Chapter 168
THIRD PERSON POV
“You’ve been avoiding me, Lyra. Aren’t you going to give me a fair chance at least?” Ryker stepped into Lyra’s path. It’s been days since the banquet, and every attempt to get her to recognize him or even speak with him had fallen on deaf ears. She was stubborn and completely adamant.
The words from the other Alphas were getting to him. They no longer hid their talks whenever they spoke about how he was pining for a mate who didn’t want him. Initially, he shrugged them off, but the more Lyra avoided him and paid attention to those bastards, the angrier he became.
Today they were going on a hunt. Each Alpha was to bring their hunting game to her as a prize. The Alphas were already boasting of the kind of animals they would get in the forest. Each of them trying to surpass the other.
“Shouldn’t you be joining the others, Alpha King, or perhaps you’d like to draw the curtains here?” Her tone was sarcastic as she stared him dead in the eye, taunting him.
The muscle in Ryker’s jaw tensed as he stared at her. “It’s not going to work, Lyra. All these stunts, you avoiding me, it’s not going to work. I am yours, and you are mine, Lyra. Now and forever,” He breathed shakily and closed the distance between them.
Her eyes darkened slightly, the moment she felt his body heat. The bond was bristling stronger day by day. She could feel it. Even now, she was tempted to draw him close to her and trail her fingers through his hair. Not to mention, he was particularly handsome today in his black long-sleeved shirt that hugged his torso so well, she could see his jacked abs. He had changed his hairstyle, trimming the sides slightly and leaving the rest slightly shorter. The smell of his aftershave drifted over her nostrils, and she almost licked her lips. Thankfully, Varkas’s loud voice boomed in the distance, signaling it was time for the hunt.
Immediately, Lyra stepped away from Ryker, a light smile on her face to hide her wandering emotion as she approached the other Alphas.
“Actually, I will not be standing on the sidelines this time. I will be joining the hunt as well.” A look of surprise flashed across the faces of everyone present. King Dimitri sat on his horse and observed with a trace of a smile.
“Let’s end the game quickly, shall we?” Her smile got broader. “The hunt will be in the forest of Xemir. Whoever can catch a game and find me after the night is over—
” Her gaze sweeping across the Alphas before resting on Ryker, “—shall be my husband, and I will accept him as my mate.”
A ripple of surprise spread across the Alphas. But after the excitement came the most dreadful part. The forest of Xemir in the Lycan kingdom was no ordinary forest. There was hardly any living soul in there. It was believed that the forest became alive at night, and it brought out the inner desires of anyone in it. Most of the time, the ones that had been caught in the forest had gone mad from their desires.
They were faced with a dilemma.
How were they going to get an animal to present as game in that dead forest? Secondly, how were they going to find Lyra if they all spread across the forests?
Lyra was royal blood. The Xemir forest was home to royalty. It didn’t consume them, it welcomed them…more like giving them their blessing.
The council of elders seemed pleased with Lyra’s sudden offer for the trials, and they were pleased.
“Very well, let the hunt begin.” King Dimitri smiled. The five Alphas nodded. Each of them goes over to Lyra to hand her a token on them as a token of love and a vow to bring her triumph. Lyra smiled and watched as they all turned into their wolves and ran into the forest.
Lyra smiled and shook her head lightly in amusement. These Alphas…Did they really think she was stupid?
They were giving her tokens as a form of scent markers so they could find her in the forest of Xemir. But this was a waste because the moment she steps into that forest, her scent vanishes.
But they didn’t know that.
She smiled at the love tokens in her hand, then looked up at Ryker.
“Alpha King. Aren’t you going to give me a love token? The other Alphas already gave me something…”
Her eyes narrowed with amusement as Ryker walked towards her. “I do not need to resort to such cheap theatrics just because I want to find you.”
Lyra’s smile faltered. So he had known.
“However, I will give you something as proof of my love,” His voice, dangerously low as he continued. Lyra’s smile faltered, and her eyes darted sideways as she looked at him. And before she could decipher what he was planning to do, Ryker drew her in for a passionate kiss, completely stealing her breath away. The sensation of lips on hers remained on her lips even after they had broken the kiss.
“I will find you,” He murmured, and Lyra stepped away from his embrace and walked into the forest at a leisurely pace.