Defying the Lycan King

The young woman was small and striking, with short hair that was dyed white. She was dressed in dark clothing and wore a very bright smile.

“Zaia,” Sebastian called, and his voice was not quite steady.

“I thought it was you.” She was already pulling out a chair.

“What are you doing all the way out here?”

“I was in the area.” Zaia sat. “And I saw you sitting here looking all serious. I had to say hello.” She eyes went round the table, bright and interested. “Who are your friends?”

“Odelia and Sidonie.” Sebastian gestured. “This is Zaia. Distant cousin.”

“Just friends?” Zaia’s eyes danced with amusement. She turned to Jessica and studied her with open curiosity. “Well, isn’t this lovely. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with friends before, Seb. At least, not these ones.”

“I have friends, Zaia. You just don’t know them.”

“Clearly.” Zaia’s gaze lingered on Jessica. “How long have you two been friends?”

Jessica opened her mouth to answer, but Sebastian cut in before she could speak. “Since childhood. We go way back.”

Zaia’s eyebrows rose. “Childhood? How fascinating.” She tilted her head, still watching Jessica. “Because I’m quite close to Sebastian, and I don’t remember him ever mentioning a childhood friend named Sidonie.”

Jessica felt a chill run down her spine. There was something about this woman, something in the way she smiled, that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

It was not that Zaia was rude. It was that she was too pleased, too knowing, like a cat that already had the corner of a mouse trapped beneath its paw.

“We met after that,” Jessica said carefully. “I moved to Orange Grove a few years ago. Sebastian helped me settle.”

“Did he?” Zaia’s smile widened. “That’s so like him. Always helping people.” She turned back to Sebastian, her expression bright and dangerous. “Aren’t you going to introduce me properly, Seb? Or should I do it myself?”

“Zaia is my distant cousin,” Sebastian said flatly. “She lives a few hours away. We see each other occasionally. At family things.”

“Not that distant.” Zaia waved a hand, dismissing his tone. “But fine. We’ll go with distant cousin for now. It sounds less scandalous.” She turned back to Jessica, and her expression sharpened. “Sidonie, is it? What brings you to Aethelwulf?”

“Work,” Jessica said shortly. “I got a job in the city.”

“How lovely.” Zaia’s eyes never left her face. “And how are you finding it? The city, I mean. Not the job.”

“Zaia.” Sebastian’s voice had an edge in it now. “Be nice to my friends.”

“I am being nice.”

“It’s fine,” Jessica replied. “The city, I mean.”

“Just fine? That’s a shame. Aethelwulf is such an interesting place. Full of secrets.” She paused, and her smile turned almost predatory. “But I’m sure you know all about that, Sidonie.”

Sebastian rose from his chair so suddenly that the table rattled. “Zaia, can I speak with you for a moment? Outside.”

Zaia looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “What ever for?”

“Because you’re always silly, and I want to have a word with you before you make the this dinner uncomfortable.”

He did not wait for her answer. His hand closed around her elbow, and he pulled her gently but firmly away from the table. Zaia went without resistance, but she shot one last look over her shoulder at Jessica, and her smile was not kind.

Odelia watched them go, her nose wrinkled in confusion. “Well, that was weird.”

Jessica stared after them, her heart beating too fast. “Did that seem weird to you too? I thought I was the only one.”

Odelia picked up her fork and pointed it in the direction Sebastian and Zaia had gone. “Honey, that girl looked like she wanted to set you on fire and toast marshmallows over the flames.” She took a bite of her food. “Talk about a scorned ex.”

Jessica blinked. “What makes you think she’s an ex?”

“Please.” Odelia gestured vaguely with her fork. “The way she looked at you? The way she kept saying she’d never heard of you? That is a woman who has history with our dear Sebastian, and she doesn’t like that you’re in the picture.”

Jessica considered this. It made a certain kind of sense. Zaia’s friendliness had been too sharp, her questions too pointed. But there had been something else there too, something that felt less like jealousy and more like warning.

“I don’t know,” Jessica said slowly. “I didn’t get a good vibe from her at all.”

“Obviously not. She smiled like you were a puzzle she wanted to break apart.” Odelia shook her head. “That girl is trouble. Lucky for you, you have me to protect you.”

***

“Whoever is controlling those rogues sent this,” Dennis said, his voice low and tight as he handed over a plain envelope.

Kai glanced down at it, then across the room to where Tan sat motionless in his wheelchair. His brother’s face betrayed nothing, as usual. Stone had more expression. Tan simply watched, waiting.

He tore the envelope open and some photographs fell onto the desk.

He looked at them for a long moment without saying anything at all. He knew every one of those faces, knew where they patrolled, knew which of them had children waiting at home.

Whoever had taken these pictures had not been in any hurry. They had arranged them. They had wanted the angles right. They were passing a message.

Without a word, he passed the photographs to Tan. His brother took them, flipping through them one at a time, his expression still unreadable. Only the tightening of his jaw revealed anything at all.

Kai reached into the envelope again and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. He unfolded it slowly.

I hope I have your attention now.

Phantom snarled inside him. The beast’s fury surged, hot and wild, pressing against Kai’s skin, clawing at his control. His hands tightened around the paper, and for a long moment, he had to remind himself to breathe.

Tan set the photographs face down on his knee. “I think I know who this bastard is.”

Kai’s head came up. He said nothing, but the question was written all over him.

“He goes by King.” Tan’s voice was flat. “He came at this pack when I first took over as Alpha. He tapped the photographs. “This is his MO.”

Kai’s brow furrowed. “So what does he want?”

Tan lifted one shoulder. “Power, I imagine. That’s usually what it comes down to.”

He shook his head slowly. “But understand something, Kai. This is not an ordinary rogue faction. Rogues are desperate men who’ve lost their packs and turned to stealing and other mischief. These people are organised. There’s a structure to them.”

Kai turned that over. “So, what do we do?You never dealt with him when you took the pack from Dad?”

“No.” Tan’s jaw tightened, and for a second something showed underneath the stone. “They stopped.”

“Stopped?”

“One day they were coming at our borders every other week. Then nothing. No last attack, no message, no reason given.” He paused. “They simply went quiet, and I spent the next few years waiting for them to come back, and they never did.”

“There’s something else you should know,” Tan said. “Whoever runs this faction is technically skilled. When they came at us, they were inside our communications before we knew there was anything to protect. They knew our patrol rotations. They knew which borders were thin and on which nights.”

He looked directly at his brother. “They are as skilled as you are, Kai. If not better.”

Kai’s fingers stopped tapping and his whole body stilled.

Tan continued. “You’re the Alpha now, Kai. It’s time to stop playing around and start using what you have.” He nodded. “Get serious. Focus. Your pack needs you.”

Kai said nothing. For a long moment, all he did was tap his fingers slowly against the edge of the desk, his mind moving in a dozen directions at once.