Unwanted Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Prey Of The Lycan Queen Chapter 17

~Zirah~

As Kelly leads me to the back of her shop, I can't help but glance around. To the untrained eye, itlooks like an array of trinkets and baubles, but to someone like me, it's a treasure trove of magicalartifacts. Magic clings to the air like a sweet perfume. Ethereal and a little dizzying.

We reach the back of the shop, a heavy oak door barring our way. She opens it, revealing a narrowstaircase leading downward into darkness. I raise an eyebrow at her, but she merely smiles, her eyestwinkling with a secret.

The staircase spirals down into the basement, which is far from what I had expected. It's anapothecary, the walls lined with shelves of jars and bottles, herbs, and all sorts of magicalingredients. The air is thick with an earthy aroma, punctuated with the sharp tang of dried herbs.The scent of magic is potent here. Its sharp tang combined with the sweet musk of sprouting grassand the musty old books. It's like being trapped in between two worlds.

Regan, who has been trailing behind me silently, glances around the room with wide eyes. His handmoves toward a jar filled with swirling, silver mist. Just as his fingers brush against the glass, Kellyyanks it out of his reach. "Don't touch that, unless you want to transform into a Salamander," shewarns, her tone severe. "That's Sylph essence. Pure elemental air energy that can wreak havoc onphysical form."

Kelly sets the jar back on the shelf and moves over to a small table where a teapot sits. As sheprepares the tea, she begins to unravel the history of my family, our ties to the Goddess Diana, andour association with Hecate.

"Goddess Diana, your ancestor, sometimes known as the triple goddess due to her connection ofthree realms: earth, sky and sea. She is widely linked with Hecate, the triple Goddess. She is a lunardeity who rules over night, earth and the underworld. Diana was known for links with wild animals,hunting and fertility - all associated with Hecate's realm. Diana embodied moonlight itself and she isthe Moon goddess, the creator of Lycans.”

I take this all in with a sense of awe as Kelly hands me my tea cup with gentle reverence. As I sipfrom the warm drink steam rising from it, I listen intently to Kelly's voice drifting through the roomlike mist

"Hecate, on the other hand, is often characterized as a crossroads deity — one that guides travelersthrough dark roads, both literal and spiritual. It's believed they were inextricably linked from birth;though some would argue they were the same person, and Goddess Diana was just one of Hecate'scrones. Whether that is true, I guess we'll know when we cross over. But what I do know is that theirpower grew together throughout time until it reached its peak in your family bloodline.”

Her words weave a story of power, of women who defied the norms and embraced their innermagic. But with power comes conflict, and with conflict comes consequences.

"Your mother, Litha," Kelly begins, her gaze focused on the tea she's pouring, "Cursed King Theronand, in doing so, breached the Universal Law of Magic, “Do What You Will, But Harm None.’ Shedidn't just curse the King. She cursed an entire species, pushing the Lycans to the brink ofextinction.”

I stiffen, my cup halfway to my lips. I knew my mother had been powerful, but the depth of heractions still surprises me. "And what of my own curse?" I ask, my voice steady.

Kelly placed the teapot down with a defeated sigh. "Your mother's actions had far-reachingconsequences, Zirah. It caused a ripple effect. On your birthday, you will come into full power,however, since you are a hybrid, your Lycan side can only be unlocked if the curse on the Lycan kingis broken, otherwise, it will remain dormant.”

"So I won't become a Lycan?” Kelly shook her head in response.

After all the information Kelly divulged and instructions to mark the three sons of Theron, I can'thelp but have more questions. "And if I don't mark any of them?" I ask cautiously.

Kelly takes a sip of her tea and sighs heavily. "They die. You remain a witch,” she says bluntly. Herwords send a chill down my spine. She sets her cup aside and looks me in the eye. "If you ask me, Iwould just let them rot and be done with the Lycan species,” she says with a laugh. Regan growlsand gives her an angry look, but she doesn't seem fazed by it. "But don't worry, I am not her, yourhighness!" she sneers the last word at him.

I take in her words, it doesn't sound so bad, remaining a witch. Up until yesterday, I believed thatwas all I was, so...

"What if I only mark one?" I press on, feeling desperate for an alternative solution.

Kelly pauses to think for a moment before speaking again. "He'll live, but the other two will die," sheexplains slowly. "You'll regain some extra powers from marking him, but not enough to become aLycan too." She meets my gaze, her expression unreadable as she adds in a quieter voice, "But knowthat when you make this choice, it is irreversible.”

I take in her words carefully, digesting them in silence for a few minutes while Kelly prepares moretea in the background. A heavy burden now rests upon my shoulders; my decision could very welldetermine the fate of an entire species.

"And Theron?"

"Dies unless you mark all three, it has to be all three,” Kelly explains.

"So I have to sacrifice at least one then?" I ask her, and she smiles while Regan gapes at me but saysnothing.

"Only those worthy of you will be marked by you, if they aren't worthy your mark won't take. They'rethe sins. You're their virtue, only you choose if they have earned the right of forgiveness," she tellsme.

The information weighs heavily on me, but I understand the cost of my mother's actions and theburden that now falls on my shoulders. As I sip my tea, I think of what James said about the threekings. It makes me wonder what I'll replace when I visit their kingdoms. This is my destiny - to right thewrongs of the past and, perhaps, carve a new future for the Lycans and witches alike.

Or condemn them

And as always, it begins with a choice - Theron's sons.