I Was Saved By the Lycan King Who Claimed Me

The dining room was too bright. Crystal chandeliers threw harsh light across the long mahogany table, making everything feel exposed. I sat at the far end, as far from Kyler and Reyna as possible, but it wasn't far enough.

Kyler had insisted I attend dinner. "Pack unity," he'd said. "We need to show everyone you're here willingly."

Lies. All of it.

Reyna sat beside him, looking remarkably recovered for someone who'd been dying yesterday. Her color was back, her eyes bright. She wore a cream silk dress that probably cost more than most wolves made in a month, and she kept touching Kyler's arm like she was marking territory.

I wore the same clothes I'd arrived in. Jeans. Boots. A black tank top with a tear in the shoulder. I didn't belong here, and I wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

The Beta and Gamma sat across from me, along with a handful of senior pack members. They all avoided my eyes. Cowards.

"Arielle." Reyna's voice was sugar-sweet. "I never got to properly thank you for your... donation."

I cut into my steak. Didn't look up. "Don't."

"No, really. It must have been so difficult for you to come back here. To the place that rejected you." She paused, letting the words sink in. "Tell me, what's it like living in the Rogue Lands? I've heard it's absolutely filthy. All that dirt and violence. No wonder you look so... rough."

Silence fell across the table. Everyone waited to see what I'd do.

I set down my knife and fork. Looked at her directly. "It's honest. No one pretends to be something they're not. No one poisons the people who trust them."

Reyna's smile faltered. Just for a second.

"And the dirt washes off," I continued. "But insecurity? That sticks. Must be exhausting, constantly worrying you're not enough. That he'll wake up one day and realize what a mistake he made."

Her face went white, then red. "How dare you—"

"I dare because I have nothing left to lose." I leaned back in my chair. "You took everything from me. So yeah, I'll say whatever I want."

Kyler's fist slammed into the table. Glasses jumped. Wine sloshed. "Enough."

I met his eyes. Saw the anger there, but something else too. Something that looked almost like hunger. It made my skin crawl.

"Arielle, apologize," he said.

"No."

His jaw clenched. The Alpha aura pressed down on the room, making the other wolves shift uncomfortably. But it didn't touch me. Not anymore.

Reyna stood abruptly. "I'm not feeling well. I need to lie down."

She left in a rustle of silk and fake tears. Kyler watched her go, then turned back to me. The look in his eyes made Kira growl low in my mind.

"You're dismissed," he said quietly.

I left without another word.

I was in my room, trying to wash the stink of that dinner off my skin, when I heard the door open.

I spun, water dripping from my hands. Kyler stood in the doorway, swaying slightly. The smell of whiskey rolled off him in waves.

"Get out," I said.

He closed the door behind him. Locked it. "We need to talk."

"No, we don't."

He moved closer. I backed up until I hit the wall. He braced one hand beside my head, leaning in. His breath was hot against my face.

"I can't stop thinking about you," he said. His words slurred together. "Even after everything. Even after I—"

"Rejected me? Exiled me? Tried to kill me?" I shoved at his chest, but he didn't move. "Get away from me."

"The bond," he muttered. "It's still there. I can feel it. Can't you feel it?"

I felt nothing but disgust. "You broke that bond. You don't get to claim it now."

His hand moved to my waist. "I can forgive you. For the Rogue Lands. For what you became. You can stay here. Be mine. Not as Luna—Reyna has that—but as... something else."

The word he didn't say hung in the air. Mistress.

Rage exploded through me. Kira surged forward, lending me her strength. I grabbed his wrist, twisted hard, and used his own momentum to throw him across the room.

He hit the door with a crash that probably woke half the floor.

I stood over him, breathing hard. "Touch me again, and I'll rip your throat out. I don't care what you do to me after. It'll be worth it."

He stared up at me, shock and something darker flickering across his face. Then he scrambled to his feet and left without a word.

I locked the door behind him. My hands were shaking.

I didn't sleep that night. Just sat by the window, watching the shadows, wondering if those golden eyes were still out there.

The scream came at dawn.

I was up and moving before I fully processed it. Ran down the hallway in bare feet, following the sound of chaos. Other wolves poured out of their rooms, confused and frightened.

The pack hospital. Again.

I shoved through the crowd. Inside, Reyna was on the floor, convulsing. Blood poured from her mouth, dark and thick. The Pack Doctor knelt beside her, shouting orders at nurses.

Kyler stood frozen in the doorway, his face gray.

"What happened?" someone asked.

"Poison," the doctor said. "In her blood. It's killing her."

Reyna's eyes found mine through the chaos. She raised one shaking hand, pointing directly at me.

"Her," she gasped. "Arielle... poisoned... the blood..."

Every head turned toward me.

Kyler's expression shifted from shock to cold fury. "Seize her."

The Beta and Gamma moved fast. They grabbed my arms before I could react, forcing me to my knees. Silver cuffs snapped around my wrists. They burned.

"I didn't—" I started.

"Shut up," Kyler snarled. He looked at his enforcers. "Take her to the cells. Now."

They dragged me away as Reyna's screams echoed behind us, and I realized with cold certainty that I'd just walked into a trap.