Defying the Lycan King

The night passed in tense, separate silences. Derek refused to share the bed and shut himself in the study instead, burying himself in emails and spreadsheets until exhaustion finally dragged him under around midnight. When he woke, the sky outside the window was still the soft charcoal of pre-dawn. The clock on the wall read 6:04 a.m.

He stretched, joints popping, and scrubbed a hand over his face. His fingertips brushed the small sticking plaster on his forehead. The memory of Kira’s face hovering over him, and the way she gently blew at the wound, looking genuinely sorry, flashed in his memory. He blinked it away. Then his gaze drifted to the top of his laptop.

A yellow Post-it note was stuck there, slightly crooked. ’Smile. It’s not a funeral.’

Underneath the words were doodled a row of goofy little faces, one winking, one sticking its tongue out, one wearing comically oversized sunglasses. Derek rolled his eyes, knowing exactly who was responsible. The handwriting was unmistakably hers, cheerful even in ink.

When had she even crept in? Had he been so exhausted that a werewolf had managed to sneak into his office without him noticing? The thought prickled his pride. He pushed the chair back, stood, and headed for the bedroom to change into his running gear. To his surprise, the bedroom was empty. Kira was already up and out of the room.

Dressed in black joggers and a fitted long-sleeve top, he padded downstairs and headed to the kitchen. Kira, Flora, and Alistar stood on the island, deep in conversation, laughing like old friends while Flora ran around, making breakfast. Kira was already in running kit: teal leggings, cropped white hoodie, hair scraped into a high ponytail. She looked far too awake for six in the morning.

"Good morning, Your Grace," Alistar said pleasantly, straightening.

"Oh, good morning, Your Grace," Flora said.

Derek didn’t answer. He crossed straight to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of water, and twisted the cap off. "I’m going for a run," he said over his shoulder as he headed for the glass doors that opened onto the deck.

"Wait for me!" Kira called immediately, already moving.

Derek spun around, ready to tell her exactly where she could shove her joint-exercise ideas, but his eyes locked with Alistar’s. The older man was watching him with a knowing, pleasant smile. A smile that reminded him that he needed to pretend. Then he looked at Kira, who was beaming at him with expectation.

He sighed and looked away. ’Goddess, she drives me crazy,’

he thought, and started to turn, but paused and looked at Alistar again. "What are you doing here at this hour, by the way?"

"Routine morning clean, Your Grace," the older man replied mildly.

Derek knew it was a lie. He was there to spy on them and report any misstep to Nana. He narrowed his eyes at Alistar and Flora for a long beat, then jerked his head at Kira to follow and strode outside without another word.

Kira gave Alistar a quick wave. "See you later!"

The beach stretched out in front of them, pale sand still cool from the night, waves rolling in with a steady, hushed rhythm. The air tasted of salt. Derek immediately picked up the pace, his long legs eating up the distance and leaving Kira trailing behind.

"Hey!" Kira shouted. "Why are you going so fast?" she panted, struggling to keep up. "We’re supposed to be jogging together! Side by side!"

He didn’t slow down or even glance back. She huffed, pushing harder, but Derek’s long legs carried him farther. Kira suddenly let out a sharp yelp behind him. Derek skidded to a stop and turned to see Kira hunched over on the sand, clutching her ankle.

"Ow! I can’t move my leg!"

The wind tugged at his hair as he jogged back, squinting against the morning fog.

"What’s wrong?"

She glared up at him, cheeks flushed. "It’s your fault! If I weren’t chasing after you like a lunatic, I wouldn’t have twisted it!"

He crouched in front of her, elbows on his knees. "Can you walk?"

She nodded, bottom lip pushed out in a sulky pout. Derek offered his hand. She took it and let him pull her carefully to her feet. She balanced on one leg, wincing dramatically.

He turned his back. "Climb on. I’ll carry you back, and Flora can look at it."

Kira stared at his broad shoulders for half a second. Then a wicked little smile curved her mouth.

"The last one back is a loser!" she yelled, shoving past him and sprinting away down the beach with impressive speed, ponytail bouncing, no trace of a limp.

Derek stood frozen for one stunned heartbeat. "That little..." He took off after her. "You deceiver!" he roared. "You cheated!"

She glanced over her shoulder, laughing so hard she almost tripped. "Keep up, Your Grace! Sweet Kira: 4. Grumpy King: 0!"

He caught her in seconds, reaching out to overtake her, but she grabbed a fistful of his shirt, slowing him down.

"Let go," he hissed, struggling to run past.

"No way." She grinned up at him, still holding on. "We’re supposed to jog together as husband and wife. Don’t you want to enjoy this ’honeymoon’ at all? Because I do, even if we go straight back to being enemies the second we get back to Dravengard. Let’s make this memorable."

He stared down at her. Something flickered in his chest: irritation, exasperation, and something dangerously close to amusement. He finally slowed his pace until they were running side by side, the only sounds their matched breathing and the steady crash of waves.

After a long stretch of quiet sand, he spoke. "You seem so happy about this trip. Have you never been on holiday before?"

She shook her head. "Not once. This is my first proper one. You?"

He didn’t answer immediately. When he did, his voice was quieter than usual. "I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been dragged here. Always ends the same way, me and that insufferable old man breathing down my neck."

"You mean Alistar?" Kira laughed softly. "He seems lovely to me."

"You wouldn’t understand. He’s Nana’s loyal spy."

She laughed again, brighter this time. "Is that why you resent him so much? Isn’t that exactly why we should be putting in more effort with the act?"

"Do we have a choice when he’s watching every move like a hawk?" Derek muttered. "I guarantee he’s already sent Nana a full report of yesterday. Every word and every glance. The man’s a bloody menace."

Kira tilted her head, ponytail swinging. "Don’t be mean. Everyone has someone they’re loyal to. That’s not a crime."

He glanced sideways at her. "So where does your loyalty lie?"

She blinked, thrown by the sudden, quiet question.