifying. My heart clenches as I call out, looking for my wolf, “Gnash!” My voice bounces off the stone walls.

“Are they…?” A trembling voice interrupts my thoughts. I lift my gaze to find the young witch, Leila, and my Uncle James, standing close by.

“They’re alive but very weak,” I reply, my voice a broken whisper. Biting into my wrist, I force my blood into the mouths of the near-death wolves. The metallic taste of my own life force fills my senses, my every nerve screaming at me.

“Should you be doing that?” James questions, his brows furrowed with concern. I ignore him, continuing to feed my blood to them, praying that the wolves don’t reject it.

The silence grows thick and heavy as I move to Shadow. My actions have consequences – if the wolves survive, they’ll be tied to my life essence. We’re playing a dangerous game against time; the countdown has already begun to Zirah’s shift. The risks are high. Too high.

“I have no choice; they die; we have no clue how that will affect Zirah,” I state.

“But if it works, you’ll be tying their wolves to you. They’ll be drawing on your life essence; you only have two days before Zirah shifts; this may shorten the time frame you have left, Regan,” James points out the obvious concern etched on his features. “I know,” I glance at him.

I’m fully aware of the looming threat. Time is slipping through my fingers like sand. But without Zirah, without that bond, I am blind and crippled and dying anyway. The stakes are clear-- I must find Zirah within a day or perish. The fear gnaws at my insides, but I suppress it. There’s hope if they are bonded to Zirah and not my brothers. But it’s a slim hope.

“I am not bonded to her. Nonetheless, I can’t find her without them. Just means we have a day to find them or…” I don’t finish; I don’t need to. However, there is no point in questioning if it’ll work because I am uncertain if it will. The few times we have shared our blood with each other’s wolves, it’s made them savage or nearly killed them, but I have to try. It now depends on if the wolves are bonded to Zirah or my brothers.

Leila’s voice breaks my chain of thought, “Shouldn’t there be three?”