Heart Of A Lycan King
Chapter 81

For the longest moment, I simply stood in the arms of my woman, savoring her feel against mine. The curve of her body, her intoxicating scent. Her hot breath.

“Your recharging spot is right here, Nala. Always,” I said gruffly, my face pressed to the crook of her neck.

When her hands began running on my back, I felt my knees go weak, and the overbearing sense of want washed over me.

“I missed you,” she whispered, kissing my neck. She didn’t care that I just finished playing. She didn’t care that we were still outside, in a large stadium with hundreds of people watching us. And neither did I.

“I’ve got you right here, Nala. I’m right here.” Fiercely, I kissed the crook of my neck, her hair, her temple, because I desperately needed that contact.

“You guys should probably get a room,” I heard Mav say.

Groaning, I lifted my head just a bit to see Mav standing behind Nala, holding her hand bag with a crooked grin on his face. “I deserve a gift for this surprise,” he winked.

Nala pulled away, laughing, and I hated that we weren’t hugging anymore. As though reading my mind, she wrapped her arm around my back, tucked into my side and rested her head on my cheeks.

“You do deserve one, bro,” she replied, her hand sliding down my chest.

It still feels so unreal. Nala came here for me! But as my hands trailed down her back, only to come in contact with her thighs, bare and hot to my palms, my heart jeered. I pushed away from her, just enough to look at her.

For the time since she got here, I finally noticed how she dressed. She wore a short cream colored skirt that didn’t even reach her knees, with a front split that showed off her thighs and a sleeveless corset crop top that showed her cleavage.

What in the f*****g name of Nyala! I cursed, my breath coming out in deep pants.

“Nala, what…what are you…what…” I trailed off, as the realization dawned on me.

As much as I’m jealous of other men seeing her this way, my woman has come a long way. Months back, she’d never stepped out with any part of her body exposed because she was ashamed of her scars. But slowly, she had been embracing that side of hers, and not just back at Deshtu, but here in a foreign place she’s never been to.

“Is everything okay?” She asked hesitantly.

“Come here,” I quickly said, pulling her into another hug. My throat doesn’t seem to work anymore. It was filled with pure love and adoration for this woman. “I’m so sorry, Nala. I shouldn’t have left without a proper goodbye. I should never have left or hurt us both. Please forgive me.” I murmured.

“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered. “I want to show you just how much I missed you, and I can’t do that with everyone looking at us,” she added.

My muscles tightened, the same way I felt Leo stiffening. She still isn’t showing any sign of anger. Which made me feel guiltier than I already am.

Sighing, I pushed back, bent over just a little and swept her into my arms, pressing her to my chest as she giggled and wrapped her hand around my neck. I cupped the back of her head protectively with one hand, and then I was moving through the crowd, ignoring Mav and Kane who were laughing behind us. I ordered people out of the way as I walked till I finally reached the locker room before I set her down.

Alone, without the eyes of other people around, I felt even more guilty. The memories of how I had left her and how I had acted before, kept returning and I felt as though I didn’t deserve this. I should’ve gone to her, not have her come to me.

A ragged breath left my lips as I turned away from her. I had set her on the single table in the room, and now, I couldn’t face her.

It just felt…wrong. Too wrong.

“Turn around and k**s me,” I heard her say softly.

“I can’t. I can’t do it. I’m all fvcked up.” I placed my face in my palms. I wanted nothing more than to back her up against a wall and k**s her. Hard. Till I make her scream my name. Remind her the feel of my lips pressed to hers. But it didn’t feel right. Not after I had left her, and not when she had come to find me.

‘I want to do this too. But it feels wrong. We should apologize before we do anything.’ Leo sighed.

“Please? I miss kissing you so much.”

“Miss it?” That made me turn around, a frown dragging my brows together. “You miss my k****s?”

“I do,” she replied, sliding down the desk and walking up to me. “I miss you and all of the f**k ups you think you carry. Just hold me in your arms and k**s me, Rabin Rai. I just want to feel how much you claimed you missed me,”

What in the…she really wants me. She still does!

Regret gripped around my throat as I shot forward, capturing Nala’s mouth with a growl. She m****d against my lips and everything inside me sped up, slowed down, sped up again. I couldn’t stop to get a good breath because that split second of time would allow me to think, realize just how much damage I had caused.

I kissed her with the hunger of a man starved of his woman, of a man who knew he’d messed up and looking for ways to fix things. Nala’s m***s weren’t helping, nor the way her hands slipped underneath my jersey as she trailed my sweaty muscles. I was growing hard with each passing moment, when that shouldn’t be the case. I should be on my knees begging for her forgiveness!

“Were you sick?” She said against my lips after I pulled away so we could catch some breath.

“Hum?”

“You feel… skinny. Like you’ve been sick,” she replied, her fingers continuing to trail beneath my jersey.

Okay. If this continues, I’m going to lose my s**t.

‘Keep everyone away from the locker room,’ I linked Kane before I faced a flushed Nala. One of my hands was on her back, and the other on her buttocks.

“I’m fine,” I crooked. “Just had…a lot going on.”

“A lot like?” She asked softly, kissing the crook of my neck. Leo growled in my head, wagging his tail around. “What were you going through?”

“First, allow me to apologize for how I left,” I sighed, taking both of her hands in mine. “I’m sorry, Nala. I was just…”

“Protecting me,” she finished, taking her hands away and gripping the desk behind her.

A ragged breath left my parted mouth, and for a moment, it felt like I trapped myself in this. “Yes.”

“I do understand your need to protect me, but this? This isn’t the way. You don’t just push me away and claim you’re protecting me, Aiden. It doesn’t work that way.” She said, her face closed off. Her eyes that were glazed with love a few moments ago were now empty, her lips pursed.

“It was the only way I could think of,” I grumbled, taking small steps back till I leaned my back against the wall behind me.

“And communication? What happened to that?”

Again, a ragged breath. Fiercer than the first time left my mouth.

“I was a fool.”

“You sure were,” she agreed, crossing her legs together. The movement didn’t miss my hawk-like eyes, nor did I miss the way the skirt rose up a bit more, exposing more of those thick thighs. “You could’ve talked to me, Aiden. Or talk to anyone. But what did you do? Push me away. The worst part was that you felt it was okay for us to sleep in the same house but in separate rooms! I must have been so unbearable to watch at that moment,” she hissed.

s**t. I was wrong. Nala was angry. No, she was pissed.

“For days, you treated me like I didn’t exist. As though I was invisible, or someone you don’t want to have anything to do with. And it hurts. It hurts way more than I want to admit!” She continued, her voice rising a bit.

This was the second time I was doing this. The second time I was making us argue.

“Granted, I treated you the same way at first,” she laughed humorlessly, walking over to the other side of the room as though she didn’t want to see my face. “So I guess payback is a b.itch. And it shouldn’t hurt this bad since I’m getting paid back for what I did.”

“No,” I said too quickly. Too fiercely. “No, Nala. Don’t you dare say that!” I hissed, walking over to her in long strides before I grabbed her elbow and turned her around to face me. “This isn’t about you but me. Don’t you ever say that,”

“Your action says otherwise,” she said, pulling her hand away. “I do understand we have different coping mechanisms, Aiden. And this is yours. But this is the second time you’re doing this, hiding things from me without clearly explaining the situation. This is not the way to protect me, and certainly not the way I want us to build our relationship,” she paused, sighed and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

Today she didn’t style her hair. She let the dark thick curls fall on her back, creating a wavy frame to her small face, and she looked fiercely beautiful!

“I didn’t know the power of communication until you taught me that. I didn’t know the power of sharing my burden till you came along. You taught me to express myself, to embrace the darkest part of me. After teaching me all of that, why take it away, Aiden?”

“I wasn’t thinking, okay!” I yelled, throwing my hands around. “I wasn’t thinking when I made those decisions.”

“Then I’m asking you to think. Think and communicate, Aiden. That is all I need. The communication!” She yelled back. “Stop making decisions for us both without discussing it with me. This is not a one person relationship. This is a two way relationship. We should make decisions together, we should be there for each other. Next time, I don’t want you hurting all alone without letting me know. You should let me in. Let me be there to share the burden with you, Aiden. Stop pushing me away, please.” She finished.

I stood there with my heart in my mouth, unable to say anything. Or do anything. She cut right through me, and I didn’t know how to react.

“I’m glad you are willing to embrace me. To protect me, but can we discuss things like this when they happen? You were hurting all alone goddammit! And what do I do? Think I was the problem when you were only trying to protect me. See how that can be a problem, right?”

I nodded, swallowing, my eyes catching the movement of her throat as she swallowed, the way she pressed her fingers to her temple, or how her eyes trailed down my body. I saw it all, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a twitch in my shorts.

Why the hell am I thinking how she’d feel when I take her right now instead of apologizing?

‘Because you’re a shameless prick. Even me with my full sack isn’t thinking of that. But thinking of ways to apologize.’

“Is Leo with you on this? Did you both agree to do this?” I heard Nala ask.

‘Oh s**t! She’s gonna come at me now. Have I told you I’m scared of an angry Nala?’ He mumbled, taking a step back.

“Yes,” I answered, ignoring Leo. “We always do this…together.”

“You both know that is an unhealthy trait, right?” She whispered, leaning forward till her palms made contact with my chest.

My knees buckled, just like they did outside before we got here.

“This will be the last time I forgive you for something like this,” she continued, looking up at me with her brown eyes.

“You don’t understand!” I heard myself say a bit harsher as I placed my hands over hers in a tight grip and pulled them away from my chest. “I was scared I was going to lose you again. I stood there, unable to do anything and watched as that bastard tried to hurt you!” I snapped, cursing and taking steps back. “And why did that happen? Because as always, I let my anger take the better part of my rational thought. I should have noticed something was off, but I didn’t, and that nearly cost yours and my cousin’s life.” I finished, breathing heavily.

“Then make me understand!” She snapped. “How do you expect me to understand if you won’t let me in? How?”

“Nala…”

“I came here because I couldn’t take another day without seeing you. Without being in your arms, showing you just how much I missed you. But I wanted to let you know how much what you did affected me before I did any of that. Why? Because communication is key, Aiden.”

She keeps calling me Aiden and I found I didn’t like it. Not when she’s been calling me ‘Rabin Rai.’

“Why do you keep calling me Aiden?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“Because I’m angry,” she huffed. “You called me Natasha too back at Inna’s house,” she added.

“I wasn’t sane then, Nala,” I threw my hands around.

“Well, same. I’m not sane right now. I just want my man to know what he did was wrong so I can get back to my recharging spot,”

“Nala…” she was right, I was wrong and I knew that. “I’m sorry, Nala. Like I said, I wasn’t thinking.”

She smiled. “I know that already.” Then she curled her finger and beckoned on me. “Now I want you to stop holding back and take me like you missed me. Like the starved beast you look like.”

I growled loudly, all sanity escaping through the window as I took steps towards her. Surprisingly though, with each step I take, she takes another back until her back hits the wall behind her. I placed both of my hands on the wall, framing her in place.

“You have no idea what you’re asking for, Nala,” I said slowly.

“Show me. I want to see,” she blinked at me innocently, slipping her hands under my jersey and lifting it up till she exposed my stomach. “Hands up,” she whispered and I complied, allowing her to slip the jersey off of me. “Look at you,” she trailed a finger along my muscles, up to my right n****e. “All muscles. Are you sure you missed me?” She asked softly, brought her lips to my chest and kissed it.

“Nala…” I hissed, cupping her face with one hand as the other remained on the wall. I leaned down, eager to take her lips in another sizzling k**s, only for a loud knock on the door to stop me.

s**t!

‘Bring the car around. Quick!’ I mindlinked Kane.