The Blind Lycan King and His Queen

LUCIAN

The part of the evening I have most been looking forward to is finally here. The shift. Anyone who wants to can shift into wolf form and roam the grounds or surrounding fields and forestry as freely as they desire—and I am definitely in the mood to run. I need to feel the wind in my face. I also need my sight for a while. But as of tonight, the shift also signals the part I have been dreading. I stare at the closed doors, knowing exactly what is waiting behind them.

I feel Kia approach my side.

“Are you sure about this?” he asks quietly. I grunt in response, clearly evading his question, but right now I have no time for discussion or debate. I’m out of options.

It’s simple. An heir within the year or I’ll be stripped of my title…

Ironic that I have absolute power, as king—except when it comes to the laws of succession. Even a mighty monarch must bow to those ancient laws. I know the laws were made for a reason, but it doesn’t make my situation any more bearable. Lycan fertility doesn’t last forever, and my sell-by date is fast approaching.

Maybe it’s time to say goodbye to my dream of finding my mate. Something in me cracks at the thought.

“Let’s go,” I mutter and feel him nod as the doors ahead open and we step out.

***

I may not see them but I can hear the hushed, excitable whispers of the she-wolves who stand before me, waiting to be presented.

Their heady scents fill the air but I remain focused as Kia guides me to the start of the line.

Drawing in a deep breath, I start to march down the line.

I don’t need to see them. Scent only is enough. I’ll smell where each one is in her cycle and we’ll go from there. The silence is thick, broken only by the occasional intoxicated whine or whimper and the sound of heavy breathing.

“Halfway, sir.” Kia’s voice echoes in my head as we keep walking.

“Just pick one. Anyone,” the voice of Alexandre, head of the council, calls from the back of my mind, but…

I stop and hear a sharp intake of breath to my right. I frown as I draw in a lungful of air—and instantly swoon. My head twists to the side and I zone in on the sound of her heavy, thumping heart. A beat that mirrors my own.

Oh yes…that is what I ~need~.

“Sir…which one?” Kia whispers inside my head.

“Appearance?” I ask him and feel him move beside me as her heartbeat thumps louder.

“Auburn, slim, tall, very athletic. Bright smile. Eager…” I stop him with a small shake of my head. ~“Uhm…black hair…thick…very thick…green eyes…”~

“Her,” I state firmly, feeling my body instantly respond to his description as my heart races.

“Left.”

Lunging forward, I go to grab her wrist but as my hand grazes her skin she squeaks out a gasp at the fire I know we both feel. Heat radiates up my arm and I growl.

“Liana!” a girl cries out, and I hear the sound of running footsteps.

“Sh-she’s running, sir…”

I smile. Without a care for where we are, I rip off my clothes and shift. Letting out a bloodcurdling howl, I disperse the pack to enjoy their evening.

Finally in form, I glance at what my second option was and my insides squirm.

Oh, absolutely fucking not.

“Which way did she go?” I look down at Kia from my considerable height and he points to the east.

I grin.

Oh, little wolf.

Run all you like but I am coming for you.

The pack starts to shift around me, eager to enjoy their evening, and I launch into action and thunder across the grounds to catch up with her.

She can’t hide from me.

***

Diving into the woodlands, I catch wind of her magnificent scent and a shiver rolls down my spine, spreading through my entire body and stopping me dead for a moment to catch my breath.

I sniff at the air, reeling in disbelief at the pure adrenaline shooting through me as I catch her scent again. Then I tear through the undergrowth to hunt her down. She is not getting away from me, no fucking way.

Does she really believe she can outrun me and hide?

Looking around, I frown, seeing the dim lights of the palace breaking through the trees as I race toward it, still firmly locked onto her scent.

Why did she come back here?

When I reach the building, I quickly shift into my hybrid form so I can use my hands to open the door. Then I duck back into wolf form while sniffing at the air. She has definitely come through here.

I smile.

Clawing my way through the house, I am confused when her scent leads me to the staircase. My brow cocks slightly before I trek up them and let my nose lead me through the halls to…my bedroom door?

I shove the door open but…the room is empty.

A garment lies on the rug and I lean down to pick it up, bringing the fabric to my snout and inhaling it deeply with a growl.

I clutch it in my hand like a prized possession. I was right, the scent is definitely hers. Now where the fuck is she?

Moving to the bed, I crawl across it, my nose guiding me to the pillow where her scent is strongest. I shove my face into it, shifting to human form and holding it to my face until I’m light-headed.

Oh, sweet fucking Goddess!

“Kia!” I shout through my mind and wait for him to arrive, pacing impatiently.

“Sir,” Kia pants as he jerks to a halt in the doorway.

“Beta, she’s been in here. I can smell her.”

“Who, my king?”

“My mate. It’s her, she’s been here. Her scent… Oh, her scent. It’s everywhere.” My voice has gotten deeper and more possessive. Oh, that smell, it’s like lavender and honey. Oh, holy fuck.

“Find her,” I growl. My need is overwhelming.

“My king?”

“Take this! And you find her! No one is to lay a finger on her. Bring her straight to me!” The shivers of her scent run through my body like the blood in my veins. I’m not leaving this fucking room. The thrill of the chase is gone—there’s too much at stake now. The scent in here is the only part of her I can keep hold of and I’m terrified that if I leave, all traces of her will leave me too…

I shove the pillow toward him and he takes it gently from my hand. He sniffs the fabric. Goddess, I want to punch him for that, even him smelling that sweetness makes me angry.

“Yes, sir,” he says firmly and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

I will have her. I will find her. I’ve waited too long, believing my curse would deny me my mate.

Oh, Goddess, thank you.

Alone, I crawl back onto the bed, still naked, and let her scent consume me.

I grab the pillow beside me, crushing it to my body and covering myself in the perfume of her. I bring it to my face, inhaling deeply. Oh fuck, I feel high.

I roll over on the sheets, crazed, taking in as much of the scent as I can. My cock strains from her scent alone and I don’t resist stroking myself.

My lycan lets out a feral growl. One of desperate need, the need to possess this creature that has lain on my bed.

My hand moves faster and harder on myself. No more random sex. Not until I find her. She will be mine, I will make sure of it. I bite into the pillow, holding it to my body as my cock brushes against the material. I want to be covered in her. Her scent is so strong even though she’s not even in heat. Everything is making my lycan go crazy within me. I can smell her arousal on the fabric and imagine all the things she might have done in here.

Oh fuck…the thought is unbearable and I blow quickly, covering myself in a thick load with not a single ounce of shame.

I want her. I need her! He’d better fucking find her!

***

I pace around my room waiting for Kia to return. I am being driven crazy in here. I just need to hold her. To feel her and know she’s real and that she is mine. I pulled on track bottoms so as not to scare her if she is found and brought here. I can only imagine how intimidated she would feel.

I start to count my steps in an attempt to calm myself when the door opens and Kia walks in. I know she’s not with him. I can’t smell her.

“Sir…”

“Where is she?!” I growl and he flinches. I am not usually so hard on Kia but he has no idea the pain this is putting me in.

“We checked the remaining packs for every member, sir, but…” I let out a low growl of frustration and he sighs. “She wasn’t there.”

“Who is she, Kia?!” I snap impatiently.

“Alpha Zayne’s daughter…Liana.”

Liana. Even her name makes my heart beat faster. “Prepare for our departure,” I tell Kia.

“Sir?”

“I have waited three hundred years never knowing if I will find her! Believing I will never have a mate! I NEED her!” I snap, then take a deep, calming breath. “I’m sorry…” I stop my pacing, turning my head to where I know my bed is. She may have run but she left her calling card. She knows I can find her.

Does my little mate want a chase?

I am more than happy to oblige.

I’ll let her think she’s escaped my net. Let her lie in her bed thinking she outran the king…

The thought is thrilling.

“We leave at first light,” I murmur and feel him agree as he slips from the room.

One more night.

And then…you’re mine.