Betrayed Heiress: My Second Chance Mate is A Lycan King

Aira’s POV

“That is my best friend. Her name is Carla.”

Richard’s eyes don’t leave the spot where Carla once occupied them, and my eyelids narrow with suspicion. He still doesn’t meet my eyes when he asks, “Why didn’t you introduce me to her?”

My eyebrows shoot to the top of my skull, and I rear my head back. “I didn’t know I was supposed to; I guess it sort of skipped my mind.”

He straightens up his shirt and squares his shoulders. “Then I will have to do it myself then.”

He heads down the path Carla had followed, and I watch him leave with disbelief. “But what did you want to tell me?” I yell out to him, but he doesn’t reply to me. A groan leaves my lips when he takes the turn and vanishes from my sight.

What the hell was all that about?

The rest of the day goes by pretty fast. My heart was saddened when Alex didn’t return home on time. I wanted to wait up for him, but sleep had gotten the better of me. I could have sworn that I had felt the bed dip at some point during the night, but by the time I woke up, he was gone.

And it went on like that for the next three days.

It was safe to say that I was frustrated at this point. I know he was busy trying to find out who was responsible for those attacks, but it was no excuse not to make time for me and for us. I searched the palace the next day for him. I asked every guard and every maid.

But they all gave me the same response.

“The alpha left really early this morning,” is what they would say.

“Well, do you mind telling me where he went? I want to go to him.”

“I am sorry, but we cannot disclose that information to you.”

I think that is when I lost my mind. I snapped at all of them, feeling insulted that everyone seemed to be hiding my mate from me. In reality, I knew they were only following his orders. But I missed him a lot.

That night, I went to bed with a heavy heart. But I woke up with an even heavier one after the dream I had. It wasn’t a full-blown dream. It was just a clip, a vision of just a few seconds. It was from that woman.

The woman who summoned me the last time I was in the spirit realm. This time, we were surrounded by nothing but darkness. Her eyes are darker than ever now; they drilled straight into my soul, paralyzing me to the spot. She stands tall and confident before me, and I can’t help but shake off this connection between us.

Who is she?

She uttered just three words to me before vanishing before my eyes.

“You must choose.”

A gasp leaves my lips as I shoot out of bed. My eyes lock with another pair of dark eyes, the very same one that I had fallen in love with.

“I hear you have been looking for me,” Alex says with a sly smirk. I didn’t know what the cause of my tears was this time; all I knew was that I wanted to hug him as tight as I could. And that is precisely what I did.

Wrapping my arms around his torso, I bury my face into his chest and take in his masculine scent. “I have missed you so much; don’t disappear like that on me again.”

“I won’t,” he says to me softly.

I pull back a bit to get a good look at his face. His eyes were incredibly tired. There were faint bags beneath them, and the corners of his eyes were a bright shade of red. He really has been working tirelessly.

“Have you found any leads as to who could be responsible for these attacks?” I ask him, and his jaw clenches.

“It has to be one of the alphas. Who else could it be? We defied them, and now they are making our lives a living hell. Right now, all I need is the proof and to know who exactly it is so I can rip their heads off,” Alex growls.

My head shakes with disbelief. He was always so aggressive.

Placing my hands on his shoulders, I say, “You need to get some rest. You are clearly sleep-deprived.”

He shakes his head in refusal. “I am not sleepy.”

“Well then, I suppose we should do something to tire you out.” I pause to think of the best possible way to do that. “Let us take a walk into town.”

“No.”

I pout my lips. He responded to that a bit too quickly. “Oh, come on, why not?”

He raises a brow at me like I don’t know his reason for doing that. “Don’t ask me that.”

Folding my arms above my chest, my eyelids narrow to slits. “You can’t keep me locked in here forever.”

“I can and I will,” Alex says with finality, and I would be lying if I said that didn’t turn me on.

A resigned sigh leaves my lips as I drag my hand down my face. “Come on, Alex. I am tired of being locked up in here; you have to let me out at some point.” I say, but he doesn’t utter a word. “We will be together all through. Nothing can possibly happen to me while I am with you, right?”

His jaw tickles, but I can see the consideration in his eyes.

I help him make his final decision by giving him the puppy dog eyes. “Pretty please.”

At first he stares at me blankly, but then he shuts his eyes and mutters something inaudibly beneath his breath.

“Fine,” he says after much grumbling, and I shoot to my feet with a cheer.

“Yay!”

Hurriedly, I shower and change into a bright yellow sundress and hat. Once I am done putting on my favorite pair of white sandals, I join Alex downstairs. There are seven guards standing behind him, and my mouth falls slightly ajar.

As though he could read my mind, Alex shrugs. “What? They are just for precaution.”

I roll my eyes, but I dare not complain. At least I get to go out.

Alex takes me by the hand and leads me out of the palace, with the guards following right behind us. From a distance, I could spot three marching ahead of us. I wanted to tell Alex that this was being a bit too much, but deep down, I knew he was actually trying to do this at a minimum.

When we got into town, I was surprised to find some of our people with smiling faces. I thought that after what happened, there would be much gloom and sadness. The air wasn’t the same as the other day I stepped out, but the mood wasn’t as damp as I expected.

Our people perked up even more when their eyes fell on Alex.

“Look, it’s Alpha Alexander!”

“Hello, Alpha Alexander!”

Alex waved at them as they passed by. His expression remains stoic, but his eyes are kind. He was a charismatic leader, and the way he carried himself was so admirable.

Our attention falls on Arnold walking up to us.

“Arnold, I didn’t know you would be out here,” Alex says, and Arnold simply hums.

“Well, we have been following some leads on who could be responsible for these attacks,” Arnold says before shooting me a glance. “May I please speak to you in private?”

I reared my head, finding offense in his words. But then my gaze travels to a man standing behind Arnold. He has his back to us, but I could have sworn I recognized him somewhere.

And that is when it clicks. It was him.

The man who saved me and those kids on the day of the attack.

Alex scowls. “No. Whatever you have to tell me, you can say it in front of her.”

Placing my hand on Alex’s chest, I say, “Actually, that is fine. You guys go; I will be waiting here.”

Alex is obviously shocked by my words, seeing as his eyebrows shot to the top of his head. “Are you sure about that?”

I nod, shooting a quick glance at my unknown savior. He appears to be buying something from one of the local traders. He is making a payment.

Shit. He is about to leave.

“Alright then. Don’t move an inch, you hear me?” he says, and I nod, giving him a silent salute, which he chuckles at. Once he walks off with Arnold, my attention falls on the strange man. He was already walking away, so I had to speed walk to keep up with him.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

I did not mind if the guards were following me from a distance. I just really needed to thank him.

“Hey! Hold up! Sir?” I yell after him, but he doesn’t stop. He walks on, and I notice that people became scarcer the more turns we took. Soon, I find myself catching up to him in an alley.

“Hey, wait up!” My hand wraps around his wrist, and he finally stops. My eyebrows crease. “Didn’t you hear me?”

“My apologies. I didn’t realize it was me you had been speaking to.”

Finally, he turns around, and I gasp at the sight of his face.

Never in my life, not even in my dreams, could I have ever imagined a face like that.