Page 29 of Lycan King's Claim
“Snarl at me all you want, but it won’t change the fact she ran off with him; I am just explaining why she would,” my mother snaps at me, and I fold my arms across my chest.
“Well, continue then. Let’s hear it?” I retort. “As I was saying, this situation with her old boss, he’s the only person that has saved her; she doesn’t love him, but feels safe with him, not that I blame her. I know what it’s like to run, Xandros. Run from one monster, all while praying you land in the arms of one that will hurt you a little less.” she tells me, glancing at my father before turning her attention back to me.
“When she first came here, and we learned who she was? I assumed she was here to ruin us, here to finish what her mother had started. I was wrong; I see that now; she was just accepting a forced circumstance. She never asked for this, Xandros, but imagine learning you have a mate, one that is a king, is frightening enough, but to learn you’re the daughter of a woman responsible for destroying his family.” My mother’s shoulders drop, and she sighs heavily.
“She could have told me that to begin with,” I reply. My mother nods.
“Yes, she could have, but I don’t blame her for not telling you. Imagine escaping one hellish nightmare to end up in another. I got lucky with your father. When I found out he was my mate, I would have jumped at the thought of going with him. And not because I thought I loved him, but because, at that time in my life, he was an option to escape my father. You were an option until she realized you were married, and we realized who she was.” My mother tells me.
Her words catch me off guard, and guilt nags at me. “I am happy to take the blame for this, son. I pushed you; I did not help with your decision-making surrounding her. But she went from one nightmare to be plunged into another, and the only good thing, or person, she had in her life, one that has actually helped her–”
“Was Toby,” I answer. It doesn’t make what she did hurt any less, but it puts it in a better perspective. “Exactly, she didn’t love him; he was another way out, a better option when she had none here.” my mother whispers.
“But she did have options here, Mother; I told her I would go to war over her; I would break the treaty for her,” my mother gasps, while my father smirks. I know that’s because he’d have done the same for my mother.
“She didn’t want me to, she said–” my father growls, cutting me off.
“Because of one life for the sake of thousands, Xandros. That is not Sienna rejecting you; that is her being a Queen. Choosing her people over her own desires. A Queen who belongs on your arm leading alongside you, not locked in a room only allowed out to tend to her mate and his wife when he decides.” my father states, and my mother nods sadly.
“There is a reason Lycan Kings need a Queen, Xandros. They are the voice of reason when we are ruled by emotion, not our heads. They’re the ones that keep us sane when rules, regulations, and policies send us insane. A mate takes our power when it’s too much of a burden to carry or when we aren’t fit to have it.” my father tells me.
“Furthermore, Xandros…. Carina is not your mate, and marking her won’t fix that. A chosen bond will never match a fated one. And after observing Carina these past few weeks, I believe she is doing the same thing, looking to escape her father. You were the only option, just as Toby was Sienna’s.” my mother says, and I sigh, knowing she’s right. Carina and I don’t love each other, but that didn’t mean we didn’t try to. We are just not compatible.
“So, what are you saying?” I ask my parents. “I break the treaty, start a war?” I ask them. “Let her challenge for your hand,” my father states. I shake my head.
“No, I won’t allow it. Carina will kill-”
“Carina is all bark and no bite, son. She came in a few times while training. She always refused to train against her,” my mother tells me.
“No, she can fight. Her father constantly had her training like she was going to war with the guards.” I tell her, and her brows furrow in confusion. “And Sienna, well, she can’t fight…. She was human and weak.” My mother laughs.
“That is only how you see her. Under the weight of familiar abuse, she will crumble. And why is that?” my mother asks. I scoff at her words. This is ridiculous. She has lost her mind if she thinks my mate stands a chance against a vampire that is over 100 years old.
“You tore Sienna apart, Xandros, believing it rendered her powerless.” My mother’s voice is laced with disdain. “When you’ve lived and loved the monster that torments you, the world’s beasts don’t seem as terrifying. So naturally, she shrinks from you—her supposed protector turned oppressor. Don’t mistake her submission to you as an overall weakness. Like glass shattered into shards, she’ll wield her broken state as a weapon. Having survived the agony imposed by those she loved, she’s immune to hurt further. Those shards can no longer hurt her, but you can bet she knows how to use them. And remember, Xandros, even shattered glass can cut and bleed you out.”
“And if she loses?”
“Then, in her eyes, she still wins, for she escaped you.” my mother says sadly, and I can see her regret at how she treated her, making what I did before coming here all the more worse.
15
Removing my clothes, I step into the shower only to hiss and step out as the water stings the cuts and grazes on my skin, and the temperature is scalding. Hay and dirt cover me, as do their handprints; I poke at the marks lacing my skin. The bruises are deep, making me wonder how damaged my bond is that I've stopped healing completely. I lean against the shower wall, hand under the water, waiting for the temperature to drop.
Stepping into the steam-filled shower, a wave of dizziness sweeps over me, and the next second, I am lurching forward, spilling the contents of my stomach onto the floor. I gasp for breath, retching and heaving. It takes me a few seconds to regather myself when I hear the bedroom door open and close.
"Sienna?" Xandros’ voice calls out to me, though he sounds much calmer now. Reaching up, I grab the corded shower head, washing the mess I made down the drain. The bathroom door opens and creaks. I swipe my hand over the fogged-up shower screen. When he enters, his sigh of relief reverberates through our bond with enough intensity to make me arch an eyebrow in surprise.
“I'm sorry I slapped you,” he mumbles, his gaze softening when he notices my surprise. “It scared me to know that you wanted to end your life. That you would have if Carina hadn't interrupted you.”
Despite myself, a bitter laugh escapes my lips. “Well, it's good to know someone cares,” I reply sarcastically. “Even if it's just because they don't want to lose their mind to a mate bond, that is more trouble than it’s worth.”
“Sienna, it's not like that,” he protests, taking a step closer to the shower. “I care about you. I've always cared about you.”
I try to step back, but he reaches out and pulls me closer, his thumb brushing over the mark he left on my cheek. I suck in a breath, trying to ignore my bond, calling out to him. My heart aches as I feel the splinters breaking away, piece by piece. I have lost who I was, who I thought I was. All my life was spent in fight or flight mode, and now I just want peace. I can't keep living on this edge, constantly playing hide and seek, constantly watching what I say, how I say it, and to whom. It's exhausting.
“Please, Xandros, just leave,” I plead, my voice wavering. “I can't do this anymore. I can't be a part of this toxic world where I'm just a pawn in a game of power and politics.”
He looks hurt, his eyes searching mine desperately. “Sienna, I'm begging you to forfeit the challenge against Carina. We can find another way.” Who is he trying to convince, himself or me? And after earlier, that slap in the face was more than literal.
