Page 34 of Lycan King’s Claim (Lycan King’s Reign Duet #2)
T he sun is barely peeking through the curtains as I awake the next morning, my body still tense from the night before.
For once, Xandros isn't in the room, and neither is Javier.
The silence is both comforting and unnerving, leaving me to my thoughts as I rise from the bed and change into my uniform, preparing myself for another day of chores.
Having just finished putting on my uniform, the sound of the door opening startles me, and I turn to see Javier entering the room. His eyes quickly assess me before he tosses a small box my way. I catch it instinctively, examining the phone that now lay in my hands.
My heart races as I open the box and pull out the phone from within its plastic confines. I take a moment to stare at it. After taking a few moments more to admire my new possession, I look to Javier, wondering if Xandros knows. Seeing me looking at him, he answers before I have a chance to ask.
“Xandros sent me to get that for you this morning,” Javier explains, his voice calm but firm. “His number is on speed dial, and he added your friend's in the contacts. Now hurry, or you'll be late for your lunch date.”
“Lunch date?” I ask, confused by the sudden turn of events.
“With your friend Tasha,” he clarifies, a small smile playing on his lips. “Xandros organized it.”
Stunned, I rush to change out of my uniform and into something more suitable for a lunch date. My heart races at the thought of seeing Tasha after so long, but the fear of Xandros' anger also weighs it down should anything go awry.
As Javier drives us towards the city, I can't help but ask, “Where is Xandros?”
“Something came up that he needed to handle. It's a priority currently, but he promised to get you a phone and wanted you to spend time with your friend, so I am playing chauffeur,” he explains, his gaze remaining fixed on the road ahead.
“What came up?” I press, curiosity getting the better of me.
Javier sighs heavily, and glances at me.
“Vin escaped his guard last night. Anita is secure, but Vin killed two of the Council guards and escaped.
Carina has been alerted. But Xandros went to handle that.
I'm sure he'll fill you in on this more once he returns home,” Javier informs me, his tone serious.
As we pull up to a quaint café, I spot Tasha waiting for me, her beautiful face lighting up with a smile when she notices me.
She looks so happy to see me, and I feel my heart skip a beat and race in my chest. My hand reaches for the door handle when I turn to Javier, not hearing him take his seatbelt off. “Aren't you coming?”
“I can see you both perfectly fine from here,” he replies smoothly. “Is Xandros okay with that?” I ask nervously, not wanting to ruin the rare opportunity to reconnect with my friend by being dragged out because I didn't listen to instruction.
“He said to give you freedom. I can't leave you, but I can give you privacy. Just don't wander off and stay where I can see you,” Javier assures me.
With a nod, I step out of the car, taking a deep breath when I realize I have no money. “Ah, Javier?” I murmur. He peers out at me. “How am I supposed to pay?”
“Xandros already told them you'd be here and your table number. He owns this one,” Javier assures me.
I gape at Javier, completely taken aback. “He owns a café?” I ask incredulously.
Javier nods. “Yes, he has many business investments around the city. Now go on, have lunch with your friend while I stay here and keep an eye on you both.”
I nod, shutting the door before turning toward the café.
It feels weird being out on my own, even if technically I am not on my own, but I mean without someone at my side.
I approach Tasha, my heart swelling with a mix of joy and anxiety.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I am about to experience a brief moment of normalcy – and I can't help but wonder how long it will last before it all comes crashing down around me.
The warm sunlight filtered through the café's umbrella's, casting a golden hue on the bustling street before me.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingles with the scent of buttery pastries, pulling me into the present moment as Tasha and I settle at our small table out the front.
The familiar sounds of clinking silverware and murmuring conversations envelop us, offering a semblance of safety that I haven't felt in so long.
Without Xandros here, I can almost pretend my life wasn't as chaotic as it is.
For the most part, Tasha tells me about what she has been up to since the only thing I can tell her is how many halls I've cleaned and people I've waited on, so her life has been far more interesting.
“So you brought the pub from Toby?” I ask her, wondering why she wanted it, she always hated that place.
“Yeah, with some of Grandma's inheritance money,” she tells me.
She pauses for a second, sipping her coffee.
“Toby told me he was running away to be with you. I had hoped you get yourself free of the King, from what Toby told me, you wanted out,” she says and I nod.
Glancing at the car. Javier is watching, and I am not sure what he can hear.
But the windows are up as he flicks through his newspaper.
“Have you spoken to Toby lately?”
“Not since I bought the place, I assume he is with Carina,” she tells me and I chew my lip.
“So, what made you want to buy the place anyway, I thought you hated the club?” I ask her before taking a bite of my toastie.
“He came to ask me for a witch's contact, one to break your mate bond, he told me he was selling it to leave with you,” she shrugs.
“You organized the witch?”
“Isadora,” she whispers, as if the name itself holds some sort of power. “She's a witch who lives outside the kingdom. Toby was going to take you to her.”
My breath hitches at the implications of what Tasha was telling me. A wave of emotions washes over me—hope, fear, disbelief—as I struggle to process this newfound information.
“And she can definitely break a mate bond?” I ask, my voice shaking slightly. My hands clench into fists under the table. “How can that even be possible?”
Tasha hesitates for a moment, her gaze flicking around the room nervously before returning to mine. “I don't know all the details, but people have been whispering about Isadora for years. They say the risks are high, but the rewards…” Tasha leans forward. “Sienna, you could be free.”
My mind races as I consider the magnitude of what Tasha is telling me.
To sever the mate bond with Xandros would mean freedom—a chance at a life that wasn't dictated by the whims of a volatile Lycan King.
But I also know that it came with a heavy price, like him going mad, Lycan King's without a mate go crazed with all that power if they don't have their mate.
“Can you imagine?” Tasha continues, her voice filled with awe. “A life without fear, without submission… A life where you're in control.”
As much as I long for that life, the consequences race through my mind.
My heart pounds in my chest, and I can feel the weight of the decision bearing down on me.
My gaze flickers between Tasha's earnest expression and the people around us, going about their ordinary lives, blissfully unaware of the turmoil raging within me.
“Sienna,” Tasha urges gently, her hand finding mine under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You don't have to decide now. Just think about it and if you'd like to, I can organize it. Isadora is coming here tomorrow, that's why I mentioned it.”
“Why is she coming here?” I ask her.
“She was one of grandma's friends, she is coming to visit me. She'll be here for a week,” I chew my lip thinking her words over.
My eyes met hers, and I nodded, the enormity of the decision settling heavily on my shoulders.
The clinking of silverware against china plates and the low hum of conversations around us fade into the background as I try to process what Tasha had just told me.
A witch who could sever the mate bond? It sounded like a fairy tale, a dream that was too good to be true.
And yet, here it was, presented to me by my only friend.
My heart races as I struggle to untangle the knot of emotions that hold me captive—fear, hope, love, and heartbreak all vying for control.
I know that seeking out this witch, Isadora, meant putting everything on the line.
The consequences of such a decision are not lost on me.
Losing Xandros would mean losing my mate, but at the same time, it would grant me the freedom I so desperately yearn for.
A life free from the darkness and pain that he has brought me. But then what? Where would I go?
If I broke the bond, I won't be able to return to the kingdom, knowing that Xandros would kill me without hesitation. As much as I hated him, I can't deny the connection we share, the one thread that ties us together. Even if it is almost non-existent these days.
Other thoughts plague me too, like would severing the bond hurt? Physically, emotionally, spiritually? Would the pain be worse than what he had already put me through? These questions plagued my thoughts, leaving me feeling more lost and confused than ever before.
“Sienna,” Tasha said softly, her tone pleading. “You don't have to decide right now. Just consider your options, weigh the pros and cons. Do what feels right for you.”
As I stare into her eyes, filled with love and concern, I know that this is a decision I can't take lightly. The consequences of my choice would ripple through every aspect of my life, forever changing the course I had been set on, as well as Xandros'.
I know that I can never forgive Xandros for all the pain and heartbreak he has caused me. But is seeking out the witch, and risking everything, truly the answer? Or would I simply be trading one form of pain for another?