CHAPTER 50: A Lycan's Claim
CHAPTER 50: A Lycan's Claim
"A Dragon what?" she scoffed, brows drawn. "There are no such beings."
“There are truths you have not yet been shown—truths long buried, swept beneath the dust of centuries,” he replied solemnly. “To answer your question: Dragons are real. Some call them beasts, others name them the Goddess choosen, for theu are akin to them in form, yet greater in strength and spirit. And you, my dear, are one of them. Do you remember what I told you that night?”
She shook her head slowly. “You said a great deal.”
“I told you never to reveal what you are to the wolves,” he said, voice low and steady. “They would not hesitate to slay you should they discover the truth. That is why your beast has remained dormant since the hour of your birth. The mark you bear, which mirrors mine, was not given in vain—it was etched upon you to restrain your transformation. It was meant to shield you, not harm you.”
The weight of his words pressed heavily upon her.
She took a step back, her gaze shifting to the silver chains that bound him. “And it is because you are Lycan that you are held by these…” She paused, struggling for the right word. “These chains?”
“Precisely,” he murmured. “Though I would not claim that alone as the reason. They keep me here not merely for what I am, but for what I will do—for trying to exact vengeance upon the woman who dared to send men to murder you. I shall not leave this place until justice has been served.”
A sudden scent drifted on the stale air. He inhaled deeply, a smile curling at the corner of his lips.
“Meat.”
Footsteps echoed in the corridor. Aria turned, just as Beta Cedric entered, burdened with the carcasses of three wild boars slung over his shoulders.
He halted mid-step, clearly startled to find her there.
“My lady,” he said. “How came you to find this place?”
She stepped aside to allow him through, and he dropped the boars to the ground with a heavy thud. Their blood pooled slowly across the stone floor.
Aria arms folded across her chest. “It seems your Alpha—” she glanced toward the chained figure, “—was eager to tell me tales.”
“It is Craven, to you, beloved,” he corrected gently.
She repeated the name with uncertainty. “Craven?”
Cedric, kneeling beside the game, glanced up. “Every creature bears a name, Luna. But I warn you—do not heed his words too closely. He once found his way into my thoughts as well.”
Craven's voice was calm, unbothered. “Yet you cannot deny that what I speak is truth.”
Cedric’s hands stilled over the boar’s hide. “Lydia shall die—whether by my hand or Demetrius , it matters not. It needn’t be today... but the deed will be done.”
With that, he set to work, the soft, wet sound of meat being cut filling the dungeon.
Aria stood motionless, her thoughts a storm within. “He said he means to avenge Milicent? Why do you stop him?”
Cedric cast a slab of raw meat toward the beast, who caught it in his maw and tore into it with savage pleasure. “Because he would bring ruin upon an entire pack,” Cedric said coolly. “Wolves’ blood would be squandered.”
Her breath caught.
“But it was a woman who did this. I want her punished—dead, even—for her treachery. Yet to slaughter an entire pack for the sins of one? That is unjust. They knew nothing of it.”
“You are too gentle, beloved,” Craven murmured, his voice rich with mockery as he claimed another chunk of meat for himself. “But as long as that woman bears their crest, walks their lands, and speaks their tongue, I shall see every soul she holds dear burn with her. The world shall learn that none may lay a finger on my mate and walk away unscathed.”
And in that moment, Aria knew—she was contending with a lost cause. Words would not move him. He was no longer man, but beast, driven by fury and bond.
Heavy-hearted, she turned to go. But she paused at the threshold and glanced back at Cedric.
“I heard whispers—the Alpha is said to keep a secret advisor. Is it true?”
All stilled.
Cedric did not look up. His voice was low. “I ken naught of such a one. But there is a man who lingers ever close to the Alpha’s side. Why do you ask?”
“I…” She hesitated. “I seek him, though I know not who he is.”
She turned again, ready to depart, when Cedric's voice halted her.
“You passed Aurora Fang on your way hither?”
Her gaze fell to the floor. “I am—”
He did not let her finish. “We know you are not she,” Cedric said, his tone not unkind. “But mind you speak of it to no one. We are making ready to find the witch who cursed you—to force her to lift what binds you. Rest easy, Luna. Your plight is not forgotten.”
She stood stunned, words failing her.
The only sound was the wet slicing of meat and the dull thud as Cedric tossed another piece into the air for the beast to catch.
Somehow, knowing they had not abandoned her lifted a weight from her chest. Silent, yet comforted, she stepped into the corridor once more, vowing to return.
\---
The Dark Towers
“You mean to say…”
“They have my daughter,” Lydia interrupted, her voice trembling, eyes wide with dread. “You must act, my lord. I beseech you.”
Lord Rhovan’s brow furrowed. “Yet Demetrius has issued no word—no demand, no proclamation. Had he taken her, he would have come to me or made his intent plain.”
“Does Demetrius ever justify his actions?” she countered sharply. “He seeks to wound us with silence, to force us to kneel and beg. And if that is the price to save my child, then beg I shall.”
Varian, standing nearby, cast her a brief, uncertain glance before turning his gaze away, fixing it upon the cold stone beneath his boots.
“Go, woman. I must ponder this matter,” Lord Rhovan said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“You cannot delay, my lord,” Lydia cried, her voice breaking. “You must choose—now. She is your daughter too!”
Silence fell like a shroud.
Rhovan’s eyes darkened, his voice low and firm. “Hold thy tongue.”
All movement in the hall ceased.
“Varian,” he said at length, “leave us.”
Varian bowed his head and slipped from the chamber, the great doors groaning shut behind him.
Lydia stepped forward once more. “You cannot leave her to perish in that place.”
“I shall send word to Demetrius at first light,” Rhovan said stiffly. “But no more tonight. Compose thyself and let me think in peace. Go now.”
She hesitated, but seeing no more could be won from him, she turned and departed.