Lycan King's Nemesis

**ASHTON**

It was just three days but then it seemed like forever since I lost my best friend, my best man. My Beta. He was simply irreplaceable.

I couldn't bear it.

All because of her. If only she listens to me this wouldn't have happened. But trust my mate and her stubbornness. Because of her, my life was at stake and my Beta was gone from this world. It was a loss that couldn't be easily forgotten.

Sitting above my horse atop a hill; our favourite hill-Williams and I, my eyes roamed the lowers lands, recalling those times when we were little when we went down there in a dare of who was braver. Of course, no one knew but Williams gave me the brevity to do most of the things I did today.

He was a brave man.

I knew from the first day I met him crying alone by the roadside that the two of us were going to make the best pally. He had lost his family and had nowhere to go. I begged my father to take him in and we became friends. And he never disappointed me. A tear streaked down my eyes as I let my head down, letting my long hair fall about my shoulders.

A brave man is gone and even if it was with my last breath, I was going to make sure everyone who was responsible for his death suffered the same fate as him. I will make sure they suffer greatly, every one of them.

I circled my horse about and started galloping for home. The more I neared my house, my eyes were fixed there, the forbidden place where I knew resided my mate, the very person I despised right now and needed at the forefront of my revenge, and yet couldn't bring it in me to hurt her.

The moment I entered my stables, I jumped down my horse and was brushing it down when I saw one of the guards running in my direction. I rolled my eyes, knowing what he was going to say before he said it.

"Your Majesty," He bowed his head. "Your mother pleads for your presence."

"Get one of the stables hands to finish brushing down the striker and ready him for my evening ride." I threw the brush to the ground and walked passed him to the palace door.

Mousy bowed but didn't say a thing. Nobody had said a thing or was permitted to say a thing within these walls until the mourning days of my best friend were over. As I veered around in the direction of the living room, my mother was there. She was coming out.

Her face was ashen. "I was looking for you everywhere. Are we going to continue letting your sister lock herself in there?" As she spoke, her hands gestured upstairs. "Heaven knows what she is up to!"

"Mother, I told you earlier I could handle this." I dragged my fingers through my hair in exasperation. I was also mourning the loss of my friend.

"We have to get her out, son." She insisted. "You know how close she was to him and know how hard it's going to be to digest his demise, however, life has to continue." "Mother."

"That's the truth, son. Same for you to.."

"He was my best friend."

"He is dead. I miss the boy too." She whisked the hem of her down out of the way as she narrowed her eyes at me. "Nonetheless, palace business must proceed." "What do you mean?"

"You have to fix his burial and while at it, the elders are going to call for a meeting to decide who is going to be the next Beta." "Mother, I don't need another Beta for now."

"Well, thanks to the goddess, it's not what you need. It's what the Kingdom needs. Particularly, now you are not of sound mind." "Mother, you are beginning to upset me... again."

She scoffed audibly. Then, she swung her eyes to the door where Mousy was standing, and at once the chap scampered off. "Son, you have to drown this sentimental mask and put on a braver front. That is what I know Williams would have wanted from you." She came forth and touched my left shoulder. "I miss him too. He helped my boy become better, which is why I will honour him by not allowing you back to the man he saved you from." With two pats she departed from me and made her way upstairs.

"I will check on your sister now_"

"Mother, there is something I need to tell you," She paused, one leg on the upper stair and the other down, her eyes curious.

"What?"

"Abigail..." How was I even to tell her my sister was mated to that rogue? The same man who won't seem to keep his cursed hands off my mate!

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"Don't waste my time, son!"

"She is leaving the palace."

Her bros arched to the top of her head. Not understanding. "Explain."

"She... she found her mate."

"Williams. I know." She deadpanned. "Which I happen to know is dead. So, where is she moving to?"

"Mother, not Williams. She was never mated to Williams."

This time the front leg joined the lower one, her hands taking her hems as she faced me fully. "What are you talking about? As long as I have known those two, the scent was there. I knew they were mated. I thought you knew. I simply chose to ignore them while they fooled around."

"Mother, what are you talking about?" It was my time to be puzzled.

"I always thought you were smarter, son. How could you claim Williams to be your best friend and never knew he was mated to your sister? What kind of Lycan are you?"

My mouth was agape, confounded. If Williams was Abigail's mate, who was Tyler then? Why did she say he was her mate? My head began aching.

"She said the Chief guardian was her mate." The words tumbled from my lips.

"What Chief guardian?" She inquired, her forehead furrowed. "The rogue?"

"Yes, mother."

"I don't understand. The same man I see you go red over each time you see him with your mate."

What! She knew. I didn't reply to that.

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She shook her head. "I need to see my daughter. You youngsters and giving me a headache in my old age."

As she walked off, I was stupefied for a while only recovering after she had gone far. I ran after her.

We arrived at the door at the same time and without knocking, I pushed the door open and came to a halt as I saw my mate on the bed with Abigail in her arms, as they faced Tyler by the hearth. They were talking but stopped at seeing us. My mother's eyes skipped between the three of them and stopped at the rogue when he stood and bowed to us.

Even seeing him in the same room as my mate, breathing the same air with her was enough to vault across the room and finish what I didn't do the other night.

But that was not the case now, my eyes were plastered on my mate who was also fixated on me, my once boiling heart melting at seeing her.

She seemed skinner, paler and unkempt. Could it be because she missed me? Does she like I do want to be in my arms? My heart was hammering and Fangs was alert by now, and when we listened, I caught her heartbeat. It was thundering like mine.

It was as if every other person immediately stopped existing with only us the only ones present. I hated her for taking out my friend, yet, I would live in denial if I agreed I didn't yearn for her. Could this be genuine love?

I jerked back and swayed my face to the ground as Mother hit me. I lifted my hand to rub at my eyes, taking the time to stabilize my thoughts. I was such a fool. She hurt me and now merely seeing her, I was allowing her to hypnotize me with her werewolf charm.

"Are you okay?" Mother asked me. "I have been talking to you."

"Sorry, Mother. What did you say?"

She shook her head and ambled towards the hearth where the rogue scurried away from, leaving the sofa for her. Once mother was seated, her blue flannel relaxed about her, her hands entwined together, she lifted her eyes to the women on the bed, and then when she opened her mouth, the next thing I heard, she said, "Start talking."

The way she said it, one couldn't tell who she was referring to. Whether my mate, the rogue or my sister. But from the manner my sister recoiled into the mate, I knew she was uncomfortable and afraid of something. Could it be that she had been lying to me?

"Uh-huh?" Gwen hummed, peering at me in question. Seeing as I gawked, she easily removed her eyes back to my mother.

"You," My mother pointed at the rogue. "Over there." She pointed towards the bed. "... where I can be seeing y'all at once. And don't make me say it twice, Abigail... start talking."

...