The Lycan King's Defiant Surrogate

The man in the labs coat fills the syringe with the bluish liquid of the vial. Then he brings it closer.

"What is that?" I ask, panic rising in my voice. My heartbeat poils out of control.

"For generations, the royal family has been the sole owners of a special truth serum Tristan says. "It specifically targets the inner wolf. Our wolves are naturally prone to truth as it is. They are far less complicated than their human counterparts. "The serum will force forward your wolf, who will be compelled to tell us all we need to know."

"That's not going to work," I say,

Tristan huffs a harsh breath. "I've seen it in action before, I can assure you it's quite potent"

"That's not what I mean." I say.

The man in the lab coat brings the needle closer. He lowers it down, dangerous close to my exposed neck. I struggle against my restraints, but they are solid metal. I'm not going anywhere.

"Please!" I tell them. "It won't work, I'm telling you!"

It's too late. The needle pinches the delicate skin of my neck. The man in the lab coat squeezes the syringe and the liquid spills into my body.

It won't work!" I scream, a burning pain forming at the entry point.

Tristan tilts his head. "What makes you believe that so strongly

"I don't have a wolf!" I cry and start to convulse.

Caleb watches passively as Harper's eyes roll into the back of her head and her body begins to shake. Clearly, she's faking it, She's lying about not having a wolf, just like she's been lying about everything else. She says she didn't have his child? Lies.

She says she doesn't want him? Lies.

She says she doesn't have a wolf? Just more lies.

Yet, as the seconds tick past, the more uncertain Caleb becomes

Harper is groaning. Her teeth are clenched. She's digging her fingernails into the wood of the chair so hard, she's starting to bleed.

"Beta," Caleb says.

Tristan moves forward at once, ever obedient to Caleb's command. They are so in sync that Caleb doesn't even need to tell him what to check for. Tristan immediately grips her arm and checks her pulse. "Her heartrate is out of control, Tristan says. Both he and Caleb look to the doctor. "Could it be true? Does she not have a wolf

The doctor seems troubled. He rushes back to his table and starts searching for something.

"What happens if that serum is given to someone without a wolf?" Caleb demands, stepping forward now, away dark shadows of the corner of the cell. The doctor keeps searching, not answering him. from the

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Caleb hates being ignored-

He grabs the front lapel of the doctor's lab coat and forces him to face him. "Answer your King, damn it."

"Forgive me, King Caleb," the doctor says at once. "I'm looking for the antidote."

"Antidote?"

D

"No one said she didn't have a wolf, the doctor says, nervously speaking as quickly as he can. "If the serum is given to someone without a wolf, it will kill her. It's trying to summon something that doesn't exist. We have to inject the antidote." Caleb shoves the doctor back toward the table. "Do it, then"

There's something uncomfortable growing in his chest, making his heart quicken and his blood boil. He exactly. He doesn't usually feel something like this.

It almost feels like... fear? Panic?

can't describe it

No. Ridiculous. He doesn't care about this wornan in any capacity. If he's panicking, it's only because she's the only one whol knows where his child is. If she dies, that secret goes with her.

"If she dies, so will you, doctor," Caleb growls.

The doctor yelps and continues searching.

Caleb doesn't understand. How can Harper not have a wolf? That's such a rare condition... He's never known anyone without -rwoll before..

She went into heat. She should have a wolf

But the evidence is clearly to the contrary.

Harper doesn't have a wolf, and now the serum, and Caleb's carelessness and assumptions are going to kill her.

Caleb curls his hands into fists.

"Ah hah!" The doctor says, grabbing a vial of clear liquid. With a fresh syringe, he stabs the bottle and draws for the liquid. Then, he rushes toward Harper, plunges the needle into her neck and delivers the antidote. When it's all injected, the doctor removes the needle. A drip of blood collects at the opening then slides down her neck

Caleb, without realizing it, starts to growl.

A moment passes, and Harper's body goes slack. She's no longer crying or moaning, she's not moving at all.

Tristan checks her pulse. "It's steady"

Caleb steps forward. "Remove her restraints."

Inexplicably, seeing her like this, unconscious and bound with blood on her neck, sends a shock of irritation through him. He wants this corrected. Now

Tristan hurries to comply, snapping open the restraints on her. The moment, the last restraint on her ankle is undone, Caleb shucks off his jacket, drapes it over her, and then scoops her up into his arms.

Carrying her toward the doctor, he demanded. "Check her vitals

The doctor complied at once, checking her heartbeat and her blood pressure. "Breathing looks good. She'll be sore when

she wakes up, but she'll survive.

That doesn't seem good enough. She nearly died today. Somen should pay for that negligence..

Once the doctor's general check-up is clone, Caleb turns to Tristan. "I never want to see this doctor's face again."

The doctor goes pale

"Yes, my king." Tristan says, "Gather your things and get out."

The doctor scrambles to collect all their equipment into a bag. Once everything is put away, he rushes toward the cell door and then disappears down the hallway.

Tristan stays where he is, watching Caleb. He could be waiting for his next command, but Caleb has known his Beta long enough to know when he is waiting and when he is thinking.

"Out with it then." Caleb says. Now that they are alone, they tan peak more candidly. He always has a wall between himself and everyone around him, especially his servants. But, as Tristan has known him the longest, he allows his Beta special privileges every now and then. Occasionally, Caleb will let the Beta speak his mind.

"I don't wish to speak out of turn," Tristan says.

"I won't command again," Caleb grumbles.

The way you hold her." Tristan says. He gestures toward Harper in Caleb's arms.

Caleb glances down. He does hold her rather gently, with one arm under her legs and the other around her shoulders. His tilted her head onto his shoulder and is being careful not to shift her overmuch as he carries her around.

But it doesn't mean anything. How does Tristan expect him to hold her? Like she is a sack of potatoes?

Even if a filthy liar, she is one of his women.

"You seem to care for her," Tristan says. "You're whole reaction. The way you snapped at the doctor. It almost seems as if you care a lot about this woman.

""Don't be ridiculous," Caleb says.

"I'm not trying to be," Tristan says. "To me, it seems as if she's special to you."