The Lycan King's Fate Calling (Shawn Gibson and Sylvia)

Rufus' POV:

I walked past Laura and Arron and went straight to Beryl's room. I opened the door and found her sleeping soundly on the bed.

According to the doctor, Beryl had used a lot of energy, but she would be fine as long as she had enough sleep. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched her sleep for a while.

In truth, I was expecting her to be awake by now. The encounter must have taken a great toll on her tiny body.

I had no idea how long I sat there, but soon, the door creaked open, and Laura walked in with Arron.

The little boy scrambled up the bed and peered at his sister. He held out his hand, then carefully poked her flushed cheek with his finger.

"Why is she not waking up?" Arron asked, looking up at me with worried eyes.

"Don't worry," I replied. "She's just sleeping. She needs to sleep a little bit more to recover."

"In that case, I want to stay by her side until she wakes up." Arron crossed his arms over his chest, which made him look like a man on a mission. He kept his gaze fixed on the sleeping Beryl.

My mother walked over, then, and hugged the boy from behind. "Now, dear, let's not disturb your sister while she rests, okay? Let's head to bed. Who knows, by the time you wake up, Beryl might be awake as well."

"All right." Arron was still reluctant, but he couldn't resist yawning. "I am a little sleepy, Grandma."

"Then let's go to bed." My mother took his hand and led him to the door.

Shortly after they left, I exited the room as well, and plopped down on the sofa in the living room.

I picked up the cup of black tea a maid had prepared and waited patiently.

Moments later, my mother finally appeared down the hall and approached me.

"How is Crystal doing?" she asked as she sat across from me and picked up her own cup of tea. "What happened?"

"We eventually found the traffickers'

hideout, but something happened while we were trying to rescue Arron. Crystal was captured by the head vampire and he... He put a bloodCurse on her." I took a deep breath as I finished. It was a short retelling of what had transpired, but I didn't really have the energy to

elaborate on the events.

"Crystal has suffered a lot," my mother said, her expression sorrowful. "To think that she has gone through such horrors on her first trip to the imperial capital. It was a blessing that she survived." I couldn't help but smirk at her. "You seem very familiar with Crystal, Mom."

I didn't miss the flush that crept into her cheeks. She cleared her throat and awkwardly jutted her chin out. "It's just that we get along really well. Even when we first met, it felt like we'd known each other for a long time. Besides, I just adore her

children. They're so cute

"Is it really that simple, though?" I plastered a smile on my face and stared straight into my mother's eyes.

Her expression shifted, and I could

tell that she was trying hard not to grimace. She quickly changed the subject. Anyway, has Crystal got any better? Would you like me to lend you my personal physician and have him check on her? He is quite excellent at

treating the trickiest diseases."

"She's fine for the time being. The three forces contained in her body have subsided. She just needs to wake up, and she'll be in the clear."

I kept my tone casual as I added, "Mom, don't you feel familiar with Arron?"

"Hmm, what? Arron? Why do you ask that? Stop bothering with insignificant matters. Why don't I go see Crystal now?" My mother was rambling. It was clear that my question unsettled her.

"Don't worry about her," I said patiently. "Let's wait until tomorrow and see if there is any development in her condition. But Mom, you haven't answered me yet."

"About Arron? Well, I don't think he is familiar. Children tend to look the same, you know, with their chubby cheeks and all." My mother prattled on, but she couldn't quite meet my gaze. To me, it was a clear sign of guilt.

"Really? Don't you think that Arron resembles me?" My mother blanched.