Heart Of A Lycan King
Chapter 44

ERIN.

I was crumbling on the inside, waiting for anything to come. For someone to react. For just…anything. I waited for the snarls and angry growls from everyone. I waited for the stones. For the whispers of me being a cursed two colored wolf. For the name callings. Those were the only images playing in my head. The gripping fear never left. It squeezed itself around me. Clutched my chest tightly in thick wraps.

This was why I shouldn’t have taken over. This was why I should have let Nat handle it. What if the Malakarians turn everyone against us?

I tried to reach her, tried to replace the connection between us, but there was nothing. It was as though she had left me all alone to face this.

My ears peaked up as I heard a movement, before my eyes caught the gray paws standing before me. Afterwards, I felt the warmth of a tongue against my nose before my head was tipped up.

‘Wow!’ I heard a voice say in my head. ‘I was right. You are a perfection, Erin,’ the voice added.

He nuzzled his nose against mine for another seconds, while I purred like a puddle mess. I was happy at his compliment, but still scared of what everyone has to say. When I looked up, I was seeing him even better than I had through Nat’s eyes. He looked…huge. So intimidating. Slowly though, my eyes caught the red bare area on his back, close to his shoulder blades. No fur grew there and it was slightly bumpy and looked like it had been painful. It dawned on me then, that he has the same burn scar Aiden has.

He then came to stand beside me, and unlike how tall Nat is, I was short, very short and small. This made Leo tower above me, and I found myself reclining back even more.

Then he howled. A deep guttural howl that filled the entire arena and shook the ground. I stared down at my brown paws, watching as the earth shook underneath. I never got to see the earth through my eyes before. The first time I shifted, with everything that happened around me, I couldn’t concentrate on my surroundings.

Today was different, and I found myself moving and stretching out my paws on the ground and loving how it felt. Hard. Warm. Rigid.

The cheers began then, loud chants and cries filled the air. At first, I couldn’t believe any of the words I was hearing. It sounded so unreal, as though it wasn’t happening. Soon though, I figured it was happening, and I couldn’t contain the joy in my heart. I had one of the widest grins a wolf could muster as I looked up at everyone. Everyone was cheering at me, including the Malakarians. Everyone looked at me as thought in awe…That was…weird. But I won’t focus on them today.

“Long live the King! Long live the Queen!”

‘Come on. Howl too and show them the power of their queen,’ Leo said, licking the tip of my nose again.

The cheers died down, as though they heard what Leo had said and were waiting for me to howl.

‘But I’ve never…howled this way,’ I said quietly. ‘I don’t want to risk them hating me just because I can’t howl as you do. I…’

‘You can do it. You are going to howl once everyone shifts. If anyone has something to say, then that person can face me and I’ll show him how a howl is done,’ he growled.

Hmn, he’s very different from Aiden. Aiden never gets this violent around us. But Leo is different and I like him for that.

I hit my paws on the ground as I took it, the sounds of clothes being torn, borns cracking, deep grunts all around. Leo was still standing beside me, but unlike before where there was a little space between us, he had placed his head over me, while I had mine tucked into his long neck, his hard jaw pressed against my head. It was as though he was shielding me from whatever was coming.

I felt safe. Secured. Protected.

‘They are all your subjects, Erin. They answer to you. It doesn’t matter what others have made you believe in the past. This is you, who you truly are. Just look,’ he nudged my head softly and I looked up to replace that everyone had shifted. They all had their heads bowed down, their front paws on the ground.

They were submitting to us.

‘Look at them all bowing to their queen. You may not be linked to them yet, but you are still their queen. And no one would ever dare question that,’ he licked my jaw as his eyes glowed more. ‘If you accept them as your subjects, then howl with me, Erin,’ he added.

I stared at him for a moment, taking in his intense gaze, feeling the gaze of everyone on us. This time around though, I wasn’t being cursed at, neither was I getting stoned at, or beaten. This time around, I was standing as a queen before my subjects.

A soft nudge of the bond told me Nat was still there, although not so close. She’s giving me the reins to do this alone. To face my fear the same way she faced hers. Another nudge, and I looked up to see Leo staring down at me.

I sat on my hunches, the same way he did. It was like we were in sync with each other. We lifted our heads and howled. It felt different, I had never experienced anything like this. The feeling of euphoria rushed through me. Soon, the wolves joined us and we all howled together, the sound was the best thing ever!

I began hearing voices in my head, albeit distant, they were there. So many voices that made no sense. I began to panic. Is that…the shadows again?

‘Those are the voices of your people. Once the mate bond has been sealed, you’ll be fully connected to them all,’ Leo whispered.

My eyes widened. How was that possible?

“Let the run begin!” The High Priestess yelled as the drum was hit once.

‘Follow my lead,’ Leo said as soon as we began running. ‘I’m taking you to my favorite spot,’ he added.

I had heard him say that, but I was experiencing something different. This was my first time running, and it felt…amazing! The wind rushed through my lungs, fluffed my fur and the chestnut. The nervousness I had been feeling all along had been replaced with excitement. As the buildings around me blurred, I took in the trees rushing past me, sucked in the new unadulterated air of the forest, the cool breeze, and the full moon shining down on us. It felt like flying!

Soon, we came to a stop on a cliff, and when I looked below, I could see the Kingdom, wolves running around and lights dimming at other places. There was a small lake on the side, and it got me wondering how it’ll feel to dive into it.

Both Leo and I sat on our hunches. Like before, he placed his head over mine and tucked me into his neck. One of his hinges wrapped around me and it felt like I was being cuddled. I leaned more into the touch, loving the feel.

Now, with no lingering fear of being unaccepted, or unwanted, I allowed myself to feel soft grass beneath my paws. I was looking at the world through my eyes now, not through Nat’s, and I liked it. An insect buzzed close to us and I quickly hit it with one of my paws and swallowed it. My very first hunt, I thought with a giggle.

‘How was your second shift?’ Leo asked, purring in the comforts of our furs.

‘Not as bad as I feared,’ I answered quietly, still mesmerized by the scene before me.

‘Are you still scared? Nervous?’ he continued. I felt his teeth on my neck as he lightly grazed it.

I squirmed, almost knocking him at the impact of the sensation I felt.

‘No. I’m… happy,’ I admitted. I didn’t think it was possible, but I was genuinely happy. ‘I thought it would be impossible to shift and be happy.’

‘You had a hard past. But that’s all there is to it. You are perfect just the way you are, and everyone loves you,’ Leo said.

I grinned a bit. ‘Maybe they accepted me because you growled at them, or maybe warned them,’ I replied.

‘That has nothing to do with me, Erin. It’s all you. Your aura. You and only you,’ he whispered.

I ducked my head shyly as I stared at the ground. Again, I found everything mesmerizing.

‘I think I need a cold bath,’ he grumbled, and before I could react, he ran towards the lake and dived in. I stood on my paws, staring at the water while Leo submerged from time to time before he vanished again.

As my curiosity got the best of me, I dived into the lake as well, eager to know what it feels like. The coldness of the water hit through me, and a yelp escaped my mouth.

I let my body float on the surface, enjoying the feel of the water against my fur. I swung my tail around, loving the sound of the water as it splashed.

I ducked my head under water to see what it looked like. It wasn’t easy not breathing, but the light from the moon played on the surface, making the water look like small crystals were everywhere in the dark reflecting the light back. It was beautiful. So mesmerizing that I almost forgot to go up for air. I yanked my head up and gasped for air. Despite feeling a small pain in my lungs, I wanted to dive back in and see what more was there. I had to know. I had never been allowed anything like this before. The curiosity was killing me.

This was my best night ever!

LEO

I g*****d loudly the moment she joined me into the water. Goddess! I ran away from her just now for a reason and here she is in the water with me as well!

My sack was full, so f*****g full that I knew, if I let my instinct over, this night wouldn’t end without her having my pups in her.

How can anyone ever look at this magnificent wolf and not like her? She’s smaller than the average, so what? Two colors, so what? She’s unique in her own way and beautiful!

At first when she had shifted, my breath had caught in my throat, almost instantly like I was losing myself to her. The silence around had made me angry at first, but when I looked up to see that they were mostly looking at her in awe, my anger faltered. The rumors may have gone round, but they knew better than to say anything negative about her in my presence.

She was gorgeous, and while I could feel her fear sip through to me, it was impossible to take my eyes off her. Aiden had almost, key word; almost taken over when she had shifted. That was how much effect seeing her as a wolf had on us both.

But as I watched her now howl and laugh into the night, submerging into the water, and up again, swimming around like a little puppy, I realized one thing. She looked so happy, and that alone, made me happy. She looked absolutely beautiful. And small as well, which wasn’t something I had thought I’d like, but which was perfect. Perfect for tucking her underneath as I lick my way down her belly and every inch of her.

Her two colored fur shining brightly underneath the moonlight. From her head upto her belly, and the two paws in the front, she was brown, while the rest of her and her hinds were white. I watched the way her eyes lit up every time an insect flew by and she caught it. The way she m***s when she caught a fish and ate it.

She had been deprived of all these by the b.astards from her old pack. And slowly, I plan to make each and everyone of them pay. Starting with the i.diot called Matteo. I can’t wait to break him to pieces in a day. I just need to hold on for a day.

My chest swelled with something raw and hard, and I knew instantly that I’ll do everything within my power for them. ANYTHING.

I was so engrossed in watching her, imagining when I’ll finally mark her when I felt a nudge behind me. It was then that I noticed she was not in front of me like she was moments ago.

Another nudge, and a small nip of teeth behind me.

‘Oh, so you want to play?’ I grinned sheepishly as I began chasing her. We circled the water countless times, and each time it felt like I was going to capture her, she slipped away. At the end, she ran out of the water and onto the dry land.

I ran after her, and this time, I vowed to catch her. Soon, I tackled her to the ground, and found it irresistible not to lick her underbelly. I ducked down, stuck my tongue out and licked her once.

She purred, throwing her paws around while I resumed licking her. I loved the m***s, the glurrutal cries, and the way she threw her paws around to give me more space to lick.

‘You have the wolf tattoo too,’ she said quietly, her eyes fixed on my belly, directly where the wolf tattoo had appeared after Aiden’s dream. It was halfway hidden under my fur, so it was not as visible as Aiden’s.

‘I do,’ I replied absentmindedly, as I continued to lick her.

‘I wonder what that means,’ she said again, her voice distant.

‘We’ll meet the High Priestess soon, and hopefully, she has some answers,’ I replied, still very much focused on her belly, working my way further down it. I didn’t want to stop, this was finally my moment with my mate.

‘Uh-huh, that tickles,’ she laughed when I pressed my tongue close to her tail.

I fell back and laughed, as she joined as well.

‘Sorry, I ruined it,’ she murmured, the laugh still in her voice.

‘It’s okay. I needed that to get back to my senses,’ I replied.

‘The earth is beautiful. It’s so different having to see it this way without Nat’s help. I…love it,’ she said quietly.

‘And I assure you you’ll get to see it more often,’ I replied softly, licking her ear a bit. I’ll never get tired of this.

However, before she could reply, a butterfly flew by and Erin jumped on her paws and ran after it.

I sat up, staring at her without interrupting until she was done chasing the butterfly and sat at the edge of the cliff.

‘Thank you for a wonderful second shift, Leo,’ she murmured quietly, as I walked up to her.

My name had never sounded so f*****g good!

I sat beside her, tucked her head into my neck and rested my head over hers as we stared at the moon.

Today wasn’t really about me or my sack, today was about Erin and her second shift, no, first shift. The goal was to have her forget her first shift and have this replace the sad memories she carries for her first shift.

‘The moon shines brighter because I have you here with me,’ I whispered. ‘Congratulations on your first shift, Kamla,’ I added.

‘Thank you for being there, Sarki,’ she replied, and hearing her call me with a pet name made my toes curl. In your face, Aiden! I got a pet name before you! I laughed quietly.

Kamla Nala would be the end of me!