The Lycan King's Claim

*POV=KAIA*

My father’s facial muscles harden into a mask of pure, unfeeling stone, brushing off the sheer horror in my question.

"Nyla and you are identical twins. To the outside world, whoever takes the fall for this crime won't matter, as long as a blonde werewolf is handed over. Kaia, sometimes, sacrifices must be made."

The sterile hospital room air grows suffocatingly thick. My lungs burn with every shallow breath. They are choosing to hand me over to the Lycans. This is a brutal race notorious for preferring to ruthlessly torture their enemies before killing them. My parents are sending me to a torturous death just to secure peace for my sister's reckless, drunk-driving trespass. They are trading my life for her mistake.

I curl my hands into tight fists, stepping toward the foot of the bed.

"I am the future alpha of this pack! I have trained my whole life for this! What will happen to Evermore while I am gone? Who will take care of our people?" I yell in pure defiance, letting my alpha aura push through the cramped room.

My father does not even flinch. He coldly reveals their true, sickening plan, driving the final nail into my coffin.

"With you gone, Nyla will take your place. Since you have already rejected Caleb, the two of them will marry. They will raise their child together as the new rulers of Evermore."

A pain infinitely worse than a physical stabbing washes over my chest. Betrayal rips through my veins, poisoning my blood faster than the moon sickness ever could. They have been planning this. They want me gone.

"The pack will never accept Nyla as alpha! I worked my fingers to the bone for this position! The elders will never sit still and watch you hand over the title to that incompetent buffoon!" I scream, my throat tearing from the sheer force of my agony.

My mother steps forward. Her hand swings through the air, slapping me hard across the cheek. The sharp crack echoes off the white tile walls, stinging my skin.

"That is enough! If the pack elders won’t agree to Nyla being alpha, then they will just have to believe she is Kaia instead!" she cries hysterically, tears streaming down her own face.

My breath hitches. My entire world crumbles into dust right beneath my feet. Nyla isn't just stealing my mate, my parents, and my future. She is going to steal my identity. They are going to erase my existence and let her wear my life like a stolen coat. She will wear my name, rule my pack, and sleep with my former fiancé, while I rot in a Lycan dungeon.

Before I can process this psychological murder, a heavy, ominous knock rattles the door hinges. The handle turns. Two massive, heavily muscled Lycan enforcers step inside the room. Their sheer size blocks out the hallway light, and their intimidating presence sucks the remaining oxygen from the air.

"The Lycan King demands the one responsible for the broken treaty," the lead enforcer rumbles, his voice like grinding stones.

Without a single ounce of hesitation, both of my parents point their fingers directly at me. They avert their eyes, refusing to witness the monster they have become.

"No! Look at me! How could you do this to your own flesh and blood?" I scream, kicking and thrashing as the enforcers grab my arms with bruising force.

Heavy iron cuffs lock around my wrists, biting deep into my skin. My parents stare blankly at the floor. I plead with them until my voice goes hoarse, but they do not speak another word as the massive men drag me out of the room.

The damp night air hits my face. One of the enforcers shoves me into the back of a large, dark transport car. I hit the leather seat like a rabid animal, my bound hands awkwardly catching my fall. The heavy door slams shut, locking me inside. The engine roars to life. Tires screech against the pavement as we speed away from the hospital grounds.

I press my forehead against the cold glass of the window, watching Evermore fade into the distant darkness. This is the only home I have ever known. A hollow defeat settles deep within my bones, freezing the marrow. Running would only doom my entire pack to a bloody war. The Lycans would hunt me down, and the streets of Evermore would run red with innocent blood. Nyla's crime demands a price, and I am the currency. I lean back against the seat, letting the shadows consume me. I accept my execution.

The long drive passes in total silence. The landscape shifts from the familiar pine forests of Evermore to the jagged, imposing mountains of the Lycan territory. At sunset, the heavy vehicle finally slows down. We arrive at a massive, opulent, and terrifying Lycan fortress. Towering stone walls cast long, menacing shadows over the courtyard.

The enforcers drag me out of the car by my chains, pulling me through endless, dark stone corridors. The air grows colder with every step, smelling of damp earth, burning torches, and old blood.

Heavy wooden double doors swing open. The enforcers shove me forward into a grand, cavernous throne room. My knees hit the hard stone floor in the center of the chamber, sending a sharp jolt of pain up my legs.

I am forced to kneel before the Lycan King himself.

His presence is suffocatingly intimidating. He sits upon an elevated stone throne, his dark silhouette radiating lethal power. The shadows in the room seem to bend and warp around his massive frame. His gaze pierces through the dim lighting, pinning me to the floor like helpless prey.

"What do you have to say to the Lycan council with regards to your crimes?" his incredibly deep, powerful voice echoes off the grand walls. The sheer command in his tone makes my bones vibrate.

Feeling hollowed out to my core, I keep my chin lowered. Nyla has already won. She has Caleb, my parents' favor, and my pack. Moreover, my terminal moon sickness means I am as good as dead anyway. I only have a few weeks left to live. Fighting is pointless. Defending myself is a waste of breath.

I look down at the cracked stone floor and reply in a deadened, emotionless tone.

"Nothing. If you wish to take my life as punishment, then so be it."

My apathy incenses the king. A heavy, suffocating pressure fills the room as his alpha aura spikes with rage.

"You dare show no remorse?" he bellows in furious outrage, the sound rattling the weapons mounted on the stone walls. He waves his hand dismissively toward the shadows. "Bring me her head!"

A massive enforcer steps up behind me. His muscled hand laces painfully through my blonde hair, jerking my head back and exposing my vulnerable neck. The cold, sharp edge of his massive broadsword drags across my throat, pressing just enough to threaten the delicate skin.

A silent, peaceful stillness fills my chest. There is no fear left inside me. No more betrayals, no more pain, no more sickness. I close my eyes. I am ready for the end.

The scent hits me before the blade can move.

The incredibly familiar, intoxicating scent of fresh pine and clove slams into my nostrils. It slices right through the damp, metallic smell of the throne room. My inner wolf, dormant and weak from sickness, suddenly springs to life. She lets out a deafening, euphoric howl inside my mind, clawing desperately at my chest.

My eyes snap open, locking directly with the Lycan King's.

The king's bloodlust-red eyes suddenly shift. The crimson bleeds away, replaced by a breathtaking, familiar ocean blue.

I know those eyes. I mapped every inch of them in the dim light of a hotel room.

His hardened, furious face twists from confusion to sheer, unadulterated horror. He stares at me, the realization crashing down upon him like a tidal wave.

"Mate!" he growls.

The single word vibrates through the stone floor, shaking the very foundation of the room.

In a blur of supernatural speed, he vanishes from the throne. The air rushes past my face. His massive arms enclose around my waist, ripping me away from the executioner. The enforcer stumbles back in shock. The heavy sword clatters loudly onto the stone floor, the metal ringing sharply in the tense silence.

My heart skips a frantic beat. I look up into his perfectly sculpted face, my mind spinning out of control.

What is my sexy, nameless stranger from the hotel bar doing here? How is he the Lycan King?

"Mine!" he growls fiercely.

He buries his face deep into the crook of my neck, inhaling huge, desperate breaths of my scent. His massive chest heaves against mine. The heat radiating off his body sears through my thin clothes.

I freeze in utter disbelief, my lips parted in silent shock. My hands remain bound by the heavy iron cuffs, trapped between our bodies. I cannot speak. I cannot move. The reality of the situation is too massive for my brain to process.

Suddenly, the king pulls back. His massive hands grip my shoulders. His piercing blue gaze flickers frantically between my face and my flat stomach. He leans in again, inhaling deeply right over my midsection.

"Is that my pup I smell in your belly?" he asks, his deep voice trembling with raw, unfiltered emotion.

His pup in my belly….

I’m pregnant???