The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 95

VALERIA

It was another massive brown Lycan—Quinn—dripping blood from multiple wounds, who began battling Aldric, assailing him alongside Celine in her vampire form.

I knew they were defending me, rebelling against the King for my sake. I appreciated their loyalty, but this was not how I wanted things to end. Everything was the result of my fears and indecision.

The forest was filled with roars and the stench of thick blood. I began absorbing all the fog brimming with dark energy around me. My wings beat fiercely, creating gusts of air that swept away the illusions and deceptions.

My feet lifted a few inches off the ground, and the moonlight started piercing the darkness. But there was too much dark energy, and I was just a novice at controlling my power.

I opened my eyes just as something flew toward me, landing at my feet with a dull thud.

"Quinn!" I cried, utterly exhausted, on the verge of collapsing. I felt like the dark energy coursing through my veins would explode at any moment if I didn’t rest to process it.

But I couldn’t pass out now. I knelt beside Quinn’s wounded body as he struggled to stand. He lacked the strength to maintain his Lycan form and reverted to a human, his injuries severe.

A she-wolf roared in front of us—Celine in her animal form—glaring ahead where Aldric was approaching. This time, though, he wasn’t blinded by rage; he seemed slightly disoriented.

"Celine, come here! Protect Quinn. No matter what happens, don’t fight Aldric anymore—he’ll kill you. I’ll fight. This is my battle. I’ll fight!" I shouted into her mind as I stretched out my hand to stop Quinn’s bleeding.

That’s when I noticed one of my hands had returned to its human form while the other remained clawed and pale, black veins crawling across almost my entire body.

I glanced at myself briefly. It was as if I were half-human and half-Selenia, perhaps because I was too drained to maintain my full form.

Celine leapt to lick her brother’s wounds, all the while growling at Aldric.

"Va... Valeria?" he suddenly spoke into my mind, and I looked at him, standing a few meters away from us.

Slowly, I rose to face him, clenching my fists without fear. If he was going to condemn me, this was the moment to find out. I wouldn’t let him harm my friends.

"It’s me, Aldric, I’m—"

I couldn’t finish the sentence.

A dark hand suddenly muffled my mouth, and an icy presence enveloped my back, yanking me forcefully into a vortex of darkness.

Panic filled me as I tried to resist, but my strength was fading.