Chapter 35: Lycan King

Marcus

The room suddenly burst into sound and movement. The Lycan King shifted, tearing through his clothes, and leapt over the table, grabbing Marcus by the collar and twisting his neck to see the mark more clearly. His nails extended into claws and sank into the younger male's neck.  “It's not possible.”

Confusion, sadness, and anger all crossed the King's face as the truth sank in. Marcus stood as still as possible to allow the King to see the mark and realize what they had; he was not the last of his line, as he believed. Once the King had examined the mark, Marcus began to speak.

“After she marked me, we brought in a few trusted people to discuss what it was. My lead guard told us the story of the lost lycan princess, and I knew that I had to bring this to the council. I had already been intending to reach out about the Alpha's abuses of power, but my focus has shifted. I needed to see you. She has had a hard life and, if it's true, she deserves her family.” He spoke as if his head was not in the hands of a man who could kill him in an instant. Jackson stood behind him, unsure of what to do.

Releasing him, the King did not step back; he stared into the young Alpha's eyes with a look that bordered on desperation. “Where is she, pup? Where is my granddaughter!” The King's yells shook the walls, and even the other council members were silent. They knew of the birth and subsequent kidnapping years before. Everyone believed the girl had been killed, but if she was still alive, that changed everything. It would mean that there was a direct heir to the Lycan Kingdom and that there may still be people plotting against the crown. Truth, error, or hoax, the Council had to be sure.

Staying calm, Marcus spoke quietly to the King. “She is safe, your majesty. Well guarded by those who love and respect her, waiting for my return home. If you would like to join us, her Luna ceremony will be this weekend, but now, she does not know anything of her past. She just learned about shifters a couple of weeks ago, and now she learns that she is a lycan.” Marcus wanted the King to be prepared in case Marcia did not welcome him at first. With everything that had happened, he did not know what her response would be to the King showing up and claiming her as family.

The king tightened his hold on Marcus as he growled. “Remember who you are speaking to. If she is my Isabella, she is far from safe.  Many Lycans die in their first transition, and she will have had no training to prepare for tonight. Not to mention her mate is too ignorant to realize what is about to happen and has left her.” His words were filled with terror and concern. Now that he realized that Marcus was not the enemy, he just wanted to see if the dream he feared to hope for might be true.

It took a moment for the King's words to sink in, making Marcus freeze. “Sir, she will not shift until her birthday, right? I am planning on returning today. A week is not a long time, but we still have time to help her, right?” The thought of losing her made Dax fight for control. They needed to get back to their mate.

The look on the king's face was serious as he listened to the young Alpha. His words were said quietly with fear as he responded. “No, if your mate is my granddaughter, she will not shift next week, her birthday would be today. Because of the unrest in the kingdom, they did not announce her birth right away; my son waited a week. Next week will be the anniversary of her kidnapping.”

The King had barely finished saying the words before Marcus turned and left the hall at a full run, grabbing Jackson on the way past, ignoring protocol and the Council, he went straight to his car. Before he could open the door, the King stood in front of him in his lycan form, a massive black creature that intimidated even Marcus.

Looking at the small two-seat sports car, Marcus looked at Jackson. “You will have to find another car and meet us there, we do not have time to look, and I am pretty sure the King will not allow me to go without him”.

Looking back at the King in his lycan form, he spoke again. "You will need to shift back if you want to fit in this." He gestured toward the sports car quickly.

Unlike wolf shifters, lycans are more human in appearance when shifted. They were bipedal but larger and more vicious-looking. But unlike wolves, they retained the ability to speak in either form. “No, I will run ahead, I am faster in this form than your car. Please, I can cut across the country this way.”

Marcus heard the wisdom in this statement. With no concern for his clothing, Marcus shifted, noticing his wolf looked and felt different, but having more important things to concentrate on, he ignored the changes. Not waiting for a reaction, he took off for home, knowing that the Lycan King ran with him. He was sure Jackson would follow behind with the car.

Almost immediately, Marcus noticed that he was running faster than he had ever run before. His wolf’s legs were soaring. He also seemed larger. Dax growled in his head, pushing harder, and the King sped up to match his pace. Less than forty minutes later, they bounded into the Blue Moon territory, Marcus having mind-linked ahead to have the guards watching for their arrival. He had also asked the twins to make sure Marcia was inside, not wanting her first sight of the King to scare her.

Skidding to a halt at the doors to the pack house, both men shifted, accepting the clothes that pack members had waiting for them. “I can see that the rumors could be true, a gifted lycan's mate does receive some of their power.” The King spoke the words matter-of-factly as he finished dressing, turning to the young Alpha.

“What?” Marcus was shocked, but inside both, he and Dax knew that they were different. The run home took half the time it should have, and he did not even feel tired. Added to that, the size change of Dax and the increase in strength proved that there were some unintended consequences of the mating that he had not accounted for.

The King did not answer but instead just smirked in his direction before staring up the stairs. He had no intention of engaging in conversation when there was a chance that his granddaughter, the only remaining living family member he had left, was waiting for him inside this building. He would happily kill anyone who got in his way before he saw her for himself.

Together, the men walked into the hall. Without a word, Marcus shifted his head, listening, trying to determine where his mate was. He linked her, but before he could get more than a word out, there was a pounding from upstairs, his face split with a smile as Marcia came flying down the stairs from their room.

“You are home! I missed you!” She shouted before smothering him with kisses. He was so engrossed in her greeting that he forgot that they were not alone for a moment. As the kiss deepened, an angry growl from behind them caused Marcia to pull back, turning her head but not letting go of Marcus.

Marcia

From the safety of Marcus’s arms, she observed the large man who growled at them. “Excuse me, Sir, but this is my mate who has been away. How can we help you?” She disliked the way he was staring but tried to keep the irritation out of her voice.

She did not notice the twins, who followed her downstairs. Having recognized the King, they were on one knee, staring at the floor.

The man continued to stare at her blankly, and it was starting to make her uncomfortable. The annoyance must have shown through on her face because the man broke eye contact, cleared his throat, and walked toward them.

She was unable to contain the vicious growl that came from her as he got too close for her comfort. Still not knowing who this man was or why he was in her home, she did not want him anywhere near her or her mate. Ignoring the shocked gasps from behind her and the slight tightening of the hands on her waist, Marcia focused on the man.

“I asked you a question. Why are you standing in our pack, staring at me? Answer now before I have my guards escort you out. I promise they will not make it a pleasant experience.” She gestured to the twins without looking at them. Had she turned her head, she would have seen the matching looks of horror on their faces at the idea of trying to throw their King out of the pack house.

The man threw his head back, laughing with joy, shocking all those there to witness it. Unsure what was going on, she looked back to see Marcus smiling down at her before he finally spoke. “Marcia, I would like to introduce you to the Lycan King, Dmitri Popov.”

Unsure of what to do, Marcia realized she had just screamed at and threatened a member of the Shifter Council. She stutters as she tries to backpedal. “I am so sorry, Sir. Of course, you are welcome.” After the bumbling apology, she buried her face back into Marcus’s cheek, wishing she could disappear. Her head whipped up at the feeling of a strange hand on her back.

“My child, my Isabella.” His words broke up as he began to cry, yanking her out of Marcus' arms and into his own.

From deep inside Marcia's head, the quiet sound of Athena was still muffled but stronger than before. “Family”