Page 48 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings (Unwanted #1)

My entire body is freezing, and the walk back seems to stretch on forever.

The buzz from using Granny’s power has left me paralyzed with exhaustion.

After the adrenaline fades, there’s a rock-bottom feeling that is soul deep.

Yet, the closer we get to the castle, the more worried I become.

I will once again be alone with Zeke. Only this time, I am in no position to fight him.

Using far too much energy than fathomable, I try to sit up in Regan’s arms, his fur tickling my skin as I grip his shoulders.

“I can walk,” I tell him. I can’t afford to be lazing around while we walk back.

I need to move and get the feeling back in my limbs.

Instead of letting me go, Regan just adjusts his grip, one hand sliding under my butt as he wraps my legs around his waist. My face heats when I come face to face with him, and he licks my cheek.

I stare at him, thoroughly grossed out, and wipe my face with the back of my hand.

“That’s nasty. God knows where your tongue has been. You could have been licking your ass for all I know!”

He laughs. “I’m not a dog.”

“You look like one walking on two legs to me.” Instead of answering, he does it again, and I swat him with my hand.

“Stop being disgusting!” He laughs, tugging me closer, but when I try to get out of his arms, he growls, nipping my cheek and chin with his sharp teeth. I hiss at the sting of it, wondering what he is doing and why he is biting me.

“Do that again and I will bite you back!” I snap. When he does it again, I shriek, only this time he nipped my neck. Having had enough of his biting, I bite him back. Only when I do, he shifts, and instead of biting his shoulder like intended, I bite his neck.

Regan groans, and I jerk back, finding flesh instead of fur, hands instead of claws, and him very naked. Regan growls, and I look at his neck, the wound healing rapidly. He grabs the back of my neck and bites me back.

I thrash as his teeth sink into my bottom lip, and he chuckles, kissing me instead. I push his shoulders, making him lose his grip slightly, but as I slide down him, his hands are quick to stop me and hoist me higher.

A shriek leaves me at the thought of being dropped, but Regan uses that to his advantage, forcing his tongue into my mouth.

I bite his tongue, making him groan, and the kiss turns violent—teeth and soft tissue clashing.

“Okay, you win!” I chuckle against his lips, which are assaulting mine.

He laughs, pulling back slightly when someone clears their throat.

“As entertaining as it is to watch you two love birds, I would like to get home before dark,” Lyon snarls at me, and only then do I realize Regan is no longer walking, and we have stopped.

“Hand her over,” Zeke says, and my grip on Regan tightens.

“She’s fine,” Regan snarls at him.

“And she’s my date, hand her over,” Zeke repeats.

“I can walk,” I tell them, and Regan sets me on my feet, only for them to be swept out from under me.

“Zeke!” Regan snarls, but Zeke takes off.

A squeal leaves me as my surroundings turn to a blur of green and brown.

I can hear Regan calling out, but the wind muffles his voice.

My head feels dizzy from the motion, my stomach queasy, and I have no choice but to press closer to him.

The wind whipping my arms is making them sting.

“Zeke, slow down. You’re hurting me,” I whimper, not expecting him to, but he does, and then suddenly holds me out at arm’s length, looking me over. “Where am I hurting you?” he demands while I dangle in the air.

“The wind, it stings my skin,” I hiss, and he grunts, crushing me against his chest just as Regan, Lyon, and Gnash catch up to us.

“Fucking prick, give her back,” Regan snarls, his hands grabbing me. Zeke growls at him, but Regan ignores him until Hunter suddenly growls at Regan. Regan glances down at him before glancing at Zeke.

“Call him off, Zeke.”

Zeke shakes his head and continues stomping through the forest. “You’ll only hurt her. She is fine, Regan,” Zeke snarls.

“Not in your hands, she’s not!”

Zeke growls and both of them stand toe-to-toe for a second, and I find myself caught between them. If either of them shifts right now, I won’t be able to escape before the claws come out.

“Hand her over!” Regan’s voice is ice-cold, and his eyes flash as his canines slip free of his gums.

“Woah, okay, both of you settle down!” Lyon comes over, forcing himself between them. “Stop, both of you. Zeke, just gives her to him, for God’s sake.”

“Last I checked, she’s mine today. Now back off, Regan. Or maybe she will get hurt!” Zeke snarls, stomping off. I swallow and peer back at Regan over Zeke’s shoulder.

Lyon puts a hand on Regan’s shoulder. “If he was going to hurt her, he would have already.” Regan shoves Lyon’s hand off him and turns to follow us. “Regan! What’s gotten into you? Have you forgotten what she means? What our father’s intentions for her are?” Lyon questions.

Zeke stops and peers down at me, hoisting me higher up his waist, but I can’t help wanting to hear Regan’s answer.

“It’s always a damn woman!” Zeke snarls, and I turn my gaze to him.

“Excuse me?” I ask.

“That gets between us. Regan getting attached to you is going to end badly. I can fucking see it.” Zeke takes off again, and I twist in his arms to see the castle come into view.

Regan and Lyon aren’t far behind us because I can still hear them arguing, but I am just relieved to be back at the castle.

“Are you hungry?” Zeke asks, and I look up at him.

“Starving, but let me guess, an apple, or maybe a leaf of lettuce?” I deadpan.

“If that is what you want,” he growls, dropping me. I hit the ground hard, and he storms off without so much as a glance back. I groan, my backside hurting.

“You were fucking saying?” Regan snarls coming out of the tree line just as I get to my feet. My feet barely touch the ground for two seconds before he scoops me up. I curse.

“I can fucking walk!” I snap.

“I prefer you stay close,” he snaps back. I shake my head, Regan can’t seem to decide if he wants me dead or alive.

“You’re going to get us all killed,” Lyon snarls, storming off ahead. I watch him go, and Shadow rushes after him. Regan presses me closer to his chest and purrs.

“Gnash, come!” Regan calls, and he follows his brother inside. As we enter the castle I expect him to put me down, but he doesn’t. Instead, he keeps walking, turning onto a corridor I have never been down.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask him nervously.

He doesn’t answer, but we pass a few servants.

One woman shrieks when she spots the king naked.

The others avert their gaze. He follows the massive corridor, stopping at a huge black door.

He tugs the handle, and a cool draft brushes my skin, making me peer into the darkness in confusion.

My heart rate quickens as he steps inside and descends the stairs into a basement.

I peer up at Regan, his eyes luminescent in the dark and burning brightly.

“Regan?” I murmur, my voice not sounding so confident down here when I can’t see a damn thing.

“You’re safe with me,” he whispers, his lips skating across the corner of my mouth.

“Am I?” I question. His moods change so rapidly that it’s hard to tell. He flicks a switch, and I blink as the fluorescent lights flicker before burning brightly. Glancing around, I find dried herbs and plants hanging from the ceiling.

Regan ducks under some of the herbs, moving me toward the huge bench.

He sits me on top of it then turns around to rummage through the drawers.

He grabs a vial and herbs that I recognize as wolfsbane.

I watch as he crushes the plant, focused on his task.

The more he handles it, the more the plant eats away at his flesh, but he doesn’t make so much as a peep.

He then turns on a Bunsen burner and retrieves some bottled water along with a flask.

He drops the crushed wolfsbane in and brings it to a boil while I watch.

“Regan?”

“For Zeke,” he tells me while removing the flask off the Bunsen burner. He grabs a vial, pours it into it, then pops the cap on before pouring the rest into a bottle. He shakes the vial, letting it cool.

“I will have this put in his drink tonight,” he tells me, holding up the bottle while I chew my lip.

He passes me the vial. I look at him shocked. He is actually going to hand me something that can poison them.

When I don’t take it, too stunned for words, he slips his hand into my torn top, fiddling with my bra, he jams it between my cleavage.

“Keep that on you at all times,” he orders, and I look up at him. His eyes flicker, and I glance nervously at the door.

“What about your father?”

“Fuck my father!” he snarls.