The Lycan King's Muse

Ep 13: Men are All the Same

"Did you, in the end, find out why your father locked you up?" Lyall asks.

I have my head on his chest while he looks up at the room's dark ceiling. Moments ago, I was trying to get away from his bed. Yet now I am lying on top of his body very comfortably.

Honestly, I blame my pregnancy hormones. My tears were definitely caused by them, too. Of course, the attraction and the comfortable feeling I have with Lyall are no doubt caused by heightened oxytocin.

"Yeah," I whisper. My fingers trace his chest without touching his skin. I am not exactly sure I want to feel the burn his skin will bring. "He told me just before he died."

"What's the reason?"

"He said he did it for my protection." I take a deep breath. "He always wanted a warrior because he had always been one, hence he prepared the name Mars, but my mother made it into Marsha to fit my gender before she died. My father was prepared to raise a warrior, but not prepared to raise a girl. He told me there were days he felt so paranoid because at any time, a male wolf, especially an alpha, could have taken me."

"That's why, on days he had to go lead a hunt or an expedition, he'd locked me in my room. He was afraid that if I was left to roam the house or the pack by myself, a male would snatch me away."

"Is that common in your pack?" Lyall brushes my dark hair gently. Our positions make it impossible for me to see past his chin. In the dark-lit room, I can see a few stubbles growing on his skin. There is a tattoo of a full moon on his chest, so I decide to just focus on that tattoo instead.

"It's common in every werewolf pack, I think. With the lack of female werewolves and all." I give up. The temptation to touch his skin is becoming unbearable. In the end, I long for the sparks only he can give me. The moment my fingers touch his chest, I feel him shudder. But as he keeps his body still, I dare myself to create slow, but gentle circles on his skin.

"I heard that in one pack, females as young as twelve, as long as they already have their period, will be taken to a 'breeding room' where males would take turns to impregnate them," I continue, "At least in my pack, females can't be taken without the consent of the head of the family. The males in my pack behave... better."

"But still not good enough," Lyall mutters, "If they have been good, you wouldn't need to run away from them."

"Well, at least I was lucky–"

"Not good enough," Lyall repeats the words with gritted teeth. His growl surfaces from his throat, but his gentleness, while he caresses my hair, does not subside. "I'm sorry I brought up those horrible memories. I wasn't thinking when I locked you up."

I push myself up and then I stare down at this man. My arms are on either side of his body as he retracts his arms from behind his head, assuming a very relaxed position. His body is so big compared to mine.

"Why did you do it?" I stare down at his emerald eyes. He looks at my face as if he is watching an amusing show.

For a moment, I thought he wouldn't tell me. But then he says, "The emotion you stirred on me was getting too much. I just knew that if I had stayed, I would have... not wanted to ever leave you." He clears his throat. "I have my duties as a king, too. And I am ashamed to say that, like your father, I thought I was protecting you. People know you are my mate and some people within these walls are looking for my loopholes."

I tilt my head to the side. Somehow, I sense he is not telling me the entire truth. My female intuition tells me that if he had stayed, he would have not been able to stop himself from telling me about his past. And that's not something he wants to do yet. At least, not to a stranger like me, even though we are mates and I am the only person who can make him feel.