Unwanted Mate Of The Lycan Kings

~Regan~

By the time we reach the city, the morning sun is rising over the mountains. However, the city is completely in ruins. A city that was once bustling is now a graveyard of buildings as we pass through. The city is nothing but rubble, black smoke fills the air and I can feel the heat from the fires, even safe in the car and at a distance. Yet as we reach the city square by the castle, it still stands but barely, the buildings badly damaged but not a mess of rubble and total decay like the rest of the city.

"What the hell?” I murmur as we drive through the wreckage when I spot a girl who comes running out of the only remaining shops. I recognize her as one of the witches who helped Zirah rise to power the day she burned. She bangs on the car windows with both dirty hands.

James hastily rolls it down. She steps back, and I can tell she was hoping it was Zirah inside. Her face is stained with tears and dirt. The dress she is wearing has been torn, she has a dark bruise on her cheek and a nasty burn up her arm.

“What happened here?” I ask her.

“The vampire king's guard stormed the kingdom. They took down nearly all your guards when they came into the town, they took Kelly as a hostage, ordered the coven to come out, or they'd kill her.” She tells me. Yet, I am trying to figure out how he knows about the coven.

"You escaped?” I ask her and she shakes her head. “No,” She looks away, her eyes filling with tears as she shakes her head. She swallows, and I can see the guilt written in her eyes as she turns to look back at us.

“My grandmother stepped forward claiming she was the last coven member, she took my place,” she tells me and I can see the sadness in her eyes. “The coven played along,” she adds, her voice cracking.

“She was trying to protect you,” I tell her, she nods, but tears slip down her cheeks. “I know, but now they're powerless,” she tells us. I look at James, wondering what she means. “What do you mean?” I ask her.

“The Lycans weren't the only ones cursed, my King. We helped Litha finish the curse. We damned you, and a curse like that comes with consequences. You can't play god without a sacrifice,” My brows pinch in confusion.

"But they sacrificed their lives for Litha, wasn't that enough?” I ask her. She shakes her head.

“No, there are rules. Litha tempted fate, she altered the course of existence, her punishment was she cursed her daughter, cursed her coven with their deaths and cursed our magic. My mother and those that stood with her also had to be punished. That sort of magic isn't just a curse, it's karma, the rule of three. Litha created an imbalance, the fated corrected three-fold.” the girl glances around.

“It's why we never left, we only have limited magic outside the death place of Litha, within the square we channel off Litha's energy. But outside the square, our magic is uncontrollable, or entirely redundant, we have nothing to channel to remain grounded.”

“I don't understand,” I tell her, they seemed pretty powerful the night Zirah died.

“The coven's magic is anchored here, just like Litha is until the curse is broken, or unless we have an anchor and I doubt those bloodsuckers will be willing to make that kind of sacrifice,” she tells me. I glance at James, it seems this curse has no bounds, not just cursing us, the Lycan population, the oracle, but even her coven.

“Get in,” I tell her.

“I can't, my brother,” she says, turning to look over her shoulder. “Bring him, you can leave him with the castle staff, surely someone is alive,” I tell her. She chews her lip. “Where is my priestess? She has magic, she can save them, she can bring the Vampire king down,” she asks pleadingly.

“I'll be going there once I check on my father,” I tell her, and James nods. She waves her brother to come forward, and he rushes to her side before they jump into the car.

With my heart pounding like a drum within my chest, we pull up at the castle to find guards strewn about, yet the maids are dragging them in. I stride inside with a sense of urgency toward the castle. As I step inside, I'm struck by the unsettling emptiness of the guard posts. The vampire guards who once stood tall as pillars of our treaty are conspicuously absent.

Glancing at the girl, she peers around in awe. “Those that stormed the city, were any of them in our guard uniform?” She nods.

“They pointed out the coven members, yet they were confused by me because I was younger, grandma said she was an elder and the last element,” she tells me and I nod my head. A sense of betrayal engulfs me, bitter on my tongue. My Father's misplaced trust gnaws at my insides.

Once I pass through the corridors in the castle, the situation becomes even more chilling. Men loyal to our cause, our guards, lay sprawled and motionless. They still breathe, their chests heaving in a slow rhythm that signals incapacitation rather than rest. Time has never felt so precious, so cruelly limited. I forge ahead, shoving past the unconscious bodies, and those that are dead, my mind honing onto a single focal point—my father.

I surge into his room, my heart leaping into my throat at the sight of him sprawled on the floor. His hand still clings to the phone as though it is his lifeline. Without missing a beat, James is at his side and forcing his blood into his mouth. His vampire blood quickly coursing through his veins and healing my father, only it doesn't work as he continues to mutter, making no sense. James pries his eyelids open, to find them dilated and glowing ominously. My hands shake slightly as I remove the darts from his chest, the pungent, sharp scent of mandrake root assaults my nostrils as I examine the dart.

“Mandrake root,” I find myself echoing the name of the plant with disdain.

James tries to rouse my father, his face, usually a mask of calm, now reflects a mirror of concern. The room fills with the guttural groans of my father, his words melting into a pool of nonsense.

“He's hallucinating—a side effect of the mandrake root,” James’ voice cuts through the unsettling sounds, adding to the knot in my stomach. Glancing around, I shake my head, knowing that is not a good sign, and it will take hours before he will be back to normal. Hearing a gasp, I look up to see the young girl has followed us, her brother hanging onto the back of her shirt as he peers around her.

“Get the maids, tell them King Regan said lock all the guards up, they've been poisoned with mandrake root.” I tell her and her eyes widen in horror. She nods quickly and rushes off. “Explains why they didn't kill everyone, they knew once the hallucinations kicked in the guard would do the job for them,” James says.

I extract my phone with a sense of dread clawing at my insides. I dial Lyon's number, holding my breath as the dial tone rings in my ear, only to be met with silence. I redial, my heart hammering an abrupt rhythm in my chest. “What's going on?” James' inquiry rips through the tense silence. “Lyon's not answering,” my voice comes out tighter than I intend it to.

"Call Zeke,” he suggests, a hint of urgency edging his words. But I am a step ahead, already punching in the familiar number. The line rings, each unanswered tone amplifying the creeping panic gnawing at my gut.

"Something's wrong. We need to check on my brothers and Zirah,” I manage to mumble, my voice barely a whisper, echoing the dread that's filling me as I piece this puzzle together.

James scoffs, “No one can take down Zirah, she's the Oracle for Christ's sake, and High Priestess, cross Lycan.” His words hang in the air for a moment before his eyes widen, a look of realization etching his face. “Unless...”

My patience eroding as anxiety mounts. “Unless what?” As much as I want to put my faith in Zirah's abilities, the eerie silence emanating from my brothers end chills me to the bone.

“Litha cursed her own daughter... That might be how she’s cursed. She's tied to them because she marked them. They're her weakness,” he reveals. My gasp echoes in the room, realization dawning on me, bringing a surge of confusion along. “But my blood bond?” I ask confused, if they are dead, why am I not, I should be able to feel them but feel nothing.

“We may have just figured out her part in this curse and possibly a loophole,” James states. His explanation sends a cold shiver down my spine. “Regan, you three were bound by blood, but she severed your bond to your brothers when she rejected you. Instead, they tied their lives to hers, which in turn tied her life to them. If they fall, so does she, and vice versa.”

“Their weakness is her weakness,” I conclude, my voice hollow. I can see the nod of agreement from James, followed by a wry smirk. I glance at him, confusion wrinkling my brow. “What?” I inquire.

“I bet the King assumes you're tied to her too. He knows he can't take you down unless your brothers are incapacitated. No sane person would dare confront a man cursed with Wrath,” he elaborates.

My mind reels from the implication. “So you're suggesting?”

“I'm suggesting they would target Lyon first, then Zeke, and keep you for the end, knowing they can't bring you down,” he elaborates further, his words instilling a sense of dread in me. My brows pinch together, a nauseous feeling swells within me, the image of Zirah with Zeke amplifying my worry.

“However, you are not tied to them anymore,” James interjects, his words a beacon of startling realization.

Clarity washes over me, and my eyes widen in sudden understanding. I could never have anticipated feeling relief under such circumstances. “I never thought I'd say this, but I am so fucking glad she rejected me,” I grit out, anger simmering within me as I storm toward the door.