The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 121

QUINN

"Gabrielle, you may be powerful, and I may be just a simple lycan, but things won’t always go the way you want."

I thought as I watched her, and I swear for a second she paused her torture and turned her head slightly, showing me her profile, as if she had heard me.

However, she continued torturing that man—honestly, I had no idea how he was still alive.

Would she do the same to me if she found out we were mates?

Dying at the hands of that beautiful femme fatale didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

*****

VALERIA

“Aldric!” I stood up, rushing to him, worried about his wounds.

However, I stopped just before touching him, my filthy fingers trembling mere inches from his chest.

“Aldric… I… I'm sorry for deceiving you… I didn't know how to explain what I was… I didn't even understand it myself…” Tears began falling freely from my eyes.

I lowered my gaze, unable to look at him. The world was collapsing around us, but nothing could hurt me more than his rejection.

I didn’t even understand why I was here, and I knew he had saved me many times.

But did that mean he accepted me for who I was and that we could still be together?

After all, I was even carrying his baby.

A finger gently lifted my chin, and his presence surrounded me protectively.

His intoxicating scent made every pore of my body sigh.

My uncertain blue eyes met his stormy ones.

His furrowed brow worried me, and the blood still pouring from his wounds made my heart ache. We were both a mess, but he was seriously injured.

“The only thing I don’t know how to forgive,” he whispered, leaning over me, forcing me to swallow the lump of emotions in my throat, “is the fact that you ever thought I could hurt you.”

“I was wrong too, love. I made mistakes, my hatred blinded me, but you showed me the truth, Valeria. You showed me from here.”

He touched the pendant on my chest, which now felt void of magic.

His hand moved down the tattered remains of my dress, resting gently on my belly, caressing it slowly. A wave of unconditional love flowed through our bond.

He knew. He knew we were going to have a baby.

Suddenly, images of that strange raven flashed in my mind, and I remembered how Aldric had shifted from a bird to a lycan right before my eyes.

I looked beyond us, watching the carnage my mother was unleashing, pouring out her hatred. Honestly, I didn’t feel the slightest bit sorry for that man.

Seeing the power of a mature Selenia made me realize everything he had stolen from me. I was just a defective copy of my mother—that was the truth.

“Something’s happening.” Suddenly, Aldric tensed, holding me closer and pulling us away from the fight.

I lifted my head to see the shift in battle—everything happened too fast.

That man, a mere wreck, cut to pieces by the Queen, lunged forward with what seemed like his final will toward the Lunar Gate. He was too close!

“NOOO, YOU DAMN COWARD! LYCAN KING, PROTECT VALERIA!” My mother’s scream echoed.

She turned to look at us, and I barely had time to sense the buildup of concentrated magic energy—all coming from what remained of the Vampire King.

It couldn’t be. He was using his life force to blow up the gate. That was insane!

BOOOOOOMMMMM!

A blinding light filled my eyes, and in my final moments of consciousness, I saw Gabrielle spread giant crimson-feathered wings, as if soaked in blood, shielding the massive explosion, standing before the danger and holding back the debris from the gate.

"MOM!" I screamed in my mind one last time, feeling warm arms around me as I fell into the abyss from the collapsing bridge.

Then, nothing—just cold and darkness.