Chapter 24 024
~LYKA~
I stood alone in the room, waiting patiently for Derrick’s arrival. My hands hung loosely at my sides, no longer pulled into the tight, severe bun I usually wore. My hair cascaded freely over my shoulders, soft waves framing my face, and for once, I could admit it....I looked beautiful.
No.
I looked dangerously beautiful.
Phoebe and Selina had insisted on changing me into a delicate, form-fitting nightwear, claiming that if I truly wanted Derrick to see me as a woman and not just a threat, then I needed to give him something to look at.
Was I not a woman before?
“But I still don’t understand why my cleavage has to be this exposed,” I muttered, instinctively lifting my hands to cover myself. “Where is my dignity in all of this?”
I sighed heavily, letting my hands fall again as reality settled in.
I was doing this because I knew Derrick would never willingly make me his Luna....not with words, not with promises, and certainly not with patience. And patience had never been my strongest virtue. If I wanted power, protection, and a place for my people, then I had to take it.
I needed to seduce him.
Sleep with him.
Bind myself to him.
Simple, right?
But was it really going to be that easy?
‘I still don’t think we should stoop this low,’ Elysia purred from the back of my mind. ‘Our mate will do the right thing soon.’
“Soon?” I scoffed quietly. “Soon doesn’t protect my people. Soon doesn’t secure my place. I don’t have time to wait while my fate dangles at his mercy.”
Elysia grew silent, grumpy, retreating deeper into my mind....but I knew she would come around eventually.
I refused to let my happiness, my future, or my survival depend solely on a man’s decision.
I was done being powerless.
I was done being tamed like a rogue with no claws.
‘Shameless,’ Elysia muttered faintly before withdrawing completely.
“When is he going to come back?” I murmured, my fingers brushing lightly over my neck.
My touch slowed as memories resurfaced....the blade, the sting, the strange intensity in his eyes when he had cut me. To my own surprise, a faint smile tugged at my lips.
“What a crazy man,” I whispered.
A strange noise near the door jolted me out of my thoughts. My body tensed instantly as I took a step forward, prepared to confront whoever it was....but my movement halted when the door creaked open slowly.
“Oh… it’s you,” I said, forcing a casual tone as Derrick stepped inside. “What was that strange noise, though?”
But the moment my eyes landed on him, something felt off.
The aura surrounding him was wrong.
The familiar scent I had grown accustomed to was distorted....darker, heavier, colder. And more unsettling was the absence of Elysia’s usual excitement. My wolf remained eerily quiet.
I brushed the feeling aside, telling myself I was just nervous.
“You… it’s you,” Derrick said, amusement lacing his voice.
“What are you saying?” I replied, lifting my chin and flicking my hair back the way Selina had coached me. “Of course it’s me.”
A chuckle slipped from his lips as his gaze swept over me....slow, assessing, unreadable. He wasn’t mocking me. He wasn’t teasing.
He was studying me.
“Well,” he said lightly, “since you’re acting like this… can I assume you’re trying to seduce me?”
Heat crept up my neck as I met his gaze. He saw through me....effortlessly. Still, I forced myself to step forward, closing the distance between us.
I barely had time to register the space between us before he suddenly slammed my body against his.
A gasp tore from my lips.
His body was cold.
Not Derrick’s usual burning warmth....this was chilling, unnatural. My heart stuttered as unease crawled up my spine.
“If you’re going to seduce me,” he murmured, “then do it properly. You’re being quite amateurish.”
His fingers brushed the strap of my nightwear, tugging lightly....but I stopped him immediately, gripping his wrist.
“What are you trying to do?” I demanded.
“To sleep with you, of course,” he replied smoothly. “Isn’t that what you want?”
The way he said it....too blunt, too detached....made my stomach twist.
“Let’s not rush things,” I said quickly, slipping out of his hold. “I need to freshen up.”
I turned away, but he followed.
I stopped and faced him again, studying his features more carefully now. Everything about him looked like Derrick....but something was wrong.
He was Derrick… yet he wasn’t.
“How sweet,” he said, stepping closer. “But we can bathe together. I don’t mind.”
My feet moved on their own, retreating step by step as dread pooled in my chest.
“Why are you backing away?” he asked calmly, caging me when my back hit the wall. “You made your intentions clear. I promised to grant your wish.”
“I don’t think I want to....”
His lips crashed onto mine, cutting off my words.
The kiss was rough, suffocating, devoid of the strange pull I expected. Panic surged as I struggled for air, biting his lip hard until he finally released me.
I staggered, gasping, my chest rising rapidly as I tried to steady myself.
His breath fanned my face....uneven, hurried.
I looked up.
And froze.
His eyes were darker than I had ever seen them....void-like, swirling with something unnatural.
“You… you’re not him,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Are you?”
A low chuckle escaped him.
“What?” he said softly. “How can you be so smart?”
My eyes widened.
“You caught me,” he continued, gripping my waist tightly. “You’re right. I’m not that weak man.”
Fear clenched my heart painfully.
“I’m different,” he roared, bursting into hysterical laughter as a dark presence surged around him.
Inside me, Elysia erupted into chaos.
Different?
What does he mean by different?