Unwanted Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Lycan Queen's Prey Chapter 43

~Lyon~

Fury pounds in my veins as I dial Zeke's number and hit call, Zeke's name glowing ominously on myphone screen. I feel a tinge of unease about my father, but I trust in Regan’s word. He has alwaysbeen the most rational one, the one that does all the jobs we don't want to do. He deals with thesurrounding kingdoms, so we don't have to. He handles treaties, taking on most of the hard work,so I don't doubt when he says he'll handle it, but it's always best for everyone to be on the samepage. Zeke answers, and I relayed everything to him that Regan wanted me to pass on. "No, I amnot far out from your kingdom, about an hour away max,” I tell him.

"How's Zirah?" I ask him.

“Sleeping,” He answers, and I know she marked him, and I could feel the change in our bond, hersmorphing and twisting into desire overnight before I felt his presence alongside hers. It remindedme of the blood bond I shared with my brothers, yet not feeling Regan is a little odd. Kind of likelosing your comfort blanket as a kid. He's always been the first one to pick up on us, our anger, andfears while keeping his tightly locked away until it bursts like it did earlier.

I knew she would replace out about Regan not honing his sins, though I am slightly surprised Zeke lether see his. Yet his, he turned into redemption, which I replace is the most startling. He twisted fate,turning a sin into some twisted version of a virtue. Hanging up the phone, the car jolts as it slowsdown quickly.

"What's going on?" I replace myself asking the driver as the sleek black car slows down, my eyescatching sight of warning signs flashing in the morning light. The driver's reply grates on my nerves,adding to my discordant thoughts.

"Road work, my king,” he grumbles, his voice a jarring contrast to the quiet of the car. The car crawlsalong, matching my mounting impatience. When the driver mumbles something under his breath, Iturn towards him, my curiosity piqued.

"Pardon?" I probe, straining to catch his words. He motions outside, his eyes focused on the roadahead.

"We're driving at a snail's pace, sir. But I don't see any roadwork,” he grumbles. I lean forward,scanning the road beyond the windshield. The car inches around a sweeping bend, only for us to beconfronted by a massive truck blocking our path.

"Would it kill “em to put the signs a bit closer?" The driver complains, the irritation in his voicemirroring my own. "We've driven five miles only to replace the road work still here.”

I try to defuse the tension, murmuring, "Probably a safety thing,” but the words taste sour in mymouth. As the car comes to a stop, I whip out my phone, quickly texting Zeke that I'm just outsidehis kingdom, stalled by the roadwork.

The sharp ping of a notification, followed by a strangled grunt from the driver, pulls my attentionback to the front seat. "Are you okay?" I ask, my heart pounding in my chest. But before he canrespond, I look up to see his lifeless eyes staring back at me, a bullet hole in the center of hisforehead as he slumps over the steering wheel yet the car revs loudly. A rush of adrenaline coursesthrough me as I realize his foot is still pressing the accelerator.

The car lurches forward, careening wildly, and I only just steer it around the truck as I grip the wheel.We hit the guard rail, the car screeching as it picks up more speed when the car jerks and I lose mygrip on the steering wheel. Peering out the windshield, I see the car has straightened slightly, yet weare on the bend and heading straight for the ditch. I lunge for the door handle, praying for anescape as the guardrail ahead looms threateningly. But it's locked. The car, now on wheels, smashesthrough the guardrail, plowing into a tree.

Panic seizes me as I hurtled through the windshield, shards of glass slicing through the air, turningmy world into a whirlwind of pain and disorientation. I barely have time to register what's happenedbefore I replace myself sprawled in a ditch, groaning, with a coppery taste of blood on my tongue.

I lie there for what feels like hours until I finally muster the strength to roll over. Looking around, Isee the car is a twisted wreck, and it gradually dawns on me that the driver has been shot -murdered - right in front of my eyes. Fear claws at my heart and my breath comes in short gasps. Ihear an engine start-up nearby and know that whoever shot him must be coming back for me too.My body aches as I attempt to get onto my hands and knees, to replace one arm not working properly,it is bent in the wrong direction and I rip it back into place, the jutting out bone forced backbeneath my skin, a grotesque sight as I watch it close. I can hear the crunching of gravel nearby, andmy heart tightens in fear. Looking up, I see a pair of boots approaching. As they come closer, I liftmy head and replace myself looking into the cold eyes of a vampire. His sneer is full of contempt andanger as he stares down at me.

Before I can make a move, he kicks me hard, sending me sprawling back onto my back. But still,rage surges through my veins as I snarl a curse at him. He merely laughs in response, but there's aglint in his eye that makes me shudder when I see his fangs poke out from behind his upper lip. Inan instant, he lifted his gun and fired two shots straight into my chest before I even had time toblink. I stare down at the darts, pulling them out. Poison ravages through me, and I gasp, chokingon it. I can taste it in the back of my mouth, feeling the burn through my bloodstream.

The world spins as pain radiates out from where the darts punctured my skin, my veins feeling likethey've turned to lava, and darkness slowly descends all around me. As everything fades to black, Ican only think of Zirah...