Chapter 186 Charade

Chapter 186 Charade
Kai’s POV

Silence drops over the entire arena as I stare at Lyra in complete shock. The sudden quiet is so intense you can actually hear a pin drop on the floor.

I stand entirely frozen, my breath caught in my throat. 

Fuck. I cannot believe the guts this girl has to stand right in front of the Lycan King and speak to him with such defiance. Intense pride fills my chest as I watch her. Lyra doesn't flinch. She doesn't back down. She just stands there, tilting her chin up as she glares directly into King Geo's eyes like she doesn't give a single damn about his crown, his guards, or his absolute power.

That is my mate. That is my fierce, untamable Phoenix.

My cock grows painfully rock hard beneath my trousers from just the sight of her rebellion and I feel the raw sexual friction of the mate bond expanding violently through my veins. I have to subtly shift my weight and adjust myself just to hide the visible boner I’m springing up. Her dominance turns me on to the point of absolute madness.

A mocking smile stretches across Lyra’s face, her voice echoing across the arena. “What? Don’t you want to be a test subject? Cat caught your tongue, your highness?”

Everyone gasps in shock and fear at how one of the students dares to talk to the king in such a manner. I watch as my father’s royal guards instantly draw their weapons, moving forward to attack Lyra for her rudeness.

‘If any of you take a single step towards my mate or touch a single hair on her head, you’ll lose your heads right where you stand,’ I growl into their minds, my mental voice carrying a terrifying tone. ‘And then I’ll slaughter your families, one by one, until there is absolutely nothing left of your bloodlines. Try me.’

The reaction is instantaneous. They look down, their eyes wide with fear as they step back into the shadows. They don’t dare look at me who’s standing behind them. 

The best part about being a royal Lycan is that I can slide into anyone’s mind whenever I want and speak to them. And that is precisely the reason why I stay so quiet and passive whenever my father demands stupid shit from me in public. King Geo is so dumb, so blinded by his own fake arrogance, that he can’t even see how I am slowly and systematically taking the entire kingdom out from right under his nose. Every guard, every commander, and every high-ranking pack warrior is already secretly answering to me.

I am simply waiting for the absolute right time to make my final move and rip the crown from his head. But until that time arrives, I have to keep playing the irritating charade my father wants me to. Which is the only reason why I allowed this desperate, annoying clown of a southern cousin to grip tightly onto my arm like her life depends on it today. The fake, cloying scent of her perfume and the way she clings to me makes me feel like throwing up, but the mask must stay on a little longer. To be victorious, one has to be patient. 

I shift my gaze back to the front, my eyes burning red as I stare at Lyra. The distance between us feels like absolute torture. The raw, maddening heat from our fresh mate mark pulses heavily against my neck, a constant, agonizing reminder that she belongs to me.

I want nothing more than to jump over this railing, scatter the guards like dust, and tear her clothes off right there on the arena floor so I can claim her heat until she is screaming my name. I want the whole world to see her mark glowing on her skin. I want everyone to know she is mine. But I force my hands to stay gripped to the railing, my knuckles turning a sharp white as I feed her my silent reassurance through the bond.

After a few seconds of dead silence, Lyra lets out a sigh.

“Since there will be no test subjects tonight, please allow me to take my leave, your highness,” Lyra says, her voice dripping with sarcasm that makes my father even more red in the face.

She turns around on her heel, her silver hair swinging behind her as she walks away, climbing the steps without looking back once.

I know my father is completely furious. I can see the rage radiating off his body, and he’s breathing so hard and roughly as he stares at my mate walking away without a care in the world. 

King Geo always tries to keep his fake, benevolent image clean in front of the world, so he won’t dare launch an attack or order her execution while hundreds of students are watching. He has to swallow his pride, and the sight of it makes me want to laugh out loud.

I watch her exit doors, my heart swelling with an intense pride. I can’t fucking wait to see her tonight in the dark.

King Geo snaps his head around, turning to glare at me with a murderous expression.

The students don't wait around. Everyone scrambles to get out of the arena as fast as possible. Within two minutes, the entire stadium empties out completely until it is only me, my father, and his terrified guards left in the royal box. Even Kara rushed out of the place, dragging Lyra's friends along with her to avoid the fallout.

“Your slave will regret humiliating the king in front of everyone. That’s a promise, son,” King Geo growls, his voice shaking with fury as he steps into my face.

I chuckle lightly, completely unfazed by his shadow. “Then you will be going back on your word, father,” I say smoothly, stepping closer until our chests almost touch. “And you know exactly what happens when the King goes back on his word in front of the council elders, don’t you?”

The king’s face turns hard with fury, his veins bulging against his neck. I just offer him a cold, mocking smile, stepping back from his frame.

“I will see you some other time, father,” I say in a casual tone. I glance over at the dark-haired cousin who is currently shivering against the wall in terror. “Also, tell my dear cousin—whom I don’t even know her name—that she should never show her face or come anywhere close to me ever again. Okay? It ruins my appetite.”

I don't wait for my father to dismiss me. I turn around and walk away from the box, leaving him standing alone in his boiling rage.

Lyra’s POV

"I literally thought my heart was going to stop beating!" Amara screams, throwing herself onto Princess Kara’s plush living room couch with a dramatic groan. "Lyra, you are completely insane! You told the Lycan King to eat shit to his actual face!"

"She didn't just tell him to eat shit, Amara," Isolde argues excitedly. "She told him he should be the freak test subject. I was waiting for the guards to cut our heads off right there in the stands."

I let out a ragged breath, dropping my jacket onto the kitchen counter as I pace back and forth across the apartment floor. The adrenaline is still pumping wildly through my veins, making my skin tingle. "He was trying to threaten me in front of everyone. He wanted to humiliate me because I don't have a wolf. I wasn't going to just sit there and let him play god with my life. I am a fox. I’m not a useless wolfless girl and it’s time these fuckers need to realize that."

Princess Kara walks into the room, a wide grin stretching across her face.

"Honestly? I was scared for you at first… but it was the most magnificent thing I have ever seen in my entire life," Kara commends, walking straight up to me and grabbing my shoulders with a firm, supportive squeeze. "My father is the type that scares people without even doing much. Nobody has ever dared to look him in the eye like that, let alone mock his twisted ways. Not even the council of elders. But you…You were incredible, Lyra. You stood up to the King, and you completely shut him ip."

"He looked like he was going to explode," Amara giggles, her mood instantly shifting from terror to excitement. "One more thing, did you guys see Prince Kai's face? He looked like he wanted to strip Lyra naked right there on the sand."

A furious blush instantly heats my cheeks at her words, and I look away, crossing my arms defensively. The mention of Kai brings the burning frustration straight back to the surface. I still remember the image of that black-haired girl clutching his arm like she owned him, and the memory makes my blood boil with jealousy.

"Look guys can we not talk about Prince Kai?" I mutter, unable to hide the bitter edge in my voice. “Right now, my head is completely pounding."

Wyndra lets out a quiet, tired whine inside my mind, and I know her spirit is exhausted as well. A heavy exhaustion settles deep into my limbs, making my eyes feel entirely heavy.

"I need to get some sleep, guys," I say with a sigh as I point toward the back hallway. "My body is completely drained."

"Go rest, sweetie," Isolde says softly, waving her hand. "We're going to stay out here for a while anyway. Princess Kara promised she'd watch that new vampire thriller movie with us."

"Yeah, go sleep off your Lycan-king-defying adrenaline," Amara teases, winking at me.

I roll my eyes playfully and turn around. I walk into the private guest room Kara gave me for the week. The door clicks shut behind me, plunging the bedroom into a dim light. Some streaks of moonlight streams through the window, casting long shadows across the bed.

I slide onto the edge of the mattress, running a hand through my silver hair as a frustrated sigh escapes my lips. 

The quiet only makes the mating heat flare up again. A persistent, hot throb pulses between my thighs, making my skin itch for a touch that isn't mine. I miss him. God, I miss him so much it physically hurts, but I am still upset with him. The image of him walking into that arena with another girl on his arm keeps looping behind my eyes, making my fox snarl in bitter jealousy. Charade or not, it hurt.

“Ugh, fuck you Kai.” I grumble in frustration.

I shift my weight, about to slide into the bed and under the sheets. Suddenly, a dark shadow moves from the corner of the room.

Before a single sound can leave my throat, a heavy, large hand instantly clamps firmly over my mouth, locking my jaw tight and pinning my back flush against a broad, solid chest.

Panic spikes through my chest for a split second, my muscles locking up as I prepare to fight. But before I can even strike out with my elbows, a familiar, intoxicating scent floods my nose. The sharp, overwhelming smell of cedar, rain, and raw, dark Lycan musk completely fills my senses. White-hot sparks instantly explode all over my skin wherever his flesh touches mine, the mate mark on my neck burns with a violent heat.

The tension between us stretches incredibly tight, the air turns thick as he traps me against his frame. My heart races so fast that I’m sure it’s going to give out, but the panic completely melts away into pure, unadulterated lust.

Kai leans his head down, his hot breath brushing against the sensitive skin of my ear.

“I’ve been waiting for you, flower,” Kai whispers darkly into my ear, his deep voice a low rumble that vibrates straight into my soul.

The touch of his hand on my mouth and the deepness of his voice make a soft moan escape me unintentionally. 

“Kai—” I breathe. 

Before I can say another word, I hear the sound of buttons ripping into pieces as Kai tears through my clothes like the caveman that he is. 

“You’re going to run that mouth while I fuck the shit out of you tonight, flower.”