Unwanted Mate Of The Lycan Kings (by jessica hall)

Chapter 2

~Regan~

The witches continue their chant, their voices gaining momentum and power. The storm above us is

growing more violent with each passing moment.

As my brothers join me, their teeth sinking into Zirah's flesh, we share the same grim realization that

our attempts to save her are only fastening her demise. The pain in her eyes is unbearable, as she

gasps, and I can feel my heart shattering into pieces as I watch her suffer.

The witches' chants continue, their voices blending together to create a symphony of power and

defiance that reverberates through the air. The storm above us is fierce. Lightning cracks through the

sky like a whip, illuminating the scene below in stark, terrifying detail. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

My brothers and I fight with everything we have to free Zirah from her chains but our attempts don’t

work and our strength is waning. Our bodies are succumbing to the poison coursing through our veins

and the pain of burning is becoming all-consuming. We're running out of time, and my desperation

grows more frantic with each passing second.

The witches' chants reach a crescendo, their voices ringing with the finality of a death I'm willing to

endure at her side. I can feel the power in the air, the storm above us raging with a ferocity that mirrors

my anguish when Zirah looks at me, tears in her eyes. As her eyes meet mine one last time, a look of

determination and defiance shining through the pain, I realize who I am looking at... I am staring into

the eyes of Litha.

She screams. It's like a shock wave when she blasts us back with insurmountable power.

“No!” I choke as the air leaves my lungs and I find myself staring up at the stormy sky. Sitting up, I gasp

as I watch flames engulf her when a woman steps out of the crowd. Her hands glow like beacons in the

night as she walks toward Zirah, burning in flames. Her graying hair flew freely in the wind like a veil

behind her, her eyes burning with a ferocity that matches the flames.

"And from the flames, an Oracle is born. The last female Lycan. Your true queen." she screams.

As the final words of the chant echo through the night, I feel a sudden surge of energy. The air crackles

with magic and power. The storm above us reaches its peak, the winds howling and the rain pelting

down like it has opened up the floodgates to hell. And in that moment, as Zirah's body is consumed by

the flames, I know exactly who I am looking at.

It's with startling clarity that tortures my soul do I realize I am looking at the true Queen of the High

Kingdom. I'm looking at Litha's daughter—our mate.

Blue flames encase her, so hot the ground heats, and steam rises off the ground as the flames seem to

reach through to the clouds and all hell breaks loose.

Charisse, her grandmother, a woman I haven’t seen since the day I helped her escape utters a chant

and speaks in a voice that resonates with ancient power.

“A queen of virtues that ring true, but make no mistake, she no longer bows to you.” The witch's chants

grow louder when she finishes it, and I watch in horror at what I’m witnessing.

"In the face of sacrifice, the truth of destiny shall reveal itself," Charisse screams to the sky as she

raises her arms, and a smile graces her lips just before a bolt of lightning strikes her down. Darkness

consumes everyone—the only light emanates from the burning blue flames that flicker in the distance

and then are consumed by the rain.

The storm dissipates, and the moon shines with an intensity I’ve never before witnessed, casting its

silvery glow upon the scene below.

Everyone's eyes are drawn to the pillar, now reduced to flaming rubble and white ash that resembles

snow. I choke; she is gone. We killed her. We killed our only chance, killed our mate. Zeke wails, and I

see Gnash, Hunter, and Shadow howl in anguish as they lay on their stomachs, and my soul feels like

it's cracking as I hang my head and sob. Time seems to stop around me and the silence is deafening

when murmurs break out, making me lift my head.

From the ashes, Zirah emerges, her naked form illuminated by the runes glowing like beacons in the

night. I gasp at the sight of her. There's an ethereal aura surrounding her as she steps forward.

Glowing like the blue flames that I thought killed her and I take her in, my eyes scanning her body and

the runes that lace her skin.

The Eye Rune sits below her throat, tattooed into her flesh. Then next, the Star Rune on her sternum.

Just below it, the Waves Rune; the Air Rune is below that, Fire and Earth next before—the Moon Rune

which sits just above her navel. The Sun Rune lay just underneath her belly button glowing brightly,

and lastly, on her pubic bone—the Rings Rune, which I can't seem to take my eyes off, knowing its

significance. Interlocking rings symbolize connection, unity, and partnership. We thought she was an

unwanted mate, but now I realize we are.

Whispers and gasps fill the air, the gathered crowd is awestruck by the sight of their true queen.

My father's shock is palpable as she stands before us, her dark hair cascading down her back. Her skin

untouched by the flames that had engulfed her moments before. She looks like a goddess, her beauty

radiating from within. Her eyes burn with intensity, her face a mask of fury, and I can almost feel the

power emanating from her body. Her posture is regal, as if she has been born and made from the very

flames that awoke her.

"But the curse... it said the oracle?" my father whispers as he watches the scene unfold.

"You're looking at her," Kelly snarls at him.

"Kill the Oracle…. reveal the seven virtues, and the last female Lycan, you're looking at her." Kelly

directs her fury at my father, who sputters on his hands and knees and I turn my gaze back to Zirah.

Her steps, however, falter, grief washing over her as she notices her grandmother's lifeless body on the

ground—the coven around her sobs. “Grandma?" she murmurs before her scream of heartbreak

resonates around us guttural and loud as she races over and falls to her knees, clutching her

grandmother. The weather seems to respond to her emotions, changing swiftly; as Zirah screams her

anguish. The skies darkened, and the wind howls as if in response to her unbearable grief.

Thunderclaps and lightning strikes fill the night sky, and the rain comes down in sheets. The ground

shakes with the force of the storm, and the trees sway in the wind. It is as if the heavens are mourning

with her; the next second, lightning strikes through her.

The cobbled ground glowed and trembled as if alive, yet her runes glow brighter from the intensity. Her

body is suddenly illuminated in a blue-white light, and the runes that decorate her body seem to

shimmer and pulse with life. Sparks fly from her as the lightning pierces her, and the air around her

crackles with electricity. The cobblestone glows in the light of her runes, sizzling under my hands, the

thunder and lightning seem in utter harmony with her. It is a sight to behold, one that fills onlookers with

fear.

Silence falls over everyone except the coven, who move in to comfort her. As they do, a gasp is heard

in the silence, and everyone freezes. Zirah lifts her head, and the coven steps back when I notice

Shelley across the square, getting up among the fallen rubble and debris.

A growl ripples and echoes around us as Zirah turns her gaze to Shelley. Scrambling to her feet,

Shelley rushes over just as Zirah stands and drops to her knees, clutching Zirah's legs, and begs her

for mercy.

"It was Theron; I had no part in it. I loved her." She pleads.

Zirah pats her hair, and Shelley thanks her, tears streaming down her face while I gape at the woman's

audacity. But Zirah's expression turns cold as she lifts Shelley's chin with her fingertips and replies.

"Loved her so much you killed your own sister?" her hands clamp on the sides of Shelley's head, and

she gasps. Black tendrils snake across Shelley's face like intricate webbing.

Her breath forms clouds of smoke in the air as Shelley's body freezes solid, her face twisting in terror.

With a resounding crack, the ice breaks apart, shattering and leaving nothing but shards of the woman

who betrayed her mother.

My father's scream rings loudly through the night while I watch the crowd of people back up in fear.

Turning my head, my father crawls forward, clutching the shards of his lover turned to broken ice to

melt on the ground.

Zirah looks down at him with only what I can describe as pity on her face. I feel nothing at her death,

yet I can see Malachi feels deeply. As deeply as my father, but he turns his gaze away. "You... Litha

said it would break the curse,” my father sobs, peering up at her.

"I am your curse, your mirror, a reflection of how you betrayed my mother," Zirah says coldly. "How

does it feel, Sloth? Can you sense it, your imminent death? Is it as cold as the betrayal my mother

felt?" she sneers before lifting her head, her eyes going to Zeke, then Lyon, and finally to me. Her

anger, grief, and something else I can't decipher burns in her gaze.

Lyon, Zeke, and I get to our feet. I stagger toward her when, with an air of regal authority, she peers

around at the crowd and speaks. "This is my kingdom now. Bow to your queen, or face the wrath of my

wolves," she orders, glaring at the guards before glaring at me. Gnash, Hunter, and Shadow join her,

standing at her side. I swallow, trying to figure out what just happened.

All around me, people fall to their knees. Their heads bow in submission to their true ruler. The weight

of her words and the power of her presence leave no room for defiance.

"Zirah..." I murmur, and her eyes snap to mine.

"Bow!" she yells with tangible fury. Zeke falls to his knees with an audible oomph, and so does Lyon

when she walks toward me. Our wolves follow in her steps, and she stops in front of me, then lifts her

chin to meet my gaze. Yet the burning anger in them is a warning. We hurt her, and now she is going to

make us pay for it.

Clenching my teeth, I fall to my knees before her, my gaze not leaving hers. She tilts her head to the

side, and Gnash growls at me, so I bow my head.

"Now your fate lies in my hands, and what a damned place to be," she says before her hip hits my

shoulder as she walks toward the path leading back to the kingdom.