Chapter Five - Lycan King

Adonis My lids flew open. I awoke from a deep sleep with a blurry vision. I rubbed my eyes to relieve the grogginess, which took a few seconds to pass.

Looking up, I felt lost and surprised while navigating the maze of confusion. When the drizzle from the sky touched my skin, I realized I was in my human form and looked around. I was on the grass outside in the purple garden.

Never in my twenty-six years of life had I felt such serenity and calmness around me, but I couldn't explain why. It felt strange like someone had calmed my inner turmoil.

My memories were disorganized, so it was impossible to piece together the events. My crazy wolf was unusually quiet as if its impulses were being controlled by a tight leash.

The drizzle grew heavier and raindrops hit my skin. "What happened last night?" I kept questioning myself.

My wolf had rapid memory loss and impulse control issues, so it was a relief not to feel the usual emptiness and moodiness that came with my transformations.

My violent wolf tendencies drove me to roam in a rage every night, but this time there was no darkness or restless roaming.

Strange.

Despite the rain, I remained in the garden. I was so energized that I didn't mind if it pounded me. My robe was soaked from the rain as I basked in the cool grass. It was almost four a.m., and everything was quiet.

I wasn't a fan of this wife-hunting competition, and I had no plans to replace Isabella, the love of my life, who had been murdered in cold blood by that bastard, Syndicate Alpha, Alexander.

But I needed to marry and have children. Even if I mourned Isabella forever, life had to go on. My pack mates were unconcerned about my pain and wanted me to father an heir.

When I heard footsteps, I perked up, curious about the approaching presence. My friends, Sophia and Fred approached me lying in the garden, drenched in rain, with Sophia clutching an umbrella.

She reached out to touch me, but I quickly pulled back and her lips tightened into a pucker.

"We have been looking for you, Adonis," Freddie said. "Are you okay?"

I stayed silent. They were concerned that I was having an episode on my own. Only my dad, closest friends, and doctors were aware of my cursed wolf, as being in the public eye with such instability could ruin my reputation.

"We've been looking for you," Sophia said as I got up. "You got us worried. Are you fine? Why are you outside in the rain?"

"Can you guys stop asking so many questions?” I said with a groan. “You can see I'm doing okay."

Sophia spoke after a brief pause. "Adonis, being out here alone and unsupervised is not good. You should have woken up one of us to keep an eye on you."

I startled her with a strange smile.

"Why are you smiling? You hardly do that these days."

I played with a blade of grass. Sophia was right. My life devolved into resentment and hatred, and my main goal was to exact vengeance for my wife's death.

"I can't remember what happened last night, but it was something very different."

They got closer to me, studying me. "Different how?" Freddie questioned.

"Not much comes to mind, but I had peace that I hadn't felt in years. My wolf might have met someone. Unfortunately, it's not very good at retaining memories.”

"Someone?" they chorused.

"Yes. It was calmed by someone's presence, but I'm not sure who. I don't remember anything."

"Could it possibly be one of the contestants?" Sophia spoke quickly. "Do you remember anything about her hair color, eye color, or height?"

"I'm not even sure which gender it was. I wish I could, but everything is blurry."

"I hope that person isn't a contestant because if I discover that anyone violated the rules by coming outside..."

"Why do you sound so serious?" Freddie interrupted Sophia with a nudge. "If one of the girls can tame his wolf, it's a good sign."

With a sudden doubt in my voice, I added, "Or maybe I'm making it up."

I abruptly walked away from them and went into my bedroom to change out of my wet clothes. I was standing at the window, staring out at where the rain had just stopped when I noticed droplets dancing across the glass.

"Good morning, Adonis," said my doctor friend Mark, walking quietly into the room with a tray containing multiple syringes of the drug designed to suppress my wolf side.

My attention shifted from the view outside to the tray. I wasn't in the mood for any of these concoctions.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"It's time to take your medication," he said softly, approaching with caution.

I turned to look out the window. "I'm sick of those, Mark. Get rid of them."

Mark remained silent behind me, and when I looked at him, he appeared concerned.

"I mean it. Get rid of them."

"Adonis, you can't skip your medication. You must never skip a day. You and I both know this."

I tapped my fingers to release energy and pursed my lips. "I know you care, buddy, but I'm sick of it. I don't care if I lose control. The medication doesn't even seem to be working."

Mark looked as if I had slapped him hard in the face. He quickly recovered, dropped the tray onto the table, and attempted to persuade me.

"Adonis, think about the consequences. Consider what everyone will say and the danger this may present. Please take your medication right away, for the sake of everyone you care about."

"I will not," I insisted. Give me five days to refrain from it. If my wolf relapses, I promise to get back to it.”