The Lycan's Queen Book 3
Автор
L. S. Patel
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A Brother's Duty
Book Three: Bonds Beyond Blood
Damien Grey is nothing like his brother Adonis, wanting nothing to do with his royal lineage. But when Queen Aarya calls on him, he has no choice.
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Little did he know that he would meet Elodie, his true mate and the love of his life. But she’s been tricked into thinking she already has a mate... can they overcome the deceit, or will they be forced into a loveless life?
DAMIEN
“Damien?” a familiar voice called, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Hmm,” I replied, looking up.
“Are you okay?” they asked.
I smiled. “Of course. Why?”
“Because you have that look on your face. It’s the same as your brother’s,” Aarya pointed out.
Aarya Grey, as she was now known, or the queen. My brother’s beloved mate, my new sister-in-law. But that sounded lame—she was my sister.
“Why are you so observant?” I sighed.
Aarya just shrugged and sat down next to me. “It comes with living with your brother. He used to keep a lot of things to himself.”
“Yeah, I don’t blame him,” I mumbled.
Aarya just laughed. “Are you going to tell me what is bothering you so much?”
“I don’t want to be here. I miss my old life in England,” I admitted.
Something about Aarya made me want to tell her.
“So, what’s stopping you? You know Adonis will never stop you from leaving if you really want to go,” Aarya told me.
“I know he won’t, but... but there is something that’s stopping me. I don’t know if it’s my duty to my brother or something else.” I groaned in frustration.
“Maybe you’ve missed family love? Even if you won’t admit it to yourself, or maybe it’s because your mate is close by…” Aarya winked at the end.
I scoffed. “Funny one.”
Aarya just shook her head and stood up. “Right, duty calls. Damien, I want you to remember that you’re not alone.”
I smiled. “I know, thanks Aarya.”
I watched as she left me alone with my thoughts. Aarya might not realize it but she has this aura about her. A powerful one.
She was definitely a force to be reckoned with and I loved the way she showed my brother his place.
Seeing Adonis happy after all this time was amazing.
I am extremely happy for him, but a part of me is jealous.
Now both my siblings were happy with their mates, but not me. Again, I felt like the odd one out among my siblings.
It had only been four months since I came back here, and oh, how much my life had changed.
I still remember getting that call that changed everything…
4 MONTHS AGO
It was just a normal day for me at the office.
Being a detective had its perks; one was that I could use my lycan senses, which proved to be a major help. Another was I had a lot more freedom.
For once, I felt wanted and appreciated.
I was sitting at my desk doing the less glamorous side of my job.
Paperwork.
It was boring but it had to be done.
Just as I was almost finished, one of the men came in and called out my name.
“Phone call for you, Detective.”
“Me? Who is it?” I asked, confused. All the main people had my cell phone number.
“She said she knows your brother?” He looked at me.
Someone who knows Adonis…
Is it Riley?
But she would just say she is my sister. My mind was blank when it came to who it could be, but nevertheless, I nodded to the guy.
He held up three fingers, indicating it was line 3.
Taking a deep breath, I pressed 3 and held the phone up to my ear.
“Detective Grey speaking, who is this?” I asked.
“Um… Is this Damien Grey?” a female questioned.
“Yes, may I ask who is calling?” My confusion increased.
I heard her breathe a sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank God. I thought I had dialed the wrong number, how embarrassing! Oh, wait, sorry. My name is Aarya, and I’m your brother’s mate,” she replied.
Holy fuck, my brother has a mate?
About damn time too. I didn’t keep up with the affairs of royals, but I did keep up with my brother. A habit I could never break.
“My brother’s mate?” I was still in a daze.
Aarya laughed nervously. “Yep. That’s me. Look, he doesn’t know I’m calling, but Adonis could really use your support right now.
“I know it’s a lot to ask over the phone, but please come back. At least for a few weeks?”
Well, that was a shock. Hearing the worry in Aarya’s voice tugged at me. She clearly cared for Adonis a lot.
I sighed, “I don’t know…”
“Please! He really needs you. There are some nasty people who would love to see your brother’s head on a stake.” Aarya sounded upset.
I growled. Fucking council members—always been slimy.
“Okay, fine. I’ll come.” I gave in.
Aarya sighed. “Thank you! I can’t wait to meet you!”
A small smile made its way onto my face. “I guess a visit is overdue if Adonis has found his mate.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up. I massaged my aching head.
Only eleven a.m. and I already have a headache.
I made my way to my boss’s office, who was also doing paperwork.
After all the years of working here, I had never taken a day off. Work kept me busy, and recently I needed the distraction as the emptiness in my heart grew bigger.
So, my boss was surprised when I asked for time off and even more shocked when I said I wasn’t sure when I’d return.
I explained it was a family emergency and he gave me as much time off as I needed.
I took the rest of the day off and drove back to my house. London had been my home for so many years now, I had almost forgotten about my hometown.
But the palace was the kind of place that if you tried to forget it, you would fail. I wasted no time in booking a ticket and proceeded to pack a bag.
This felt so weird, to be going back after so long.
Adonis, my big brother, my role model, needed me, and that was all I had to hear.
Aarya sounded so upset that it hurt me.
I guess now she is family too, and I am a firm believer in “family is everything.”
Only five hours after getting the phone call, I was at the airport waiting for my flight to board. As I looked around, I noticed no one really paid attention to me.
Just how I like it.
But as soon as I would land back in my hometown, everyone would know who I was. Everyone would want to know where I was, and I hated that.
I hated that being a royal meant no privacy whatsoever. It was one of the things Riley and I actually agreed on.
When she left with her mate, she made it clear to both me and Adonis that this was what she wanted.
Riley craved the normal life and Adonis knew this. He never stopped her, even though it hurt him. He never stopped me when I decided to leave.
Adonis knew we weren’t happy, so he let us go and live our lives, but now it was time to go back.
For Adonis, my brother.
The seven-hour flight went by too quickly. Stepping off the plane, I let out a sigh and went through to collect my bags.
As suspected, it didn’t take long for eyes to zone in on me. People’s stares fixated on my every movement.
The word would soon spread that I was back. I hated that.
I hadn’t told Aarya anything about when I was planning on coming, which was the idea.
The last thing I wanted was one of the guards standing there to greet me. Instead, I caught a taxi.
The taxi driver kept looking in his mirror and I sighed.
“Is something the matter?” I asked.
“Sorry, sir, it’s just that you look awfully familiar,” he apologized.
“Just drive,” I sighed.
Thankfully, he did as I asked. I didn’t ask him to drop me right at the palace, but some distance away.
Honestly, I was a little shocked that I still knew my way around. Even though I wanted to forget, it seemed like I wasn’t able to.
Home is home after all.
Once we stopped, I paid the taxi driver and walked toward the palace. As it came into view, I let out a breath that I hadn’t even realized I was holding.
A guard spotted me, and his mouth dropped open.
“Your Majesty, welcome back.” He quickly opened the gates and ushered me in.
It didn’t take long for other guards and servants to rush up, all greeting me and asking if I wanted anything.
“Your Majesty, finally you have returned.” One of the elder servants smiled.
I bit my tongue and just nodded.
Fucking royal title.
I hated it.
“Damien?” my sister’s familiar voice called.
“Riley?” I walked toward her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Same thing as you, I’m guessing.” I looked at the little boy in her arms.
“Damien, meet William. Your nephew.” Riley handed me the little boy, who squealed with delight.
“You had a kid? And you told no one?” I asked in disbelief.
Riley just shrugged. “I was living my life. Plus, if I told this stupid family I was pregnant, then you know what would have happened.”
I looked down at little William, who seemed fascinated with the palace.
Who could blame him, it seems more breathtaking now.
“Aarya called you then?” I changed the subject.
“Yes, she said Adonis really needed the support of his siblings.” Riley sighed.
“And you agreed?” I was shocked.
“Don’t look so surprised, Damien. I could ask you the same question,” Riley huffed.
“I came because I could sense the truth in her voice, plus Adonis is still our brother,” I replied.
“I came because something in the back of my mind kept bugging me. Maybe it was Aarya, or maybe it was the fact that Adonis needed us,” Riley admitted.
I gave William back to her and said, “Now we’ve said our hellos, let us pay the main man himself a visit.”
Riley nodded and we both made our way to Adonis. It wasn’t hard to find him since his study was the same one that Dad had used. Plus, his scent was incredibly powerful.
He sensed us before we could walk in because those hazel eyes were already locked on mine as soon as I entered the room.
His eyes flickered with disbelief, happiness, and sadness. My gaze locked onto the one who had called me here.
It was clear she was Adonis’s mate; her presence was so strong.
Aarya had this natural dominance about her. My lycan was pleased that Adonis had such a strong mate.
I couldn’t help but admire the one who stole my brother’s heart. She was breathtaking, I couldn’t deny that. Her eyes flickered to her mate and she smiled.
Wow, her smile.
It could light up a whole room.
Adonis looked at me in disbelief.
Well, there is no turning back now.
I was here, and I intended to help my brother in whatever way he needed…
