The Lycan King's Puppet

Sometime during it all, she fell asleep. When she awoke, he was gone as she expected.

She was alone, but for some odd reason, she didn’t feel alone.

She slid down from the bed, arranging her dress around herself.

There was no evidence that he had been in her room.

And the day was far gone.

Claire changed her dress by herself and went to see Aurora.

The next day, she heard that the King was travelling to the Southern villages.

But all she heard was ’He was leaving’. No one knew how long he would take, but they all expected him to be back in time for his wedding.

His council was to remain behind and hold court in his absence, while Andon and his Uncle oversaw their activities.

He summoned her to serve wine that evening.

Lara and her girls had given her a warm bath an hour earlier and helped her into a formal attire.

When she arrived, Andon was standing by the hearth while the King was seated on his large table with a quill between his slender fingers.

The same fingers that were...

She stood by the door and waited for either of them to acknowledge her presence.

Andon spun around, placing his fingers on his forehead as if soothing a headache.

"I still don’t see why you choose to leave me behind with that council of vipers, Yeren. I should be at your side, not hiding away like a woman."

Yeren didn’t glance up.

Both of them still refused to acknowledge her - the argument must have been brewing long before she arrived.

"You’re the only one I trust to replace me in my absence."

Andon grunted. "Why don’t I take care of things in the Southern villages while you stay here?"

"They will only listen to the King."

Yeren set the quill down, folded the letter he had been writing neatly, reaching for the pot of melted wax. He poured some over the letter and stamped it with his royal seal.

"This is meant to be guarded." He handed it to Andon.

Andon didn’t move to take it.

"What is it about?"

"This is only to be opened if something dire happens to me, or if the council tries to overstep your authority."

Andon ran a hand through his hair.

"If something happens to you? Your life is more important than stopping the tricks of those vipers."

Yeren rubbed his eyes.

"Stop hiding there, Miss Stenly."

Claire almost stopped breathing.

Something had happened to force him to the South.

At least he wasn’t going away to avoid her...

She moved towards the decanter and took out a pitcher.

Andon nodded at her, although he didn’t smile.

She could never understand the depth of his loyalty towards the man behind the desk.

"Let me come with you... please."

Yeren shook his head, taking the goblet that Claire handed to him. Their fingers brushed slightly and his eyes met hers ever so briefly.

"You have to stay back and look after everything, including Miss Stenly and her sister."

"And who would protect you from the wild Rogues out there. No matter how strong you think you are, there are Lycans out there too, no matter how rare. And believe me, some can best you in a fight." Then, lowering his voice, he added, "You don’t even have an heir yet."

Claire glanced at the ground when Yeren looked at her.

She should leave, the conversation was private, she kept telling herself.

Then, Andon took the letter and the drink from his hands and left the room quietly.

"He seems upset." She said at last when the silence was becoming choking.

Yeren just made a small exhausted sound, but otherwise remained silent.

"Do you think I’m making a mistake - like Andon does?"

Claire blinked. He was asking her opinion?

"He’s just afraid for you. Knowing how frank he is, if you were doing the wrong thing, he would have advised against it in the first place."

He sighed.

"Are you afraid I won’t come back?"

"No." She lied. "You’re not coming back to me."

He stood up and ran both hands through his hair.

Even with the distance between them, she felt her toes curl.

Then he filled another goblet by himself and walked towards the balcony.

She just stood there sheepishly, wondering if she was dismissed.

"Have you ever wondered at the possibility of carrying my son?" He suddenly asked.

Her blood ran cold.

"No."

"I have called the healer to have a look at you tomorrow."

Her shoulders stiffened.

"Very well." She muttered. "Is that all?" Claire finally summoned the courage to ask.

Then he turned around.

"Would you stay?"

Claire blinked again. She had told him that the intimacy between them had come to an end. And he had understood, hadn’t he?

"I won’t, Your Grace."

He turned back to the sky.

"I won’t touch you, Claire."

"Should I inform your bride-to-be that you are in need of company?"

She saw his hands tighten around the goblet.

"Stop bringing her up when I’m talking with you. We both know that I have no feelings for her."

Her heart stopped beating for the briefest of seconds.

No feelings for Lady Plumette? So who then did he have feelings for?

"I never claimed the contrary, Your Grace."

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Are you jealous of my bride-to-be, Miss Stenly?"

Claire scoffed but said nothing. She wasn’t going to ridicule herself in front of either of them.

"I see." Was all he said.

The wind danced with the fabric of his shirt, framing the contours of lean muscle at intervals.

She had to leave. The air was becoming thick with something she didn’t want to name.

She knocked on the door and a guard opened it quickly enough.

His scent filled the air just as it had on the fateful day they had met at the market.

Except this time, she felt her whole body responding to it.