The Lycan Princess and the Temptation of Sin
62. This Storm Inside of Me

SKYLA.

First... Reign wants to ask his Luciferess out...

On a date long overdue, don't you think? Let's make that dream a reality, Lil Lucifer, come with me...To the game that we first bonded over...

Be my date to the Game of the Century.

Those words ring in my head. My heart is pounding as I try to comprehend what he has just said,what he’s insinuating.

I'm unable to speak as I stare at him.

What is he going on about?

How? How is this even possible?

I'm trying to understand.

He's claiming he’s Reign, although isn't Aleric Reign?

But... Why does this just make so much sense?

Aleric...

“Reign needs his Lil Lucifer.” He murmurs before he claims my lips in a kiss that makes me go weakat the knees... or is it those words that got me melting?

My mind is spinning and I'm unable to kiss him back, despite the intensity of this toe-curling kiss.A thousand thoughts going through my head...

Royce at the club, saying he was stood up...

The way he often reminded me of Reign...

I know it's not just me wanting to believe he is Reign.

I know Royce, and I know he wouldn't lie to me.

The way he talks acts and everything about him just... clicks...

Suddenly, a wave of guilt, regret, and disgust hits me hard and I pull away from him, stepping back.His anger after he learned I slept with Aleric... His words, on self-respect, return with Vengeance.He was Reign, and he watched me fuck it all up like he meant nothing to me...

I slept with his brother, for fuck’s sake.

Way to fucking go, Sky.

"Hey..." He says, concern flashing in his eyes.

He doesn't move and he tries to reach for me, but I take another step further back. My heart ispounding, and I wish I could turn back time and change what I've done.

"Why didn’t you tell me before?” I ask hoarsely. “Why did you change your mind!"

If he hadn't stood me up, I wouldn't have fucked shit up.

“You were Reign, yet you got cold feet? Why?” My voice is calmer and quiet, but inside of me, thestorm that is brewing is dizzying.

"When I realised who you were, and the fact that I was supposed to be your teacher... plus beingwith me, would have made things complicated in other aspects... I honestly had no idea what Ishould do so I stayed silent. You were the King's daughter who I was supposed to help, but youturned out to be Luciferess so I just...” He trails off and my mind returns to that moment in thebathroom

Call me a hypocrite. But did Luciferess even mean shit to him, if he randomly picked up a girl at aclub?

“You're not me... I fuck stuff up... Tell me, Royce, did Luciferess ever mean anything to you? Becauseafter what went down at the club, I don't think she did.”

He frowns slightly and shakes his head.

"After you said you didn’t want to meet up that night, no matter how much I tried to get you to talk,you ignored me. I realised you must have gotten cold feet and in a lapse of judgement... I saw youat the club and you were the perfect distraction...”

His eyes meet mine, almost as if he's searching for something, but I don't budge, staring at him.We both made mistakes...

“I don't get it... We were both there... you were the one who said to me you needed to cancel,remember?” I remind him, my heart is pounding, and I feel sick.

“No... You said you didn't want..." He trails off, and a frown creases his forehead.

He takes his phone out, his heart thudding as he unlocks it.

I've been played... or we have been played...

And it's kinda obvious by who...

Aleric.

My head is screaming at me that he had a hand in this...

Sure, he said he was Reign, but nothing about him reminded me of Reign, and then especially sinceI felt exhausted after that drink he gave me...

"Did you test my blood?” I ask suddenly.

Royce looks up from his phone, and the slight change in his heartbeat tells me has...

“There were traces of a substance of which purpose it serves, I'm uncertain, but I will get to thebottom of it... Why did you ask me that?” He asks me as he holds his phone out to me.

“Just.” I say, taking it. Our fingers brush and our eyes meet.

Aleric...

Did he mix it into my hot drink?

I look down at the phone skimming over our conversation... The theme of the chat is the same asthe one he had sent a screenshot from once or twice... On Aleric's device, it was a blank whitebackground.

My heart thumps loudly as I look at the messages. There is not one message saying he thinks it's abad idea, but there's my reply...

LuciferessX: I didn't really want to meet you, anyway.’

Reign707: Hey, what's wrong? We can meet somewhere else if you prefer?

Reign707: Talk to me. Did I do something wrong?

I exhale, my heart thumping as I keep reading.

Reign707: I'm going to be there. If you change your mind, I'll be at the bar.

Reign707: I don't want to force you. That's never been my intention. I'm sorry. I'll be waiting.

I can't read anymore, and I look up, I never received these...

"And at the club, you didn't recognise me because I was wearing that black dress that covered mytattoo completely...” I trail off. Oh, how I wish I had at least had a little of my tattoo on show...Our eyes meet and he's frowning deeply, his eyes blazing blue.

Unknowingly, we still ended up drawn to one another... isn't that sign enough that there's morebetween us regardless of how fucked up this is?

This time when he reaches for me, I don't move, his hands rubbing my upper arms, sending tinglesthrough me.

Does he know someone played us? That maybe... his brother somehow did this...?

Why though? What incentive does Aleric have to do that... He seems to like me, but... does he,really?

Flames of anger lick at my insides as I remember his comments,

“The thing is Sky, if you were not Luciferess, I would not have crossed that line... I miss those betsand our jokes... I miss the woman who became my best friend..."

“Before we began chatting... we met on a forum...” Content that was live commentary and wouldnow be gone... “Tell me something I said back then...”

He glances at the tickets that now sat on the sofa and looks back at me.

“When I told you who I thought would win, you said, someone whose hair is that pretty ain'twinning this fight. It stuck because I had long hair too.” He says with a small smirk.

Fuck Aleric!

Every little thing he said was a fucking lie.

That guilt doubles tenfold, and I look up at Royce.

"Someone played us.” I say bitterly.

“I have my assumptions.” He says, his eyes flashing. “Mind showing me your messages?”

His nostrils flare, his jaw ticking, and something tells me he knows who it is without me even tellinghim.

They are brothers... Aleric gaining access to his device would be far easier than a stranger.

“I...” look down at his phone, accidentally closing the chat app, and my heart skips a beat when Isee my own image in the background.

Me, naked, with my arms covering my breasts and showing him my tattoos.

“That's...” He takes the phone from me and runs his fingers through his wet hair. “I only put thatthere this morning. It wasn't there-"

“When you were my teacher?” I tease with a small smirk, but despite that, I still feel a mess. “Youdon't need to justify you replaceing me hot.” I add lightly.

But it's not unbelievable, knowing his truth, I mean,

seeing him as Reign... I realise that they just... blend into one.

Royce is Reign.

Fuck.

“Mind if I see the messages you received?” He persists.

I look up at him sharply, and I know he’s far angrier than he’s letting on...

I no longer think he knows, because I'm fucking certain he does.

I can't deny him what he wants.