The Love of a Lycan

With his eyes still fixed on Tordoff's body, Jedrek stepped back. Behind him, Lyrus and a few guards approached. The ghastly sight of Tordoff caught everyone's attention, except the Alpha king's. The raging breath was the only indication that the lycan was still alive, despite all the serious wounds that he suffered.

"What is going on here?" The dreadful scene was Lyrus's main concern. What was the reason behind it? He looked at Tordoff's body in horror. "Tordoff?" An attack by an enemy was the first thing that crossed his mind. But then, he saw the way Jedrek stared at the wounded young general on the ground. Immediately, he knew that something happened, and it was more than what was seen.

"Bring the general to the healer." Lyrus commanded the other guards that came with him. He took that initiative command because Jedrek didn't say a single word.

"Bring him to the dungeon for execution tomorrow," said Jedrek. His sudden cold command caught everyone off-guard.

"Execution!?" Lyrus raised his voice in shock. He immediately adjusted his tone, now that Jedrek glowered at him. "But, Jedrek…" He was talking as a friend, not as his Beta. "What crime did he commit to deserve an execution?"

"Treason, a severe one." Jedrek said curtly. He turned around, adding, "No food. No drink. No healer. Let him suffer until his execution!" and then, he walked away.

When Lyrus heard the Alpha king's order, he was left dumbfounded. In the short amount of time available, he was trying to grasp the situation. Just like any other time, he must accept that it was impossible to decipher the mystery behind the Alpha king's unpredictable decision. Thus, he failed to understand. 

"What have you done, pup?" said Lyrus. Sympathy was the only thing he could give to Tordoff. He couldn't help him, for his sentence was already given by the Alpha king himself. He crouched down to help Tordoff sit down before the other guards helped in, and carried him away to the dungeon. The place where he would spend the last night of his life.

With that kind of temper, and the current anger he was in, Jedrek was dauntless. There would be nothing, and no one could make him change his mind. He was way unreachable, nobody in their right mind would try to ask him to reconsider his decision in that situation. Lyrus knew better than anyone else, that if he tried to interfere, it would be the death of him.

Meanwhile, Jedrek was walking back to where Tordoff previously dropped Lilac. He smelled her scent right away. But at the same time, he hated it once he smelled another scent mixed all over her. The moment when Jedrek was closed enough to see her, his face turned resentful. It was caused by some guards who hovered above her. They were just trying to carry her, helping her to get to see the healer.

However, it was not like that at all in Jedrek's eyes. The eyes of one who was in wrath, misinterpreted the sight of them. All that he understood was that these men were trying to touch his mate again, right after Tordoff's vain attempt to smuggle out the guardian angel off the castle.

Jedrek let out a dangerous growl when he stormed towards them. The sound of his growl was threatening, the innocent guards could feel it under their feet. They jumped in shock the moment they saw the person approaching them. But, one of them was not lucky enough, not fast enough to avoid the Alpha king. It was too late, the Alpha king rewarded that unlucky one with a claw on his face.

Even though the wounds would close eventually, healed by itself, but the pain was still there. It sent that guard to his knees, he wailed in pain. The other guards who watched what just happened, froze on their spot. They couldn't move, too afraid to even take a step closer to the angry king. They kept their distance, and could only watch when Jedrek scooped Lilac's body up, taking her back to the castle.

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Don't worry Lilac, I'll bring you out from here.

You're going to be safe.

Those were the last things that she heard from Tordoff before she closed her eyes. The warmth of his embrace when she snuggled closer to him was comforting. After that, everything happened so fast. She remembered hearing an angry growl before being thrown to the ground right the next second. Everything faded, she couldn't remember anything after that.

Lilac moved wobbly, trying to open her eyes to see her surroundings. Her neck felt stiff, and her forehead was throbbing in pain. Where is Tordoff?

She took her time to process her being, observing where she was. To her surprise, it seemed like she was inside a splendid chamber, lavished with gold and silk.

Lilac tried to sit down, but it was so hard. It took her a great effort to even move a muscle, that in the end, she gave up. Her body wasn't ready, and needed some more time. She rested her head, and landed on the soft pillow.

She saw the golden sunlight coming through the sheer curtain. It could be morning, or maybe, was it afternoon? Lilac couldn't really tell, she lost track of time. She didn't even know how long it had been since she was in full consciousness. Where am I? How long have I been here?—she thought.

Like a response to all the wonders inside her head, a hoarse voice suddenly sounded from her left side. A figure, hiding in the dark side of the chamber, far from her sight. "So, you're awake now?" said Jedrek. His voice sent shivers down to her spine the moment it reached her.

She didn't have the energy to deal with the Alpha king now. Not with her current condition. Especially when her left arm was wrapped tightly in white bandages. Right, there was nothing she could do. She couldn't run from it. So, facing it was her only option. "What do you want?" said Lilac, confronting him. Her voice was raspy, and her throat was burning in pain due to being unconscious for a long time.

Surprised by how raspy her voice came out, and how horrible her throat felt like, she thought—Yeah right, I must've been unconscious for a few days at least.

"I already get what I want." with Jedrek's expression being hidden behind the darkness, made it hard for Lilac to decipher the meaning behind what he said. She couldn't guess what he meant by that. But then, her next question completely got under his skin.

"Where is Tordoff?" said Lilac. She remembered clearly the last moment before she passed out. That moment when Tordoff was about to bring her to a safe place, away from Jedrek. And also, the vision of when Jedrek came during their escape. There must have been something that happened after. Something must've happened to Tordoff.

"Really? The moment you open your eyes, it's him the first person you ask?" asked Jedrek bitterly. He stood up, and walked towards the light. Let his feature get exposed under the faint sunlight from the window.

Lilac rolled her body to the other side of this extravagant bed, trying to get as far as she could from Jedrek, who was approaching from the other side of the chamber. "You let another man hug you, and touch you, but you moved away from your mate." said Jedrek. There was a sarcastic smile beamed on his face. The unsightly look on his face terrified her for a second.

"You don't even want a mate!" Lilac fought back her fear, and anger when she said that. "Where is Tordoff?"

And then, something surprising happened. Jedrek did what he had never done before, what Lilac thought he was not capable of doing. He laughed. She was petrified by that laughter, for it was not a joyous laugh. She could see that there was no humor behind his still cold eyes when he laughed.

"He was dead. I made sure his head rolled on the floor with the sin that he committed." The sound of his own voice sounded hollow in his ears.