.Chapter 34-2
“You’re a selfish bastard,” he continued, his true age finally showing in his face. He was just a young, lost boy, for fuck’s sake.
“Selfish?” I tugged at my hair and let out a bitter laugh. “I almost killed you, Kellan! How could I have stayed?”
“Kill me?” He scowled, his anger shifting to confusion. “Why? Couldn’t control your temper long
enough in front of your kid?”
“What? No! You ran to hug me and almost touched my skin. After your grandmother, I just… I
couldn’t stay and put you in danger.”
“What’s wrong with your skin?” Kellan looked me up and down, taking in the gloves and long
sleeves that covered every inch of me except my face.
The question stopped me cold. He…didn’t know? After all these years, he had no idea why I’d really
left?
“What do you mean? I’m talking about the curse,” I said slowly. “The one your mother gave me.
Kellan shook his head, looking genuinely confused. “What curse?”
“The day your mother brought you here, she wanted to stay as my queen. I told her you were my heir, but she wasn’t going to be my queen. I wouldn’t start a relationship with her just because we’d had one night together. She cursed me then, made my skin toxic to touch. That curse.”
I forced myself to continue, even though the memories were agony. “After she left, your grandmother came to talk to me. She touched my bare skin… and died in my arms.”
Kellan’s face went white. “That’s…not…possible.”
“I tried to stay after that, but I was terrified of anyone touching me by accident. So when you tried to hug me a few days later, I fled. I stayed deep in the woods where no one could find me. And
even then, some people still managed to cross paths with me. My curse took their lives, Kellan. But
if I’d stayed… it would’ve been worse.”
“My mother… cursed you?” Kellan stood up and started pacing. “There’s no way. She never told me
He stopped himself, but I’d already heard enough.
“You’re still in touch with her?” I scowled. Could she be the one behind this mess? The enhanced
beasts, the magical manipulation, all of it?
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Chapter 34 2
“Not anymore, no,” Kellan answered too quickly.
Claim
I didn’t believe him for a second, but that was a problem for another day. “But that doesn’t change anything. You still left me.”
“And I’m fucking sorry, Kellan. But it was that or watching you die in my arms,” I said desperately.” I’m here now. As a king, and as your father.”
“It’s too late now,” he shook his head.
That’s when the door opened and the men dragged an unconscious Simone between them.
My world stopped. My heart stopped. Everything in me focused on her limp form, the way her head lolled forward, the bruises I could see forming on her face. Blood rushed in my ears, drowning out everything else.
“Ah, just in time,” Kellan said casually.
“Whatever you think you’re doing-” I started, taking a step toward her.
One of the men unsheathed his claws and pressed them against her throat, snarling at me. A thin
line of blood appeared where the tips touched her skin.
“Please, spare us the threats,” a woman’s voice purred behind me.
I spun around to find Lania standing in the doorway, her platinum hair perfectly styled despite the
chaos outside. She looked pleased with herself, satisfied in a way that made my lycan snarl with
rage.
“You,” I growled.
“Me,” she agreed, stepping into the room. “Did you really think we wouldn’t figure out your little
rescue mission? Did you think we were that stupid?”
The pieces were falling into place now. The way Kellan had insisted I stay for dinner, the
convenient gift he’d mentioned. This had all been a trap, and I’d walked straight into it.
Worse, I’d let Simone walk into it too.
“Let her go,” I said, my voice deadly calm despite the fury building inside me. “This is between us.”
“Oh, but she’s so much more useful than you are,” Lania said, walking around me to stand next to Kellan. “The woman you’re willing to die for. She’s perfect leverage.”
“If you hurt her-”
“You’ll what?” Lania laughed. “You’re outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and your precious mate is one claw swipe away from bleeding out on my floor.”
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