Traded To The Lycan King

Chapter 162



*Hayes*

"No one goes anywhere alone," I remind her, my voice threatening as I take two steps after her. Her red hair flips around, loose strands brushing over her flushed cheeks as her eyes bore into mine.

"Send someone with me and they will come back with a black eye." She says. It almost sounds like a warning, but the more I see the anger burning behind her glare, the more I realize she is making me a promise.

“Even Marcos?" I murmur low enough for her to hear, then I quirk a single brow in retaliation for her attitude.

"I don't discriminate when I am angry." She says, taking two steps away before she turns on her heels and walks off into the trees.

I watch her with my stomach twisting in knots as my fingers twitch and my jaw clenches. She walks off gracefully with her head held high and yet, my eyes fall to her waist, watching it sway from side to side like a sex crazed idiot.

Should I have stopped myself? Maybe. Did I want to? No, and therein lies the problem. Nisha used to scratch an itch. For many of us, but that is why Koda does not care about her past.

We meant nothing to her, and she meant nothing to us. She is a friend, someone who was as broken as the rest of us, just seeking comfort for a night, a way to forget and not look back.

But Kyra...She tastes like my past and somehow my future. I restrained myself long enough to make sure she was willing and okay with what happened...but beyond that; I was selfish, and I didn't need another reason to hate myself. And yet, here I am, crossing off another mark. Reason five hundred something for why I deserve to die.

"Everything all good?" Dean asks, stepping up next to me.

"Yep." I lie and from the corner of my eye, I can see him nodding.

"So we are going to lie to each other now?" He asks, and I look over my shoulder for the others. Koda and Nisha chat with Marcos, who watches the place where Kyra disappeared as if trying to will her back.

“Does it count as a lie if I'm lying to myself about it, too?" I mutter, my chest rising with a deep inhale before I blow the air through my nose, trying to center myself. Kyra seems to weave her wed around me in every damn way possible, and I am tethered to her. Everything about her just...sets me off.

"Maybe you should go after her," He offers and I scoff.

"Are you kidding me? She will one hundred percent punch anyone who goes after her." I snort. "No, I will let her calm down and when she comes back, everything will be fine."

"Or it will be worse." Dean says, and I scowl at him.

“Well, that is not fucking helpful." I mutter and he slaps me on the back.

"Didn't say I was trying to be helpful, just trying to be someone you can talk to." He grins.

"Hayes..." Marcos says, walking up to me and Dean with a look of worry. "Can I talk to you?"

I furrow my brow and look at Dean, who puts his hands up and steps away, leaving me with the only person I feel like beating to a pulp for no reason. Well, perhaps there is a reason, but not one I am ready to acknowledge yet.

“What's up, Marcos?” I ask him and he clears his throat.

"Did you or Kyra have any injuries that needed to be looked at?" he asks.

It is obvious he is disappointed, or at least forlorn. Clearly, he likes Kyra as much as she likes him. Well, maybe more, considering she ended up in my arms and not his.

I smirk to myself, relishing that little nugget of information. She chose me, even if she didn't mean to. Even if I don't deserve it or her, I was the one she sought comfort and pleasure from.

"Kyra was struck pretty hard and knocked out for some time, but she seems fine now." I tell him. His eyes widen.

"She seems fine?" He asks, disbelieving. I adjust my stance, turning toward him as I cross my arms over my chest and look him up and down.

"Yes, she seemed fine. She was banged up pretty good, but I could see her wounds healing as she slept." I tell him, my voice harsh, to remind him I am still the person in charge here, even if he doesn't like me very much right now.

"And you didn't think that maybe her agreeing to have sex with you might be a part of her injury?" He asks, again, like I am some idiot.

"I assure you, Kyra was given ample

opportunities to say no and stop,

and yet she chose not to." My tongue rolls over my teeth when realize he is insinuating I took advantage of her in some way, that she might not have been in the right state of mind to make the decision she made.

For a second, my heart stutters... is he right? Did I take advantage of her when she was injured? Had she seemed like she wasn't in control of her thoughts or actions?

Truthfully, I can't recall. I was too

caught up in her and the way she looked at me. The way she kissed me before I had the chance to close the distance. And the spark...the one I can still feel at my fingertips. My hands clench and I scoff, chuckling dryly as I pace away from him, only to turn my rage on him. Content

"Are you saying you think I took advantage of her, Marcos?" I grit out. He blinks at me, his body unwavering as I get in his face, ready to tear him to shreds.

"I am asking." He says. "Did you take advantage of her, Hayes? Are you certain it was what she wanted?"

Fuck.

I drag my hand through my hair, taking a few steps back before I shake my head.

"No. No, I did not take advantage of her." I say, certain. Well, mostly certain. "I know Kyra better than I know myself. Not only would I never do anything to hurt her, I would have been able to read her enough to know she wasn't being herself."

He exhales deeply, looking comforted by my answer. "This may sound off but, how did she look? Skin wise, was her chest discolored or her side?" "Uh," I think back, trying to recall how she looked before I pulled the shirt over her body.

She was bruised nearly instantly. But she was covered in dirt and mud, so verifying what was bruising and mud wasn't exactly easy. And when we had sex, I didn't exactly undress her. It was unromantic, and quick.

Hell, it was more than scratching an itch like I made her feel. It was a need. Like a traveler lost in the desert for days who just found water. It felt like it was life or death.

"You don't remember?" Marcos asks, “I suppose it must not have been that bad if you can't recall it."

“No, it's more.......I dressed her when she was knocked out and we didn't exactly...undress for what we did, just sort of rearranged.......” I try to explain, feeling weird by saying it all out loud.

Marcos seems to think, his eyes where she was minutes before.

“Shit.” he sighs. "I really wish I would have been able to look before she walked off.”

“She is a Lycan. She will be fine,” I assure him, and he shakes his head.

"There are things we can't see

internally that can still make us weak, Hayes. Our bodies heal fast, yes, but some things take more time, especially if damage is significant. The moment she relaxes, she might end up passing out, or realizing she is in pain. Kyra really shouldn't be out there alone." He seems genuinely worried. Content

“Are you looking for an excuse to go follow her?" I ask, eyeing him for a moment. He glares at me but says nothing.

"You should go fetch her," he says after a minute. "She can have her alone time after I have looked her over."

“Hayes!” Nisha hisses, making us both look back at her. She points toward the sky as the scent of smoke brushes over my nostrils. My muscles go rigid, my lycan growing restless. "Dragons."

"Fuck, that's the way Kyra went," Marcos grumbles, sprinting forward.

Of course it is. She is a tracker, after all, which means she lied. Kyra wasn't looking for quiet; she was looking for Ezrah and trying to keep us in the

dark.

"Damn it, Kyra." I growl, racing off after Marcos.