Heart Of A Lycan King
Chapter 24

‘Yes’

I had said yes to a video call. What in the world was I thinking?

‘That is because you weren’t thinking,’ Erin teased. ‘You wanted to see him, and that picture did nothing to help,’ she added.

‘That is not true!’ I said quickly. Or was it? Did I say yes because I wanted to see him too? No, that wasn’t why I said yes. I was only…only…

The thought died, and panic settled within me as a slow tune played from the phone. Aiden was calling.

I stood up, pacing the porch as I stared down at the phone. Now that he was calling, now that I was sure this was about to happen, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this anymore.

I paused and took in a huge gulp of breath before I sat back on my chair and received the call.

His goofy sweaty face was the first thing my eyes settled on. He still had his white jersey on, and the sweat still trickled down his face. His hair, as always, was a messy wave of perfection. How would it feel to run my fingers through it?

“Good morning.” His voice was a husky rasp that set my insides on fire, and the grin was still intact.

“Good morning,” I murmured, dropping my gaze. It was so intense that I couldn’t take it and I didn’t want to mess things up.

“How are you, Nala?” he asked as I peered through my lashes at him.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled shyly. “And you?” I asked, thinking it was the right thing to do.

“Look at me, Nala,” I heard him say, as I adjusted the phone in my hand. “The whole point of this video call is so I can see you and show you the pitch,” he added, his tone a bit sad.

I gulped. I shouldn’t have said yes. I wasn’t ready. Pushing down my wave of panic and anxiety, I looked up, tucking a lock of curl behind my ears, and smiled faintly.

“I’m sorry, I have never done…”

“I am not fine,” he mumbled, cutting me off. I watched as he bit his l*p, and pulled in his brows before he puffed out air. “I miss you so much which is making it nearly impossible to concentrate on what I came here for, Nala.”

“Uhm,” was all I could say. What does one say to things like this?

‘You can start by telling him how you wanted to lick the sweat off his face, Nat,’ Erin snickered.

My stomach dropped as my eyes widened, and I wondered if he had noticed my reaction to Erin’s words.

“You need to focus and win the match though,” was all I could say. Lame, Natasha. Very lame! But how in the world was I supposed to tell him I missed him too?

‘He’s yours, Nat. Ours. You can tell him that,’ Erin said quietly.

However, instead of heeding her advice, I smiled widely before I blurted.

“Do you always look this good even while training?” s**t! s**t!! s**t!!! What did I just do?

I stared at the screen, at Aiden whose smile had now vanished, and in its place, was a look I couldn’t put my finger on. He looked…hot? Or was he angry?

Out of habit, I began biting my nails, then peered again to find him still looking at me. Did I look…bad? I stared at myself, nervously fixing the edges of my hair and wondering if I should have applied makeup before I had agreed to this. Or better yet, I should’ve simply said no and settled for exchanging text messages.

“Is…is something…wrong with my face?” I decided to speak up despite the pounding of my heart.

As though coming out of a daze, Aiden shook his head and rubbed his temples before he scratched his beard.

“No, Nala. You just seem to render me speechless without doing much.”

“Huh?”

“I guess my sweaty face was better than those daisies then,” he grinned, and my heart picked up its pace.

“I suppose you could say that,” I mumbled shyly.

“Now, I’m going to show you the pitch. I’m sure you can already see the goal post behind me where the men stood,” he explained as he began walking.

I simply nodded, afraid that if I spoke, my voice may shake. How can one look so good?

“We are about to resume training, Your Eminence.” I heard a voice say from the phone. A female voice.

“Just a moment, Sherneil,” Aiden replied with a smile before he turned his attention back to me. Who was he smiling at? And was a woman part of the team?

As though reading my thoughts, or perhaps, he noticed the look that had crossed my face before I had eased it, Aiden smiled and began to speak.

“That’s Shernail. She’s the only female wolf we have on the team. She’s never joined us in playing official games like this, but we train with her on most occasions. When we get back, you can train with her if you want.”

A strained smile settled at the tip of my lips as I watched him explain the location and the role each plays in football. My mind was filled with the images of the woman whose voice I had only heard. I couldn’t help but picture her running around the field with Aiden following her.

Goddess! I need a firm grip on myself.

To rid me of those thoughts, I decided to ask him a question.

“How is it fair that you play against humans? You have an advantage of not getting tired easily like them, so that should give you an upper hand.”

“If you’re asking if we use that to our advantage, then no. Most of us are Lycans, so before each match, we suppress that part and play like humans. We don’t want to raise any suspicion toward us so we tread carefully. They do know about our country, but nothing about us being Children of the Goddess,” he explained and I nodded in understanding. “So, can I resume the tour?”

“Yes,” I nodded again.

This time, instead of leaving the camera as it was, he changed it so it was the back camera as he explained more. He showed me the men I had met the other day, and they all smiled and waved at me. I waited for him to show me this Sherneil of a woman so I can see what she looks like, but he didn’t.

“I think that is all,” he said, switching the camera to the front one, and his face filled the screen. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes, thank you,” I smiled a genuine smile that reached my eyes and filled my heart with joy. “I’ll be sure to watch the match tonight.”

“Then I’ll put in some extra effort so you can be proud of your mate, Nala,” he replied, smiling.

It was then I noticed the tired look in his eyes, the bags underneath them. He looked exhausted.

“Are you okay? Did you not sleep well?” I found myself asking.

“Do I look that bad? I thought you said I looked good,” he teased, as though trying to stir the conversation away.

“You do. But your eyes…look tired. You look exhausted,” I pointed.

He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and shook his head. “I had a restless night,” he finally said.

“Why? Was something bothering you?” Look at me, asking people about their lives when I can’t say anything about mine. However, in all honesty, I want to know what got him up all night.

“I had one too,” I decided to say. “But I did manage to sleep towards the early part of the morning so I don’t look as bad as you do right now.”

“Why? Were you missing me that much?” he teased, a glint shone in his dark eyes.

I chuckled, keeping my mouth shut. How do I tell him that as soon as he had spoken about the shadows from the Fiko dark forest, I had seen them? Makes no sense. Besides, who sees a shadow?

“I guess you were really missing me, Nala,” he said again.

I kept my lips shut, but the smile intact. We can assume that was the case.

“Was that why you couldn’t sleep as well?” I pressed on.

“Partially,” he said, sighing. “I promise I’ll tell you about it when I get back. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” I nodded, deciding to discuss the shadows when I see my therapist tomorrow. Or perhaps, tell him when I see them again or when he returns.

“I should go train,” he mumbled. “I’ll miss you. I can call you later, right?”

I smiled. I liked that he always asks before he does anything. It gives me enough time to prepare myself for all these new emotions I wasn’t used to.

It makes me appreciate him even more.

“Yes. Yes, you can. Bye.”

He grinned, waved at me before the screen went blank.

I sat still, everything halting, including the loud pounding in my heart. It took me a moment to finally realize I did this. I just had a video call with Aiden.

Butterflies danced in my stomach, and I found myself smiling like a loon.

“Glad I didn’t interrupt that,” Tiffany’s voice rolled from behind. I jumped up in surprise and quickly turned around to face her.

“Have you been standing there long?” I asked wide-eyed, my heart galloping like a wild stallion. Has she been listening to us? How much did she hear? What if…?

“Calm down,” she cut off my panicking thoughts. “I turned back as soon as I figured out what you were doing. I only returned when I stopped hearing the sound of your voice. Don’t worry, I didn’t hear anything you said to the King,” she winked, dropped the now filled jug, and leaned back.

I shifted nervously, then decided to speak. “Do you have a mate?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I should have met him from when I turned 20, but nothing yet.”

“Do you wish to find him?”

“Who doesn’t?” she asked. “I want to meet mine and know what it feels like to be loved. To be cherished. To be appreciated,” she replied, a dreamy look in her eyes.

Was I being selfish by not embracing Aiden and the bond? Was I being ungrateful?

‘There she goes with her wayward thoughts again’ Erin grumbled. ‘Stop comparing yourself with other people. You are doing nothing wrong. You are healing and giving yourself time to accept all this. And you’re doing good, Nat. Very good!’

I smiled. Erin is one of the reasons I can still do this. Yes, I can do this! And I am doing this.

‘I am doing good, Erin,’ I murmured, leaning into our bond so I can feel her closer. ‘I did believe I didn’t deserve to be happy. It was what I was made to believe. But I am slowly starting to believe that may not have been true. Every one of us deserves to be happy. I just need to break this wall and…’

‘Yes. You need to break the wall. But do that at your own pace. There are so many things buried in there that you’ve never shared with anyone. You and I never really talk about the pain we went through, and I figured until we learn to let go, we’ll always hold onto that. Which is why therapy is a great idea.’

I nodded my head. Erin was right. Letting go was the first step. While speaking about it might not be the best option, writing it down wouldn’t be so hard.

Tonight, I’ll write my first entry.

Shifting my attention to Tiffany, I smiled and nodded. “You are right, Tiffany. Everyone deserves to be loved and appreciated. I hope you find your mate soon.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she beamed.

“Natasha. My name is Natasha,” I said with a grim face, attempting to show her I didn’t mind her calling me by my name.

“Of course, Natasha.”

I smiled and sipped my drink, at the same time my phone buzzed with a text. The smile on my lips stretches even more. And I eagerly tapped on the phone to read the text.

A- ‘You seemed a bit awkward. I’m not complaining. Just wanted to let you know we won’t do this until you are comfortable enough. Thanks for indulging me, Nala.’

I read the text twice before I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give a fitting reply.

N- ‘Don’t bother sending me daisies next time. A picture of sweaty Aiden is always the best.’

I hit send, stared at the text and after a few moments, panic settled within me. Should I have sent that? Would he like it? Or did I overstep the boundaries?

The buzz of my phone brought me out of my reverie. I bit on my nails and shut my eyes before I tapped on the message icon.

A- ‘A sweaty Aiden it is then. Love, Aiden.’

Attached to the text was another picture of him. This time around, he was winking, the goofy grin replaced with a sexy smirk.

I had no idea how it had happened, or what had gotten into me. But by the time I realized what I had done, Aiden’s new picture stared back at me on my front screen.

I had just set his picture as my phone wallpaper.

You are whipped, Natasha. I thought with a smile.

***

MATTEO

A g***n escaped my parted lips as I placed my hands on each side of Camila’s h*p to guide her. She was riding me fast and hard, and I should be enjoying it. But I wasn’t. If anything, I was just lying with my body but my soul wasn’t in it.

I was not enjoying this. Not even one bit.

“You are zoning out on me again, Matteo,” Camila said in a breathy voice. She had stopped riding and sat looking at me. Her brows were pulled in, and a small frown settled on her face. “What the f**k is wrong with you?” she hissed.

I flinched at her use of language. No one dares talk to an Alpha this way! But because I knew I had caused it, I pushed down my rage and tightened my hold around her h**s.

“Baby…”

“Don’t f*****g baby me!” she snapped, pushing my hands away as she threw her legs over and got off me. “This is the third time you’ve done this. Always zoning out while we are together as though I mean nothing to you!”

“Camila…”

“Are you still worried about what the King might do if she speaks up?”

I swallowed. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about that. But that wasn’t it all, I was also thinking about Uncle’s plan, and how he wants me to take his stepdaughter as my chosen mate. If only the King had fallen for my trick when I had told him Natasha was still my mate, then all this would have been avoided.

But did I really think he was stupid enough to have believed me back then? I should be grateful I still have my head intact on my neck, but I wasn’t sure how long that would last. This is why I need to move fast!

“If you don’t want to do this anymore, all you have to do is say it. I’m not some cheap w***e you can use and toss around. I am NOT Natasha!” she thundered.

Again, I flinched at the tone she used as I sat up. But now more than anything, the ache in my head was back. Fierce and painful.

In my attempt to ignore the pain and forget about my ex-mate, I pulled her roughly to me and sucked on her puckered brown buds. She gasped, easing her fingers into my hair. I hated when she mentioned Natasha. I hated when anything related to her was mentioned.

Not because I care, but because of the dull ache at the back of my neck.

Besides, what king in his right senses would want a broken piece of s.hit like her as a mate? A cursed lowly omega at that. There must be something, and like Uncle said, I just need a clear plan to make the King believe she’s still my mate, whom I desperately wanted back. If the King was anything he was rumored to be, he’d let her go.

Mate or not, Natasha was not deserving of the Queen title. I am going to get her back and leave her in the attic, the only place she belongedas the f*****g slave she is! Besides, she is mine! Just because I rejected her doesn’t mean I don’t want her.

I may have been ashamed of her being my mate, but even before I had found out she was, I had always fantasized about what it would be like to have her under me as I choked the breath out of her and pounded into her relentlessly.

I liked it when she screamed in pain when I took Camila before her. I liked it when the silver cut through her. Natasha was what made my s.ex life with Camila exciting. And now that she isn’t here anymore, I don’t feel the thrill, and so, I keep zoning out.

Natasha was mine. She had always been and she would always be. Before she spills anything about what I did to her. I am sure she hasn’t, else, with the reputation the King has, and especially since Nat was his mate, I wouldn’t have been here alive and sane.

Goddess, how would it feel to have my member in Natasha’s mouth again? The thought sent wild tremors through me, and I bit hard on Camila’s bud.

“Ahh…yes! Just like that, Baby,” Camila m****d, her hands pulling my hair.

“Say the word, Baby,” I eased back, teasing her lightly as her eyes hooded.

“I’m all yours. Take me whichever way you want,” she hissed, pulling me back to her chest.

In a few minutes, we were back at it. I was pounding into her like a mad man. But this was how we always wanted it, so it doesn’t matter. I could feel my stomach coil, the tension rising in my groin.

I shut my eyes tightly, feeling as the tension increases, at the same time the pounding in my head increased as well. But this tension was difficult. It wasn’t the type I was expecting.

And before I could do anything about it, I pee’d into Camila’s nether region.

I pulled back quickly, shock and shame consuming me. What man in his right senses pee’s in his woman during s.ex? In my attempt to hold the remaining pee back, I ended up spilling it all over her body.

Goddess!

“What…what was…that?” Camila cried, the shock in her voice evident. I watched as her eyes danced over her body as she took in both our appearances. I stood by the bed, member in hand with the remaining pee rushing out.

“Baby…”

“What the F**k is this?” she cried again, pulling the sheets to cover her naked body. I could see the anger in those eyes. The pain. The shock.

“I…I…” how do I begin explaining myself? How do I explain that I don’t know how I had pee’d instead of cumming? How?

Shame crowned my head, and I shut my eyes to avoid the questioning look in her eyes. I couldn’t take it. This is terrible.

‘This is all because you keep getting distracted!’ Dave, my wolf hissed angrily. ‘Now…’

I shut off the link between us and shook my head. This isn’t happening to me. No! I shifted my gaze to Camila, who still had the sheets wrapped around her, a disgusted look on her face.

“Go home. I’ll call you in the morning,” I mumbled quickly. I couldn’t even meet her gaze.

“Don’t you dare tell me to go home! You just pee’d on me, Matteo. You f*****g pee’d on me!”

“Shut up!” I hissed, afraid that someone might hear her. “Just go!”

She dragged the sheets with her as she stood on the bed, then dropped them. Her hands were placed on either side of her waist as she glared at me.

“And you call yourself an Alpha? What Alpha pisses on a woman during s.ex?” she hissed, anger dripping in her voice. I watched as she slid from the bed and stopped before me. “First, you constantly zone out on me, and now what? You pee on me?!”

“Will you shut up!” I growled, balling my fists tightly.

Slow treacherous silence stretched between us, and I watched as her eyes slid down from my face, down to my bare chest, and finally, to my now limp member.

“Tell me, Matteo, are you sick?” The way the word rolled on her tongue, the condesending look that screams ‘you are not enough’ drove me to the brink. I snarled, still keeping my hands to the side so I wouldn’t hit her. I still need her, now more than ever.

“You can tell me if you are sick, and that would save us this embarrassment. I can go look for another and…”

“Stop it,” I grabbed her hand and pulled her to my chest. “Just stop!”

“You pee’d on me! You pee’d inside me, Matteo.”

“It was…it was…”

“And you aren’t performing as well these days either. You keep zoning out and I’m beginning to wonder if you ever really had it in you because all I get now are lousy f***s that I’m sure other men could do better!”

That was it! I’ve had enough. So, I grabbed her jaw forcefully and crashed my lips against hers. Hard. Fast. Rough. I bit on her bottom l*p, drawing the b***d and loving the whimpering sound that escaped her lips. Soon, she was plastered against me, hands running down every inch of my body. This was it, this was all I needed.

I yanked her by the hair, her face flushed as she breathed hard and fast. “I don’t think I need to prove how capable I am in turning you into a puddle, Camila. Now, leave.”

And with that, I released her and walked to the bathroom door, pulled it, and stepped in before shutting it loudly behind me.

That night, I didn’t get a decent nights sleep. I kept thinking about what happened, why, of all times, I had to pee during s.ex with my chosen mate. I don’t know if I’d ever be able to face her again. And she had outrightly told me I wasn’t doing it right these days. I hated that. I had always been perfect in that aspect and it’ll remain that way. I refuse to accept that.

By morning, the pounding in my head had doubled but I had work to do, after all, I’m an Alpha.

I skipped one step at a time as I strolled down the stairs. Caine, Alex, and the other members of the pack were already sitting around the dining table for breakfast. But there was no sight of Camila. It made me feel a bit better than I already did because it means I don’t have to be embarrassed during breakfast.

“Good morning, Alpha,” they all chorused as I took my seat at the head of the table.

“Damn! You look…terrible!” Caine muttered. “Are you sick?”

“I am fine,” I mumbled, shoving a forkful of chips and eggs. “Any more reports from the border?”

“Yes,” Alex nodded as he dropped his spoon. “Three more children are missing, and just like last time, no trace of them found. Are you sure we shouldn’t report this to the capital?”

“No,” I growled. Until I get Natasha back, I am not going to risk the King finding anything about the pack. And Uncle’s plan is the best way for me to do that. But how do I get to see the King? I need a reason for that, and I have just the perfect excuse to use.

“Can you schedule a meeting with the King in two days?” I asked, directing my gaze to Caine.

“The King has left for his matches and is due back in ten days. We can only do that when he gets back.”

A small smile danced on my lips, as a new idea settled in my brain.

“Request an audience with the Grand King,” I said quickly. I wonder what he’d think of Natasha after I see him. I thought quietly.

Time to set things straight. Like Uncle said, If I let Natasha say a word about all she had endured here, I would never escape the wrath of the King.

And that would never happen.

I took another forkful of chips before it reached my mouth, Camila’s scent hit me before I saw her stroll into the dining room. My stomach dropped the moment we locked eyes.

She wore a tight white knee-length gown, and today, unlike most days, had a winged eyeliner.

“Good morning, Luna,” the Omega’s on the side bowed as she sat beside me

She simply waved her hand at them, leaned into me, and kissed me as though nothing was wrong.

When she pulled back, she smirked, picked up the jug with the freshly squeezed orange juice, and began pouring it into her glass, eyes pinned on me.

“Psssssssssss…” she said, making the sound of pee as she poured her drink. She didn’t even bat an eye, and I knew she was taunting me.

You just wait, I thought. Wait till I toss you aside and f**k another woman in your presence!