Heart Of A Lycan King
Chapter 64

Damn freaking cramps!

My lower abdomen hurts like crazy. There is an ache there, like a sharp, stabbing, or to put in correctly, a consistent, dull pain. I could feel the pain reaching my upper legs and lower back.

My stomach has been upset, almost bloated since this evening.

I tossed again, the cold tiles of the living room sending me a bit of relief from the intense pain I’m trying to endure. A stifled g***n rattled my throat, and I watched through blurry eyes how Aiden paced around the length of the living room, utterly confused.

Why does this have to come now? Couldn’t it have waited for just a day more? I had completely missed my calendar calculations cause I’ve been so obsessed with Aiden, hence, I wasn’t prepared for the cramps or expecting them when they hit hard.

“I’m…fine. It’ll last for only three days at most,” I said, gasping.

“Three days?” Aiden shrieked, pausing in his tracks. “You’re going to spend three days…in pain?” He asked, wide eyed.

“It’s always been this way,” I tried to smile as I sat up. Damn! I hate moving during this time. But if I keep at this, Aiden isn’t going to stop worrying. “It’s normal.”

“How can pain be normal, Nala?” He grumbled, kneeling before me. He took my face in his hands and kissed both of my cheeks. “And how have I missed these after being with you for five months?”

I crinkled my nose, as another sharp pain hit my lower abdomen. “Oww!” I hissed, placing my hand over my abdomen, cussing underneath my breath.

I soon felt myself being cradled into a hard muscled chest. I was breathing hard, struggling to stop myself from rolling away from him, and rolling on the floor for some relief. No matter how little.

“I’m here. I’ve got you,” Aiden murmured in my ear, kissing the side of my neck. Oh man, I don’t need your k****s right now, I thought, getting annoyed all of a sudden.

Yup. Damn hormones at it! His touches and pacing have been annoying me since the pain mildly began this evening. The mood swings are something I truly dislike, but can’t blame them.

I’m a woman, after all. And these changes are part of me.

‘He’s so annoying today,’ a grumpy Erin spoke, glaring at Aiden through the bond. Somehow though, I’m certain he didn’t hear her because I’ve been learning to filter my thoughts since we spoke about it this morning.

‘Tell me about it,’ I sulked. ‘He’s being too much.’

‘Should I smack his head to get some sense in there or would you do the honor? He’s starting to piss me off.’ Erin growled.

‘Is it me or does he look…grumpy today?’ I asked quietly.

‘He certainly does. He looks grumpy, Nat.’ Erin sighed, rolling on her back and shutting her eyes. ‘I’ll just leave you with your grumpy man for now.’ She added, pushing away.

“What can I do to help?” Aiden asked. This is the fifth time? Or the tenth time he was asking? Not sure, but I gave him the same answer I’ve been giving him since he began asking.

“Nothing. Just let me walk through the pain. Like I said, it’s something I normally go through monthly,” I replied, the continuous irritation at his k****s eating at me.

“I can help…”

“Aiden, just let me be please!” I snapped, biting my bottom to stop me from groaning. Again.

“Nala…”

“I just need to lie on the floor. I’ll be fine,” I replied tiredly, moving away from his hold. “Please, just stop with the k****s and…”

“Do they annoy you? Of course, I’ll stop. But let me hold you. It can help…”

“It’s not helping,” I gritted, turning to glare at me. “It’s annoying,” I said quietly, laying back on the floor, as I curled up and welcomed the coldness.

A moment stretched, before I heard the tap of his feet as he padded away. No idea where. I shut my eyes, trying to think about as many things as I could to distract myself from the pain. But as always, it doesn’t help.

Erin’s condition during this time is even worse than mine. She hardly speaks, nor moves from her lying position. Our appetites are the same, unable to eat anything for those days, except for small bites here and there. Back at the Malakari pack, it was almost impossible to even eat on normal days. I could recall how I groomed myself to work through the menstrual cramps back there, despite the times when I could feel the fiery pain eat at my upper legs and back.

Today, however, after a resourceful morning spent with my mate, the damn dam of b.lood had to let loose!

I shut my eyes tighter, wincing as I curdled up more, as though that would help. I am, however, grateful I had changed into shorts and a polo shirt similar to Aiden’s. This helps the cold to seep through easily. Figuring out that my position wasn’t helping one bit, I laid flat on my back, stretching my legs and groaning as the knots in my lower abdomen tightened.

‘Stop moving, Nat,’ Erin flinched slightly.

‘Sorry,’ I mumbled quietly.

Now, that felt a bit better. I should’ve done it from the start.

In my efforts to distract myself, my thoughts drifted to how I had been dealing with this since I arrived here. Aiden had always given me my space, and I appreciated it. This had given me time to sort myself out during my monthly cycle, and with the practice of hiding my pains from the Malakari pack, I was able to do that.

Tiff hardly goes through all of this, so she’s mostly with me. And by the time Aiden returns in the night, the pain may have subsided, or I may have chosen to pretend to be sleeping.

Now, however, for some reason, I felt comfortable enough to show him this side of me. Periods are mostly considered dirty, and women get weird looks for that. Once, I heard an old woman from the Malakari pack narrate how a menstruating woman was treated in the past.

She’s mostly isolated for being ‘dirty’, and can’t mingle with others. No one eats anything from her, and she’s not given anything as well. She’s considered dirty. A taboo not to be approached. Not to be spoken to.

Till this day, a vast majority of the Malakarians still do that.

But nothing crossed Aiden’s face when we found the stain on my white dress. At first, he panicked, thinking I was injured. Until I carefully explained what was happening. And then he got more worried, asking if that won’t cause the b***d in my body to drain completely.

At that moment, I laughed, shaking my head.

“Don’t tell me you know nothing about periods,” I asked, as we walked to the room so I could attend to myself.

“I do!” He replied quickly, albeit not meeting my gaze.

“Hmn,” I nodded.

He threw his hands. “Okay fine, I don’t. I do know women go through something monthly but that’s as far as it stretches. Nothing more.”

“That’s…interesting.” I said simply. At that time, the cramps were getting unbearable.

“I don’t have a sister. And Lacie and I never talked about things like this so yeah,” he looked…embarrassed.

Was he embarrassed because he doesn’t know about this or was it something else entirely?

Before I could dwell much on that though, I strolled into the bathroom and that ended it.

Now as I laid there, it was a bit funny.

“Nala?” I heard Aiden call.

I pried my eyes open slowly, watching as he kneeled beside me, cradling his phone with one hand, while he held a bowl with the other and a white towel tossed on his shoulder. He set the bowl down, looking at me with a worried look on his face.

“Can you sit up, please?”

Albeit irritated that he interrupted my peace, I sat up, and that was when I noticed the contents of the bowl. Steaming hot water.

“I read on the internet that massaging the lower abdomen with hot water and a towel helps,” he looked unsure as he spoke, gesturing to his phone, the uncertainty in his eyes growing with each passing seconds of my silence. “I’m not sure if it would help though but I thought we could try and…” he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.

My chest twirls and tightens.The thought of this man, this huge, dark, brooding man going to this length for my sake made me realize just how lucky I am. It didn’t help the overly tightness in my stomach, or the way my lips parted as I tried to breath. These things, little things like this made me fall for this man harder than I ever imagined myself falling for anyone.

He had my heart pulled, gripped in a firm hold, and I don’t even want to imagine ever letting go.

“Okay. Maybe we should forget about this and try Mama’s method,” he said suddenly, walking to the dining table, and returning with a mug, a water flask, and a jar of honey. “I asked Mama and she said to add some honey into warm water and give it to you,” he added, as he sat down and tucked his legs.

My lips trembled. I wanted to speak. To say something. But nothing was working. My throat was constricted with so many things and I didn’t know how to work around it. He asked Mama. He didn’t think twice about asking her this. Oh Nyala! What do I do with this man?

“F**k! Not tears, Nala. Please,” Aiden said, a desperate catch in his voice as he pulled me into his arms.

Yes, tears. I was crying. Because this was too much. I’ve never been loved this much, and with my hormones all over the place, the tears seem like the right answer.

“I’m okay. I was just overwhelmed,” I responded, sucking in a deep breath that came with his scent of pinewoods and cedar woods engulfing me.

“I hate those tears,” he kissed each of my eyes, kissing away the tears that had rolled down my cheeks. “They tore at my chest, Nala.”

Unable to resist it any longer, I tugged at his beard a bit and pulled him down for a slow, sensual k**s. No tongues. No smacking. No long sucking. Just me initiating the k**s in a way I wanted to. By licking the seams of his lips and biting softly, as his beard tickled me. “Go ahead and do both. The pain is too much,” I murmured against his lips.

He sighed, ran his thumb on my bottom l*p before he stretched his legs, adjusting me in front of him as I lay with half of my body sprawled over his.

He gently pulled my polo shirt up, his fingers lightly brushing the sides of my stomach. Once he pulled the polo far above my chest, after he had figured I wasn’t wearing any brassiere, he tucked either side of the shirt on each side, securing my b.reast that way without exposing them.

“I hate brassieres,” I found myself mumbling. “Especially when I’m on my period,” I added. “Because they are too sensitive then.”

“Hmn. I wouldn’t mind you not wearing them,” Aiden smiled down at me. “After all, removing them seems to be a talent I do not possess,” he finished, dragging the bowl to his side and dipping the white towel into the hot water. Surprisingly though, he didn’t flinch one bit!

Then he unhooked the button of my denim shorts and pushed them down a bit, to expose my lower abdomen, the strings of my red panties visible at the top.

He squeezed the towel, allowing it to retain some of the water before he pressed it on my body. I hissed, the heat from the towel seeping through me.

“Does it hurt? Is it too much?” Aiden asked, his voice laced with worry.

“N…no,” I stuttered. “It’s fine.”

Moments passed afterwards, with him dipping the towel back into the steaming water, squeezing it and then placing it on my lower abdomen. It didn’t instantly take the pain, or the sharpness away , but it became a lot more bearable, and I found that I liked it. And slowly, I was feeling drowsy. And sleepy.

“How do you feel now?”

“A lot better,” I murmured, my eyes dropping.

“Time for this then,” he said, mixing the honey and warm water in a mug before he brought the mug to my mouth.

I parted my lips and took a gulp, the sweetness of the honey and the warmth of the water embracing me. Soon, I finished the content in the cup and the knots in my stomach were slowly loosening.

“Better?” Aiden asked again.

“Yes,” I answered, reaching up and locking my hands behind his neck. “Thank you,” I pinched his cheeks, smiling.

“Anything for my woman,” he said quietly, tucking me into his chest and wrapping his arms around me. I allowed myself to sink in, loving the protectiveness this gave me. I love this man, I don’t think I can stress that enough. “How do you ever endure all of this?” He grumbled, his fingers drawing circles on my bare stomach.

“I’m a woman. It’s normal. This is normal.”

“Pain is normal?” Aiden frowned. “Isn’t there anything that can be done? Do you always have to bleed every month? May Nyala forbid it! What if you run out of b***d some day?”

I laughed, pulling him down for another k**s. And this time around, I allowed my tongue to sweep and get a taste of him before I pulled away. “If that happens, you can give me yours.”

He g*****d, his hold around me tightening. “This isn’t funny, Nala.”

“I never said it was.” I replied. Then after a pause, I added. “This is a way for women to release unwanted tissues, as our uterus prepares for pregnancy.”

“Pups!” Aiden grinned, his eyes lightening up. “Preparing for pups!”

I hit his chest playfully and lay my head back, then he squeezed my waist and kissed the hollow of my neck. “I want pups, but not at the expense of you being in pain.”

“Like I said, it can’t be helped, Your Eminence. This is normal for women. Although, not every woman suffers from terrible cramps. Some don’t even feel the pain, only the discomfort.”

“Why can’t you be the same?”

“Because I can’t command my body?” I asked, pursing my lips. “It’s just different for everyone.”

“I hate this,” he scoffed, kissing my neck again. “This may sound selfish, but I’m grateful this is the first time I’m seeing you like this.”

“Won’t be the last though. You’re hooked with me forever.”

“Damn right I am, Nala,” he tipped my head and bit and sealed his lips with mine. I’ll never get tired of kissing this man. Never.

As he allowed his tongue to sweep into my mouth, I eased myself against him, slipping my hands under his shirt and felt the rigidity of his muscles. I loved the way he shuddered beneath my touch, the way he g*****d as I allowed my hands to trail downwards, stopping at the edge of his shorts.

“Don’t do this,” Aiden said in a strained voice. “Not now, Nala.”

“If you insist,” I grinned at him, kissing him once more before I flop back into his chest.

‘Who knew your touch could help,’ Erin licked her lips. ‘I’m always the worst in this case. But I think I’m much stronger than Nat now,’ she added.

Aiden chuckled, at the same time Leo reached through the bond and fluffed her fur.

“Happy to help, Mate,” Aiden replied, as I felt Leo’s presence in my mind.

Without saying anything though, Aiden stood up with me in his arms and began walking towards the bedroom. “You look tired. Let’s get you to bed.”

“What time is it?”

“8pm.”

I yawned. “That’s too early,” my eyes were dropping as I spoke. “Will you stay beside me?”

“Always. I’ll always be there for you, Nala.”

And that was how it happened. I slept, protectively wrapped in the arms of my man. And nothing, I mean nothing can ever beat the comfort that brings.

---

“Phillison is your mate?” Aiden said wide eyed, as his hand hovered over his laptop, where he was writing a report for their next matches and planning the meetings. My head was resting on his lap, while he was seated on the three settee sofa.

It was almost 10pm, and Donald had come to visit us an hour ago. I didn’t bring up the issue about Phil because I wasn’t certain he wanted his cousin to know, and because I was still moody, albeit a better part of the cramping had eased.

“She was,” Donald replied absentmindedly. “At least, she was before she decided to reject me,” he added.

“She rejected you?” Aiden whispered. Again.

I nodded. Aiden swept his gaze towards where I laid on his laps and scowled. “You knew about this?” He gritted.

“Uh…well, yeah. He told me.”

“And you didn’t feel the need to let me know?”

“Because he didn’t want you to know just yet,” I glared at him. “Now that he’s ready to talk, isn’t he telling you? Stop yelling at me.” I grumbled, sitting up and pushing away from his body.

“Nala…” he tried to pull me back but I squinted my eyes at him and pushed to the edge of the sofa. Damn hormones were making me angrier than I would’ve been in normal circumstances.

“It wasn’t her fault, Aiden. I asked her not to tell anyone.”

“Why?” Aiden asked with disbelief in his voice. “Why would Phil reject you when the one she always spoke about while we grew up was finding her mate?”

“Beats me to it,” Donald sighed. He looked tired, almost as if he was too drained. “And then, she just…left.”

“I found out about it later, when Nala kept asking me questions about her. Both her and her parents left the kingdom.”

“Do you think…I’m the reason?” Donald’s voice shook as he spoke. “Did she leave…because she doesn’t want to see me anymore?”

“Donald…”

“I’m over it,” he said in a forced laughter, cutting me off. “I just want to know if she’s…safe.”

“I’m searching for her. Promise you I’ll do anything within my power to get to the bottom of…”

“Don’t do anything, Aiden,” Donald said as he stood up. “Please. I don’t want to force her to be with me. As it is, we’ve already rejected each other, and there’s nothing much to do. Philison already made it clear to me that she doesn’t want me, and I plan to respect her decision. If you find her, don’t even speak to her about me,

Okay?”

“Donald…”

“Please, Aiden. Promise me that.” He begged, his eyes glassy.

“You shouldn’t pretend to be okay and suck it all in, Donald,” I snapped. “Let us in, allow us to help. Stop hurting all alone, please.” I pleaded. I stood up and walked to him, wincing a bit at the stabbing pain in my abdomen.

“I said I’m fine!” He snapped, throwing his hands around.

In a flash, Aiden was standing in front of me, his hand locked with mine as he growled at Donald. “Don’t you f*****g try that with my mate again,” he roared angrily.

Donald opened and closed his mouth, while I tried, without success, to push Aiden away and stand in between them.

“I understand you’re in pain. But don’t let it cloud your sense of reasoning. Nala was only trying to help, there was no need to lash at her!” Aiden snapped.

“I…” Donald sighed, his eyes dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry, Natasha.”

“Aiden, stop it, please,” I said softly, running my hand soothingly on his back. “Donald would never hurt me. I’m sure of that. And I perfectly understand what he’s dealing with. I’ve been there once.”

A bit of silence passed before Aiden stepped away, allowing me to hug Donald. I heard him growl, the gritting of his teeth and he muttered incoherent words. But I pretended not to notice and hugged Donald. “Remember I’m always here if you need me. Stop hurting alone, my friend. Let me help you like you helped me.”

“That’s enough, Nala,” Aiden grumbled, tugging my hand from behind.

Knowing I wouldn’t like to see him hugging another woman, regardless of how close they were, I pulled away from Donald and smiled. Aiden wasted no time in tucking me into his chest, and wrapping his arms possessively around me. “You smell like him. I hate it.”

I laughed, kissing his clothed chest and muttering a quick I Love You to him, making sure I do everything in my power to make him relax. “You can wrap me up in your scent now, My King,” I whispered, dragging my hands lazily behind him.

“Damn right I would,” he growled, sucking at my nape, possibly to leave a hickey.

“What a sight for my poor unmated eyes,” Donald’s voice floated through. I could hear the hint of laughter in his voice.

I pulled away shyly, but Aiden wouldn’t let go.

“I promise you I will get to the bottom of this, Donald. Who else knows about this?”

“Just you and Natasha. Oh, David knows.”

“You told him?”

“No. He’s known for a while now apparently, but never said anything until Phillison had left. Dunno how he found out but he knew for a while now.”

Aiden’s body stiffened for a while, and I wondered what could be the reason.

“Is he in town?”

“No,” Donald shook his head. “He left for a seminar in the Danrian kingdom.”

“Okay.” Aiden nodded tightly. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”

“Thank you, Aiden. Don’t do anything, I just want to know if she’s safe.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Aiden said, shaking his cousin’s hand.

Donald waved, grinned at me before he turned and left.

“What was that about?” I asked, looking up at him.

“What?”

“You know what I’m asking. Do you have an idea what may be wrong with the two of them?”

“Of course not,” Aiden said, his forehead furrowed. “I’ll just make some calls and see what I can find out.” He replied. “It’s getting late, let’s sleep. We have a long day tomorrow. I’ll give you a back massage to help you sleep. A certain someone told me about that.”

I let the issue go. Just for now however.

He was right, tomorrow is going to be a long day.

---

MATTEO.

I squinted my eyes in the darkness. The f*****g silver chains digging into my skin. s**t hurts so f*****g much!

I g*****d, my head lulling from side to side as I tried to hold my sanity. I have no idea how many days I’ve spent here. There’s no way to know what time it is. It was always dark, and only the tall, brooding man came in from time to time.

No, it wasn’t to feed me or anything. It was to whip me with silver chains, and cut at my skin. Once though, the King visited, and I don’t wish to ever see him in that state again.

He had leisurely cut on my skin with a small knife, applying salt and chili pepper after every fresh cut. Then the damn b.astard asked for me to be unshackled, and said to fight him.

But I couldn’t. I couldn’t even land a decent blow on him. And I ended up being beaten to a pulp.

“I have been desperately itching to do this,” he growled, hitting me nonstop. “I have been yearning to make you feel half of the pain you made my mate felt.” As he spoke, his eyes held a golden tint, one I couldn’t even hold for so long due to the power it carried.

Like a weakling, I was beaten, and I couldn’t do anything.

Now that I thought of it, my Alpha ego had been bruised, and now more than ever, I crave for b***d. I crave revenge.

I had thought I had won after feeding him the root. If I had killed him then, I’d have won. It was a challenge to death, and I’d have done everything in my power to retain the right to killing him would’ve given me.

But surprisingly, he survived, and that excuse of a she-wolf had to dare hurt me. And what were those shadows? I can’t remember much from the fight, but the rage I felt from the shadows was…unexplainable.

The funny thing is, now that I wasn’t with a woman, eager for a climax, I wasn’t peeing. What the flipping f**k is wrong with me?

I let my eyes fall to my flimsy cladded balls. The part that stupid wolf had bite off, and I felt a thunderous wave of rage overwhelm me, my wolf going ballistic in my head, eager for a chance to set free and spill some b***d.

We were weak from the silver physically, but that only fueled the rage to kill the b.itch!

I opened my mouth and screamed, hoping it would ease the rage in my chest. But it didn’t help, instead the guard rattled the door so hard and growled. I kept quiet. A wolf is never a match for a Lycan, and certainly not in the state I am now.

But just as I was about to close my eyes and continue plotting my revenge, something hot stepped on my toe, and a wince tore from my throat.

I looked down to see a fire-worm, making its way up against my bare thighs. I simply stared at it till it stopped on my stretched right hand strained by the silver chains.

“How about I help you with that revenge of yours, Matteo?” A soft, slurry, hallowed voice said.

And somehow, I knew it was the worm that spoke.