Traded To The Lycan King



*Kyra*

My heart stutters in my chest as Hayes dives out of sight behind the tail that swings toward me. I try to twist, protecting myself from the hit as the heated scales crash into my side. A grunt of pain huff out of my mouth, my lungs expelling every ounce of air in them as my bones creak against the hit.

The pain blossoms up my ribcage as I brace for the hit on the ground, but it never comes. Arms wrap around me, a heavy groan in my ear as I wheeze and look up. Teiran frowns down at me before he releases me, taking a step back as if my lycan form disgusts him. Then he spins on his heels and walks toward his father's massive snout and lifts his hands.

"Enough," He calls out, but even I can see how his father disagrees with his statement. "Father, this war is over, the hoard has been conferred and I have been elevated to the new king. Surely you felt the shift already?"

The dragon rears up on his hind legs, massive wings opening wide as he roars, a blue flame barreling down on Teiran as he stands there expectantly. I try to limp away, getting further away from the heat as I trip over the wrecked trees and my lycan retreats.

All I think about is getting to Hayes and Tiago and how, at that moment, the one where Hayes had to choose between me and Tiago, he chose me through Tiago. He trusted my abilities and saved the one who needed saving. How hard of a choice had that been for him? For someone who felt for so long that he wasn't enough, that he had failed so save another?

"Hayes?" I cough out, my lungs burning and side aching as I search for him.

He doesn't respond, his presence in my mind quiet and it sends a shiver through my body. There is no way he and Tiago didn't make it. Hayes is injured, but he had to have saved him...there is no way he didn't.

Unless...unless he sheltered Tiago, but it wasn't rough to save them both. A sob breaks through my determination. My lips dry and cracked as the wind whips around me, hot and filled with ash and embers.

"HAYES!" I scream out, frantically searching around me.

Merikh looks in my direction, his eyes wide with worry, but he is drawn away by a roar and strange cracking of bones. My eyes remain focused on where I knew Hayes and Tiago had been moments before.

Would I feel the moment I lost Hayes like I felt it with Tyler? We aren't fully mated, but it feels like my chest is unable to function every second I don't see him, making it impossible to not assume the worst.

"Kyra..." his voice mutters, my name weak and to my right as I stumble to stand and rush toward it, holding my arm to my side. I fall to my knees as I see his head pop up from rubble, a little child tucked tight to his chest as he sits before. A small sob breaks from my lips, the relief flooding me so quickly it feels as if I might vomit..

"Oh," I blubber out, fighting the bitter bile in my throat as I suck in a hiss of air. Ignoring the pain in my side, I crawl to them. "You scared the shit out of me."

Hayes grins, ash and splinters peppering his hair as Tiago turns to look at me, a smile on his chubby cheeks. How he grows will never not startle me, and truthfully, it makes my heart ache to miss so much time with him. But at least he is safe now and there is still more time to be had. All because of Hayes.

"Look who I found," Hayes says, peeking down at Tiago who doesn't even reach for me. Instead, he surprises me by placing his head back down on Haye's bare chest, tracing the burns as if he is painting on a canvas. "Hey buddy, it's mama. You want to go see mama?"

“No,” he mumbles, his eyes looking heavy before they grow wide and he stares behind me, fear taking over his face as Hayes looks up. "What the fuck..." Hayes mutters.

I snap my head around, looking up in the sky as wetness drips on my face. For a moment I think it is Colette, protecting us from the flames, but upon further inspection I realize it's not water.

Teiran and his father tear at each other above us. The sick sound of pained groans and tearing flesh as blood rains down from the deep gashes they land on each other. Teiran's dragon roars out, forcing me to cover my ears as they ring painfully.

Then he latches onto his father's wing from behind, tearing it off completely as it tumbles down toward us. I launch myself over Hayes and Tiago, protecting them with my body as the massive body part propels toward us, only for a quiet thud to land off in the distance.

The once formidable and feared dragon king follows his arm to the ground, landing in his human form with a grunt of pain, dirt billowing around him as Merikh and Colette move over to us. Teiran's wings flap, blowing splinters of wood and leaves around toward us before he touches down gently.

He shifts, mid walk before he looms over his prey, his eyes glowing gold, his face set in murderous rage. Then he reaches down, lifting his father by the throat as he moans in pain.

"You should have known it was time for you to step down long before you took that lying bitch as a mate." Teiran seethes the words in his father's face.

"Do you think you can actually kill me?” His father spits at him.

"It seems like I have the upper hand, considering I am giving you the room to breathe such silly words." Teiran looks unphased other than a twitch in his lip.

But instead of finishing his father off

like it seemed he might, he releases him and he drops to his knees. A sick cackle rattles in his chestnoveldrama

et

before he throws his head back, and he falls over in a fit of laughter

holding his stub of an arm as it

asit

gushes blood down his chest,

puddling around him in the dirt.

Teiran hovers over him, a sneer on his lips before he drags his hands over his face. I force myself to stand and slowly make my way to Teiran, reaching out for his arm as I pull him away from his father.

He follows me with zero hesitation as I turn him to look at me. There is pain in his eyes, not of the physical nature but his heart. It is breaking. And how can it not? He looked up this shell of a king once, before his mind was warped and played with using magic and trickery.

"Let me do this," I whisper, and he shakes his head.

"This isn't for you to manage." He rolls his shoulders back, forcing himself to block the emotions away.

"I am your friend. We spent long enough stuck together to know that doing this will hurt you. There will be no undoing what you do here. Let us finish this. Let us take the blame." I whisper, reaching up and turning his head to make sure he sees my sincerity.

Teiran protected me in his own way. This is how I return the favor and make a clean cut form him. It has to be.

"I get it now." The poor excuse of a dragon king coughs. "It was you all along, wasn't it?"

Teiran looks down, grabbing my wrist before he lifts it and opens my palm. He presses a kiss there for me, startling me as I freeze, wide eyed and confused.

"Yes." He says, his eyes trained on me as I try to make sense of his words. "I cracked the egg."

"You what?” I rasp, my heart racing as I look over at Hayes, who still sits, unable to move due to his leg, his eyes blazing in anger, but he says nothing. Instead, Hayes holds back, trusting me yet again.

"It is time for a sane ruler, one who will do anything to not only protect our kind, but protect the balance between the species. I woke up Tiago, I cracked his egg, and I left him behind with Kyra."

"You planned it all out?" I whisper, taking a step back. "But you knew I was already mates with Hayes."

Laughter rings out as his father shakes his head.

“Like father, like son, see what you want and you make it yours in any way you can," he says.

"The end goal has always been the same, regardless of how we got to where we are now. We all wanted the war to end, to solve the issue. It was the most efficient way to ensure peace-"

"No need for any of that now." I grit out, facing his cackling father and throwing myself at him, my claws drawn out as I drive them into his chest. Silence surrounds me, not a word or breath uttered as I draw my hand out and turn to face Teiran, who watches me with shock and curiosity. "And what of Tiago?" He arches a brow.

"I will no longer be manipulated by

others' plans. Thissed at him, moving over to Tiago and Hayes. Tiago still clinging to Hayes as I support his injured side. "Tiago will be raised here with me and my

et

mate. I dare you to try to tell me otherwise, Teiran. There is not a damn thing you can say to twist me to your will anymore."