Page 30 of Lycan King’s Claim (Lycan King’s Reign Duet #2)

I don’t know if I merely attended the wedding to torture myself more, or if I was going for Carina.

What a peculiar relationship we have with each other considering we hated each other at first. I'm not certain whether she is a friend or an enemy half the time, so neither label feels right; maybe it’s understanding, some deeper level of recognizing each other’s pain.

Or it could be our forced hands, our reluctance to hurt one another, though both of us have hurt each other, our intentions though not malicious in intent.

She was married to my mate, then ran off with the man I had wanted.

As much as that thought saddens me, I am happy she found someone as great as Toby.

He will give her the love and care she deserves.

Most might think me insane to be able to sympathize with the woman who threatened to steal my mate.

Still, he had been hers first, if you really thought about it. They were legally married, after all.

Glancing over my shoulder at Xandros as Javier leads me back to the castle, I wonder what he is thinking. Our bond is so disturbing and pained that I don’t recognize any feeling in it anymore except the anguish it feels.

“The Council will handle King Vin and Anita. Xandros will ensure it,” Javier nudges me.

“And Toby will look after Carina,” I nod. Things seemed to be working out, but why did I not feel relief?

Javier nods slowly, pushing the door open and waiting for me to enter the foyer of the castle.

“It’s funny how things work out,” Javier states cautiously.

I hear the wariness in his voice, and I offer no answer.

Once back to my room, I look for my uniform, intent on going back to work, anything to distract me from the thoughts that wage war in my head.

Coming out of the walk-in closet, Javier glances up from where he sits on the couch.

“No, Xandros wants you here for when he comes up. He is under enough stress without him having to hunt you down when he comes looking,” Javier states, turning on The Lion King.

“Why would he have to hunt me down? He has a direct link.” I mutter with a roll of my eyes. Ignoring him, I remove my shirt and start putting on my uniform when Javier growls.

“Sienna, please don’t provoke him, not now.

Not when things can work out between you,” I scoff at his words.

“For him or for me? What is your idea of things working, Javier, because being his mate isn’t one that comes to mind for me,” I tell him while struggling with the zip on these new uniforms. Hopefully, this one is purely for the wedding; if not, I will be complaining to Adina about them.

“Oh, for frig sake, Sienna,” Javier grumbles, and I look over at him to find him quickly looking away. “Well, you’re the one in my room. If you would rather not see my white ass, get out,” I retort.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before; I’m pretty sure you’ve seen more of me than you’d like,” I laugh while struggling with the zip at the back of the dress. I get it halfway up, only to feel his hands rip the zip down. I turn on him with a snarl.

“I see nothing, hear nothing, my Queen,”

“The pub?” I ask him.

“Saw nothing, like I see nothing now; however, I wish I could unhear the noises; those were quite disturbing. I love you, my Queen, but you’re a screamer,” my face heats.

“I thought you said you hear nothing,” I tell him.

“By choice, I hear nothing; that night, I had no choice; if he was going to kill you, I needed to know to get you out, though after a while, once I was convinced you could handle him, I let my mind wander,” he tells me.

“Good then, you’re not seeing or hearing me leave then,” I tell him.

“You’re not leaving, now get that off before Xandros returns, or I will rip it off you,” he warns.

“You will do no such thing,” I growl at him.

“Moon goddess, please have mercy, just this once, and don’t make her fight me,” he pleads. I roll my eyes at his theatrics.

“You’re being dramatic. Besides, Xandros will be hours,” I tell him.

“So stubborn, it’s why you’ll make a good Queen one day; Xandros will have to fight you every turn he tries to make,” he laughs before wandering back to the couch.

I struggle with the zip when suddenly the door opens.

Javier glances over before returning his attention to the TV.

The charged air in the room prickles my skin as Xandros steps in, his presence causing the anxiety coiling in my gut to flare up.

The television blares on, its senseless chatter drowning out the hammering of my heart.

He peers over at me getting changed and Javier casually watching TV.

His jaw clenches. “Javier is in the room,” Xandros snaps.

“So are you,” I tell him when Javier calls out from his armchair. “I see nothing,”

“It’s selective,” I snap back at him. Xandros, clueless to mine, and Javier’s spat moves into the room, and I tense, every muscle screaming in rebellion at his closeness as he stops beside me.

“Javier?” Xandros glances at him, and he places the remote on the coffee table.

“I’ll go see the Council off,” Javier says, wandering toward the door.

My heart beats faster, knowing he is leaving me alone with Xandros.

The door clicks shut, and Xandros digs in the pocket of his jacket, handing me a piece of paper.

The air in the room thickens, each breath heavy with anticipation. Xandros stands in front of me, his presence causing a shiver to run down my spine. I can feel my heart pounding against my chest.

“Sienna,” he murmurs, and I flinch at the sound of my name on his lips. The memories come unbidden, a tidal wave of pain that threatens to swallow me whole. I feel like I live in a permanent state of fight or flight with the man.

“Javier left,” I manage to say, my voice coming out strained. My eyes dart around the room, seeking comfort in familiarity but finding none.

“Carina signed the divorce papers,” Xandros announces, his voice echoing in the room.

“We can be together now, Anna,” he says, tapping the paper he gave me.

I stare down at it in my hand. I can’t help but laugh bitterly, the sound harsh and guttural.

His use of that nickname feels like a punch to the gut, each syllable a haunting reminder of all the times he called me that when I was whole, only to use the same nickname when I wasn’t.

“You really think it’s that easy, don’t you?” I ask, my voice barely more than a deadly whisper.

He believes we can pick up the pieces of our bond and start over as if he didn’t cause me so much pain, he reaches for me, but I step back from him. My movement earns me a growl, and my gaze lifts to his.

The room seems to shrink with Xandros’ presence, a suffocating atmosphere that leaves me gasping for air. My focus is solely on him. I feel the heat of his gaze on me, and it makes my skin crawl.

“Sienna,” he begins, his voice laced with determination.

“I know I hurt you. But we can pick up the pieces and start over. We can move on from all this mess now.”

My nails dig into my palms as I clench my fists, the pain grounding me for a moment. “Anna, I never meant to hurt you,” he insists, taking a step closer. I flinch, instinctively retreating from his approach.

“Stop calling me that!” I snap, my heart pounding in my chest.

“Sienna, please,” he pleads, reaching out for me. His fingers hover inches away from my arm, aching to close the distance. “Just give me a chance to make things right. Let me show you how much I love you.”

“I know I fucked things up before, but--” he starts, but I refuse to let him continue.

“Don’t!” I cut him off, raising a hand. “Don’t dare justify your actions. Don’t give me excuses; please leave me be for a while; just let me process this…. Mess.”

He sinks onto the couch, his eyes wide with shock. I’m not the woman he remembers, the one who let him manipulate her, who allowed him to torment her.

“Look at what you did to me, Xandros,” I challenge him, forcing myself to confront the truth of his actions. “You broke me, took everything from me. And I won’t bleed anymore for a love that brings me nothing but pain.”

He reaches for me, his fingers brushing against mine. I recoil, a fresh wave of anger washing over me. “Don’t touch me,” I warn, my voice laced with venom. He pauses. His jaw clenches, and I get the first glimmers of emotion through the bond, anger, and rejection, but what does he expect?

Finally, he speaks, yet his gaze is at the window.

“Let me make it right,” he pleads, desperation in his voice.

His gaze returns to me, and as much as I want to believe the words he speaks, I won’t risk him hurting my bond.

Just him standing this close causes it pain, let alone being thrown away by him again.

“Give me a chance to prove myself to you. I don’t want to lose you. ”

“Prove yourself?” I repeat, my heart pounding in my chest. “You’ve had your chance, and you failed spectacularly. You chose to hurt me, to break me, time and time again. What do you hope to achieve, Xandros? You’ve already broken me beyond repair.”

“I--” He stops, clenching his fists. “I was planning to call off the wedding if Carina hadn’t. I wanted to choose you.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better? That you would have eventually selected me? It doesn’t change how much you’ve hurt me, Xandros!” My chest heaves with every ragged breath, the weight of our past crashing down on me.

His eyes are haunted, reflecting the torment within. He is a tall, imposing figure—the embodiment of strength and power. Now, he stands before me, a broken man.

“I know I messed up royally. But I need you, Sienna. We’re mates, bound together by destiny. You can’t just throw that away. I love you,” he whispers, vulnerability etched into his features.

“Love?” I spit out, bile rising in my throat. “What you did to me wasn’t love, Xandros. It was cruel, plain, and simple. And as for destiny…” I pause, shaking my head. “Destiny doesn’t justify the pain you’ve caused. Destiny doesn’t give you a free pass for your actions,”

“Anna, I know that and--” he begins, gripping my face in his hands and leaning in closer.

A second later, his purr slips out, but instead of the sound calming me, it has the opposite effect.

Instead, it angers me that even after everything, he would try to make me submissive using the bond, subdued so that he gets his way like he always does.

“Stop trying to manipulate me, Xandros!” I hiss, anger coursing through my veins like liquid fire. “I refuse to be your plaything any longer, to be discarded and picked up whenever it suits you. Not anymore.”

A shocked silence follows, punctuated only by our harsh breaths. His eyes narrow, anger flashing in them. He lunges at me, his fingers closing around my throat. I gasp, my vision blurring. His grip tightens, the darkness at the edges of my vision creeping in.

“Go ahead, Xandros,” I challenge him, my voice barely a whisper. “That’s what you want, right? A broken doll, someone to bow at your feet. Do you think you can scare me into submission? You’re wrong, Xandros. I don’t fear dying anymore. I fear living with the monster who made me long for my death.”

His grip falters at my words, and he releases me, staring at his hands just as black spots dance at the edges of my vision. I gasp for air, my chest heaving as I struggle to regain my composure. Xandros stares at me, a complex mixture of anger, regret, and something akin to fear in his eyes.

“Sienna,” he breathes, his voice barely audible. “I never meant for things to end up like this.”

“But they did,” I tell him before walking out of the room to go do my chores.