Heart Of A Lycan King
Chapter 55

NATASHA.

I shuddered as I wrapped my arms around myself, the chilly night wind seeping through my nightgown. I breathed in and out, trying to contain the rage consuming me, and the fact that for the first time, I had decided to speak up for myself.

I was outside on the porch, staring at the moon. My mind still danced with the memories from my fight with Aiden almost an hour ago. No matter how hard I tried, the scene wasn’t leaving my head.

I felt…different after speaking my mind.. I didn’t know it was possible to feel that way after an argument, because I’d never had one. And while a part of me feels bad for doing this, the better part of me was…happy. Fulfilled.

I sighed as I shuddered again. I meant every word I had said. I’m not mad that he wanted to protect my honor, but I am mad that he didn’t think I was good enough for him to let me know. It’s as though…he was looking down on me, even if I knew that wasn’t what he meant.

Maybe I was too harsh on him? Perhaps I should have…

‘Don’t start, Nat.’ Erin rolled her eyes. ‘You did the right thing. I love that you stood up for both of us.’

‘Easy for you to say when you left me all alone to deal with it!’ I g*****d, shivering. Ugh! I need to get back inside before this cold deals with me.

‘I knew how much this meant to you, so I decided to let you handle it. True, we both know he didn’t try to belittle us by not telling us, but it also doesn’t change the fact that he did, and that had hurt your feelings more than mine. Do you know the best part of this?’ she asked.

I shook my head.

‘It’s the fact that you felt comfortable enough around him to show and tell him how you truly felt.. You’ve never done that, neither have I, and that is because neither of us had found a comfortable atmosphere to do that. While you may have been very angry at him, while you may have been scared that you may end up messing things up by speaking your mind, you still did. Because regardless of what he did now, you knew you could trust him,’ Erin explained.

I don’t know how she always does it. But she seems to always replace the right words to use every time. I don’t know what I’d have done without Erin.

‘It felt good to speak up,’ I laughed a bit at my own boldness earlier. ‘I didn’t know I’d be able to do it. But for some reason, once I set my mind to it, I did it. And I wasn’t scared after I started talking. So yes, you were right. I trusted him enough to speak up and show a side of myself even I didn’t know existed.’

Erin nuzzled through our bond, and I shut my eyes to embrace it. ‘Leo, that scaredy-lycan ran off. I couldn’t feel him during the confrontation. I guess he let Aiden handle it just like I did. Oh! I’m so going to shove his cowardliness to his face when we meet next time!’

I nodded. ‘That could be true. And I like the idea of you dealing with him.’ I laughed.

His scent invaded my senses before I felt his presence. My body stiffened in anticipation, not because I thought he was going to lash out at me or harm me, but because his presence alone after my head cleared, mattered more than anything else.

He stood behind me without saying a single word. Just like I was, I realized Aiden was nervous as well.

“Do you want to talk, Nala?” he murmured, his voice had an edge to it and I didn’t know what that meant, or why.

Without turning to face him, I nodded. “Only if you aren’t here to defend yourself anymore,” I mumbled.

“I’m not,” he replied, coming to stand before me. I turned my face away, not wanting to see the heated gaze in his eyes.

“Okay,” I simply said, still refusing to face him.

He sighed and walked behind me. His body brushed lightly against mine before I heard him speak. “Can I hug you?”

I stiffened, the rhythm of my heartbeat picking up its pace. Why do those four words have so much impact on me? I sucked in a deep breath. I wanted the hug, and there was nothing wrong with that, and certainly nothing wrong in admitting I do. Erin slipped away from the connection, leaving me alone as she did a while ago.

“Please?” he whispered, his hot breath fanning the back of my neck as he leaned closer. I swallowed and put up my ‘I’m tough and not easily influenced by your touch’ face before I nodded.

B***d raced through my veins, not only because of the electrifying jolts his touch sent through me but also from appreciation. He carefully wrapped his arms around me, as I unconsciously placed mine over his, albeit timidly. He pulled me to his chest, then placed his head on my shoulders.

“Thank you,” he said, drawing me even closer. The rough velvet of his voice rasped intimately against my ear. “I’m so sorry, Nala,” he added.

This wasn’t the first time Aiden had said sorry to me, but it mostly had to do with him touching me. Today, however, he was apologizing because he knew he was wrong. He was admitting that he was wrong.

“I’m not sure what you are apologizing for,” I mumbled, sinking into his touch. I won’t go down easily. I need him to understand how much his words and actions hurt me.

“For being an i***t who can’t think straight sometimes,” he breathed, squeezing his arms around me just a bit to create a tension in my stomach. “I am not trying to make an excuse right now, Nala, but I wasn’t thinking when I said all those things I said back there. You are right, I should have told you about it, and I apologize for doing that.”

“I…”

“Let me finish, please,” he whispered, kissing my temple. I shuddered again. Damn it! Natasha, get your shi.t straight!

He dropped his arms and turned me around to face him. Then he took my hands in his and clasped his around mine. He brought my knuckles to his lips and kissed them, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I am sorry for trying to turn the discussion around when you asked. I should have just accepted my mistake and apologized, instead, like the i***t I was, I tried to guilt-trip you and replace excuses.” He continued. “Nala,” the way he dragged my name made the tightness in my stomach loosen, and turn. “I only did what I did because I wanted to protect you. I thought the best way to deal with everything was by not telling you and just doing it. To me, that was the right way to do things. But after Kane spoke to me about it, and along with what you just said, I realized how wrong I had been. I do hope you replace it in your heart to forgive me, and if you want, I can explain everything now along with what I found on Matteo and the pack.” He finished.

I couldn’t speak, instead, I stood there, with my hands in his, the moon shining down on us, and our eyes locked. Aiden had completely rendered me speechless.

“I may have overreacted too,” I mumbled, dropping my gaze so I could avoid his heated one. “But I needed to let it out. I just wanted to let you know how I felt about what you did.”

He lifted my head, dropped one of my hands, and grazed his thumb against my bottom l*p. “Trust me, you did the right thing, Nala.”

“I was just so angry that I lashed out, especially when you began asking if I was hiding anything from you. I guess I let my emotions take over.” I sighed.

He smiled, and clasped his other hand around my waist, while he maintained the one of my bottom l*p.

“How do you feel?” He inquired.

“Hmn?” I asked, surprised.

“How do you feel after letting it all out?” He asked softly.

My eyes widened a bit at his question. I wasn’t expecting him to ask me something like that, however, that does not change the fact that knowing he cared enough to ask me melted my heart.

“I…it felt good,” I admitted. “Not that I liked the idea of lashing out at my mate though,” I added.

“Oh, Nala,” he laughed before he pulled me into a hug. This was different from the back hug he had given me a while ago. This gripped every sanity I thought I held onto. I wrapped my arms around him, taking in his scent as it engulfed me. “Lash at me all you want every time I mess up. I don’t want you to hold back.”

“I have no plans on holding back,” I smiled. “I plan to correct you every time you mess up, even if it means you’ll have to sleep on the couch and not on the bed with me,” I added.

He pulled away from the hug, his dark eyes wide as he stared at me. Yup! I’m definitely proud of my height because I was way past his shoulders. He was only a few inches taller than me, which means that my man here doesn’t have to lean down if he does want to k**s… ugh! Damn stupid thoughts!

“Are…does that mean I’m sleeping on the couch tonight?” He asked, as though afraid to believe what I meant.

“Yup!” I replied, popping the p. I found that I loved doing that, cause in a way, it feels like Aiden and I have something in common. “Couch it is for a whole week.”

“Come on, Nala…” he puckered his bottom l*p. “I just apologized.”

“Apology accepted. But that does not mean I want you to crush me with your weight when we sleep tonight.” I replied, batting my eyes. Wait, what? Where did I learn that?

He laughed, a deep throaty sound that filled the air and sent warm fuzziness in my stomach. “So sleeping on the couch is my punishment?”

I circled my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. My breasts were dangerously close as I pressed them against his chest. His eyes darkened, and my heart did a double flip. “That and many other things. I’m yet to decide on what the rest may be.” I bit my bottom l*p for no reason, or perhaps, I did have a reason. Perhaps it was my way of showing him what he’s going to miss for the next few days. While he was unconscious and sick, talking to Mav and researching about romance, tips for seduction, and other things was one of the things that I had occupied my mind with.

I don’t know why I did, but at that moment, every time I spoke to Aiden, I always told him about the new things I’ve learned from the internet, and how maybe someday, I’ll be able to apply that to him.

Which seems to be exactly what I’m doing now.

Aiden tightened his arms around my waist. The silkiness of the sleeping dress I wore made it hike up, exposing a bit of my thighs since the dress only reached my knees. “Why do I feel like you’re teasing me?” He asked, his voice dangerously low.

I beamed at him, then pulled back completely. I shivered as a wave of cold wind hit me.

“Let’s go back inside…”

“No, I like it here. Let’s stay for a bit longer.” I quickly said.

He nodded then dragged me towards the empty wooden chair. We settled in, and as I tried to sit beside him, he pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me.

I flushed, my cheeks heating up. This was the first time I was sitting on his lap this way. However, I was trying to test my boldness. I pushed my legs on either side of him and straddled him, grateful that the chair had no arms.

“Hmm, that’s one way to sit,” Aiden chuckled, circling his hands on my waist again.

I placed my hands on his shoulders and smiled before I rested my head on his chest. His hand moved from my waist to my back, where he drew small circles from time to time.

I loved it. I loved the comfortable silence that stretched around us. The feel of his fingers trailing over my bare arms and back. I love the feel of his heart thudding against my chest. Everything was just…perfect.

“I had been researching the Malakari pack and the Alpha after I found you,” I heard Aiden say, his voice hoarse and hard. “I didn’t like the state I found you in, and you weren’t ready to say anything about what happened to you there. I told myself I wouldn’t push you to replace out so I decided to investigate privately.” He continued.

I sighed, brought my arm to his chest, and began drawing small circles there as well. I didn’t interrupt him, I simply listened as he spoke.

“I was only able to gather very limited information on you. It seems no one knew about you being the Alpha’s mate, and I liked it that way. However, as the investigation deepened, we found strange things happening. Omegas were disappearing from the pack and no one knew why. Corpses were found between the border of the Malakari and the Fiko forest. Kamal found out that Matteo was responsible for their death.”

Fear gripped my soul. I tried to pull back but Aiden wouldn’t let me. Instead, his hold around me tightened even more. My body shook, as I struggled to get rid of the haunting images from the pack.

“This was one of the reasons I didn’t want to talk to you about him or the pack,” Aiden mumbled, placing light k****s on my temples.

I relaxed instantly. His touches loosened the knots of tension building in my stomach. I sighed, buried my face deeper into Aiden’s chest and sighed again.

“Sorry for that. It was just…”

“It’s okay,” he whispered soothingly. “I perfectly understand.”

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Do you want me to continue?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Alright. Apparently, he now pees during intimacy and thought the best way to hide that fact was to kill the women he was with. Unfortunately for him, we found one of the women still alive and she spilled everything. So, I summoned him to a council meeting, not directly though. He asked to meet Baba, without knowing I had already spoken to Baba about him and his uncle, Manze. We tricked them into believing Baba hated you and used that to lure Matteo in.” He paused, gathered my hair that had fallen back again after he had shifted it when he wanted to k**s my temple a while ago, and kissed my temple again before he continued.

“He didn’t know I was in the council room. So, he began painting you bad in the presence of Baba and the elders. His uncle had vanished and wasn’t present during the meeting. I knew instantly that someone betrayed us within the circle. But I didn’t let that bother me yet because the excuse of an Alpha was insulting you.” He gripped my waist, but I didn’t react. It was obvious he was angry. Furious to be precise.

I listened quietly as he told me what went on, and how it came down to him challenging Matteo to the fight. I listened as he explained how he and Kane got rid of the replaceings they got from investigating the car accident so I wouldn’t endanger myself more. He explained it all, and I didn’t know if to get angrier or just…ignore it.

However, I allowed myself to get angry over it, and I made sure to let him know that. He didn’t try to replace excuses like he did last time, instead, he simply listened, and apologized after I was done.

“I confessed so you’d know how sorry I am for doing that. I promise I won’t do this anymore. You are my mate, my confidant, the other part of me. I’ll treat you like one even if I hate seeing you in danger. I’m sorry, Nala.”

I pinched his cheek and smiled. “You’ve apologized enough, Your Eminence.”

His eyes darken when I said that. I realized it was his natural instinct as a Lycan King to react to the respect given to him.

“I have forgiven you,” I added, mustering enough courage before I leaned in and brushed my lips against his. I just felt the urge to reward this man with something for his patience and understanding towards me. And I made the vow to tell him about my life back at the Malakari pack tonight.

He growled, one of his arms gripping my already exposed thighs, while the other slipped behind my neck. He pulled my face closer to his, our breath mingling as we each inhaled each other’s scent. I shut my eyes, reeling in the sensations his fingers left as he explored my thighs.

“This is the first time you’re kissing me, Nala,” he whispered. The gruffness of his voice, the tingle of his beard against my face, the warmth of his hand behind my neck, the awareness his fingers stirred in me made me want to scream.

“Did you like it?” I asked quietly, afraid it may have been too lousy for his liking.

“Like is an understatement,” he murmured. “I love it,” he added, dragging his fingers lazily on my bare thighs. “How about a proper k**s then, Nala?” He asked, and my pupils dilated.

AIDEN.

F**k!

That was the one word that crossed my mind when I asked her. I didn’t know why, but I felt the urge, the desperate need to ask for a k**s. I loved how much bolder she was getting with each passing day, but I wasn’t sure if she was ready to take things forward. I do know, however, that I’m battling a lot to contain mine and Leo’s primal urges. She lifted her eyes to look at me, staring at me through her thick lashes. Her lips were parted, and for a moment, her eyes flashed before she sucked in a deep breath.

“Please, Nala?”

She paused and just peered at me. I have been fantasizing about another k**s since we shared our first k**s the day we went on a date. I needed more, and I wasn’t sure I’d remain sane if I didn’t get it.

She bobbed her head before she spoke.

“I still don’t know how to k**s,” she murmured, and I placed my forehead against hers. “I’ll need more practice before I…”

“I think that’s a yes then?” I cut her off.

My skin burned as she timidly brought her hands up to my chest and began to move slowly, as though trying to study my body. Albeit the red and white polka-dotted pajama shirt I wore, I could still feel the impact of her touch. My knees weakened, and the thudding in my heart increased. Then she finally laid her hands on my shoulders and nodded.

If I wasn’t eager for this, and if I wasn’t paying extra attention to her, I’d have missed that.

That was all the invite I needed.

I kissed her. Starting right from innocent brushes of my lips against hers and teasing licks before I took her mouth in mine. She really had no idea how to k**s, but that just turned me on even more. I will be the one to teach her, and the thought is exciting.

She kissed me back with untrained strokes of her tongue. Her hands had left my shoulders and she now had one in my hair, and the other fisted the collar of my shirt. It dawned on me then that she wanted this as much as I did.

F**k! Of course, she did! We are mates.

I paused just a bit to give us enough time to inhale some breaths before I captured her lips again. My hands grew urgent as I caressed her. I grabbed her thigh and hooked her leg around my h**s, and stood up, her legs instantly wrapped around me while I circled my hands around her waist and hers around my neck. Without breaking the k**s, I picked her up and carried her into the house.

I lowered her to the first couch and my body covered hers. I nuzzled against her jaw and ear, pressed soft k****s to her cheek, the corner of her mouth, her lips.

“Tell me to stop when it’s getting too much,” I g*****d. I captured her mouth again, stroking, sucking, licking, devouring.

Her hands traveled down the expanse of my back. She m****d as I deepened the k**s, the soft hum of her voice sending my mind into a dangerous frenzy. I trailed my hands downwards, letting my fingers lightly graze her exposed thighs as I broke the k**s and continued to suck on her temple.

“Oh, Aiden…” she called in a shaky breath, causing every little sense I had left to vanish. But I forced myself to stop, or else, things were going to change drastically in a matter of seconds. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold back if we continued. So, I stopped the k****s and simply hugged her.

She hugged me tighter and pressed sloppy k****s to my shoulder and neck. She trailed her fingers on my chest…apparently this was not always a bad sign, and it tickled like hell.

‘Oh dang, Nyala! What a perfect teasing mate you blessed us with,’ Leo grumbled, as he fought to regain his senses as well.

I chuckled a little at his reaction, shut my eyes, and inhaled Nala’s scent once more. So soothing. So delicious. I wondered when Leo had decided to return.

I pushed back a little so I could stare at her. Her gaze was hot and inviting, and for a moment, I wanted to continue. I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts before I caught her hand in mine and flattened her fingers against my chest to stop their tapping and to still my racing heart as well.

“Feel the way my heart beats just for you, Nala,” I whispered, foreheads pressed as we just stared at each other. But I couldn’t last long, because that was doing me more harm than good. “I’m not sure I can do this,” I mumbled, shutting my eyes again. “But I won’t rush this. I want our first day to be as memorable as it can be.”

“Feel mine too,” she whispered, her eyes hooded as she dragged my hand over her breast, then to her chest. She maintained eye contact all through. “My heart beats now happily because of you, Aiden. You are the only man that has been capable of stirring different emotions within me. You made me feel, you make me feel alive,” she professed.

I didn’t know what to do, or how to react. She was baring herself before me. Her emotions, her reactions, every inch of her, and I knew if I do not put a halt to the wild thoughts filling my head, I’ll lose it all.

“Would you like to go on a date tomorrow evening?” I rasped out, clearing my voice in the process.

She beamed, excitement filling her eyes instantly. “Yes! Yes, please.” She smiled. “And how about I tell you a story about the Malakari pack and how I got to the arena while you lay on the couch?” She asked, her grin intact.

I laughed as I picked her up and began walking to our room.

“As much as I’m certain the story about the Malakari pack would hurt me, I want to hear your story, Nala,” I replied, our eyes locked. “And a couch never sounded as bad as it sounded to my ears right now.” I g*****d.

She kissed my fully clothed chest and pinched my cheeks. “You big baby!”

I’m not sure how I was going to survive this night.