Bullied Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 91

Lily's POV

Even though the rest of the ride was filled with comfortable silence from Ren who seemed to be resolved about the proposal that he made to me and light conversation between Rhea and Chelsea, my mind could not still seem to get over the fact that this mate thing was happening and that it was real.

And would Ren really still be able to love me if I could not reject my mate? Would that be fair to him? He was leaving his mate to be with me. Even though it's under different circumstances, I should be able to do the same. I wanted to be with him more than anything and I knew that the only way to know if it was possible was to first find my mate.

The ride to the school was smooth and swift regardless of my tumultuous thoughts and when the limo pulled up at school, there were many people outside and even though I knew that they could not see into the car, I felt a little queasy and anxious to get out of the car. I knew that tongues would wag the moment they saw me stepping out of the limousine and I was already planning to find a way to sneak when the car took a turn and pulled into a private garage.

"For the royals," Chelsea mouthed and I nodded. Of course, the royals had a private parking space. What I would have given to be born with a silver spoon, a small part of me thought as Ren took my hand and helped me out of he car, Rhea and Chelsea coming out through the other side to see Zac and Chase waiting for us, leaning against their cars.

Chase smirked at his sister first who rolled her eyes and when his eyes landed on Rhea, they softened almost immediately. I watched Rhea fiddle with the hem of her skirt, the tension between them almost palpable.

"Hey, man." He finally said, exchanging a handshake with Ren who went back to holding my hand, the warm feeling making me giddy inside.

"Happy birthday, Lily." Chase said to me with a bright smile that was always easy to return and I grinned.

"Thank you very much. Do you also happen to have a gift for me perhaps? I mean, a girl can dream."

Nodding, he brought a gift bag that I didn't realize he had been hiding behind him with this free hand and handed it to me.

When I opened it, it was a bottle of champagne and when I looked back up at him with a smile, he shrugged.

"I mean, now you're officially an adult and you obviously can't take that on school grounds but I was hoping that you could get to open it later at your party which thankfully I was invited to, so I will be seeing you there."

"Thank you. And yes, please come." I replied, glancing at Chelsea with a smile that I hoped conveyed my gratitude that she was able to put away her on/off feud with her brother to tell Bia to invite him to the party that she was throwing on my behalf. Even though I had wanted something small, the more the merrier and I could not wait to see what was going to happen tonight.

"I'll walk you to class." Chase said more to Rhea than Chelsea and even though Rhea's face looked like she would refuse, she nodded and the three of them headed inside.

It felt like the temperature in the garage dropped a significant number of degrees when Zac finally appeared in front of me and I didn't even realize that I was holding my breath until he spoke.

"Happy birthday, duchess." He whispered and I nodded, managing to give him a nervous smile.

"Thanks." I smiled up at him, even though he was the last person I expected to be wishing me a happy birthday.

For once, he had a sincere smile on his face, his eyes almost warm and tender.

"I'd like to give you your gift. Can you come with me?"

I looked at his outstretched hand and turned to look at Ren, asking him with my eyes if he didn't mind, especially because Zac had behaved like Ren was not even standing there, making me wonder if something was going on between them. They seemed a bit frosty with each other.

Ren's gaze softened and he nodded, indicating that I could go and I was about to let go of his hand when he pulled me close and kissed me deeply. My legs trembled and buckled and I would have fallen over if his arms weren't around my waist as he slipped his tongue into my mouth, cracking me open and tasting me, deepening the kiss. The butterflies in my stomach were throwing a goddamn party at this point.

"I'll be right behind you," he whispered as he kissed my forehead and allowed me to walk away.

I could see the annoyance on Zac's face as he led me away from the garage into an empty hallway and I told myself that it wasn't because he was jealous.

He could not actually want me that way right? Even though the past few days with him has been confusing, he probably just thinks of me as the annoying almost girlfriend of his best friend he has to play nice with, even though I reminded him of his evil ex. "Watch your step," he murmured and I almost jumped out of my body when he placed a gentle hand on the small of my back, guiding me into the infamous elevator that was only to be used by the royals. "Where are we going?" I asked as he pressed the button to take us to the top floor.

Some of the old Zac I knew and recognized peeked out as he flashed me one of his cocky grins. "You'll see."

I noticed he tried to stay as far away from me as he could on the elevator, a tightness in his back and shoulders as he kept swallowing and raking his hand through his already messy black hair. When we arrived at our destination, he led me down a hallway and into a small dark room he opened with his own key.

He led me into the room and as he stopped in the dark, I noticed that I didn't feel scared at all when I used to literally panic if he was in the area.

When did I start to trust Zac wholeheartedly?

When he turned on the lights, I realized that we were in a cozy music room and I was standing right in the center, surrounded by different musical instruments. My lips parted slightly in awe. "Ren has his art room, Aiden has a reading space in the library and we all have the basement lounge where we hang out together. This... this is my hideaway."

"It's beautiful." I answered, turning to look at him. "Can you play every instrument here?"

He placed a hand on his chest, putting on a good show of being offended and I bit back my smile at how adorable he was.

"You think I'd show off this place if I didn't know how to play everything here? I can play all thirty instruments you can see here."

"Impressive," I laughed, suddenly feeling giddy as I went to the acoustic guitar and touched a string. "Play something for me? It is my birthday."

"I'll play anything you want, duchess, but first, your gift."

My eyes glittered. "You got me a gift?"

"What? You thought I wouldn't?"

I... Yes, actually but I didn't say that out loud because he was already offended by the thought that I wouldn't expect anything from him.

"I was going to get you a new phone to replace your old junk, but Ren beat me to it. So... Here you go," he said, bringing out a package and unwrapping it to reveal an iPod with a wired earpiece.

He took my hand and I ignored the way my body tingled as he placed the iPod on my palm.

"I know you're into retro s**t and the iPod is already filled with some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it."

Eyes welling with tears, I nodded and immediately plugged my ears to scan through the playlist and I looked up in surprise, my smile wide because we had similar tastes.

I looked up to thank him and saw that he was smiling, his gaze soft and I momentarily ran out of words to say.

"Thank you, Zac."

"That's just one of your gifts," he laughed, taking my hand and leading me towards the balcony.

I placed my hands on the railing, breathless for a moment as I realized just how high up we were. We were so high, I could almost see all of Shadow Cove from here, the boundaries of the four distinct packs that surrounded the capital were unique in their own right. I bet if I squint hard enough, I can see my home from here.

I've never been this high up before and the euphoric feeling and the wind blowing in my hair made me feel lighter. Free-er.

"Zac, look!" I cried excitedly, wanting him to see what I was seeing, without taking into account that if this was his little hideaway, he was already too used to the scenery to be breathtaken by it. "Hmm?"

I nearly tumbled over the railing, onto the green lawn below us.

I didn't realize how close we were until I heard him right behind me, and even now, I could feel his body heat, the ghost of his chest grazing my back.

"Zac?" I swallowed as he stroked my hair gently, gathering it in his hand and expertly packing it into a messy bun behind my head.

"Relax duchess. Your pulse is driving me crazy."

I could feel the rumble of his chest against my back and kept still as he placed something small and delicate around my neck-

Oh, that's what it was. A necklace. A little diamond pendant. My gift. Of course. What the hell was I thinking? He was just standing close to me because he wanted to put it on for me.

But... Why isn't he stepping back?

I swallowed as his fingertips grazed my collarbone, sparks dancing across every nerve ending on my skin cells. "Don't take it off," he said, right beside my ear and all I could do was nod like an i***t, my sensors had probably overloaded and crashed a long time ago. "You know," he said, putting an arm on either side of me and grabbing onto the railing, so that I was trapped in his semi embrace. "I've never lost control since I got turned. That time at the club was a mistake. I never want to let you see that side of me again." "It's fine." I sounded like a dying crow, my throat tight and sore."Really. I'm no longer bothered by it."

"You should." And he suddenly placed his nostrils on my racing pulse and I froze as he inhaled deeply, a cold tingle, shooting up my spine when he let out a groan. "I'm barely holding myself back. You have no idea how dangerous it is to be here with me, alone, without Ren to protect you. You have no idea how much effort it's taking to pull myself into the semblance of a decent human being for you."

"You don't scare me, Zac," I said softly," not anymore. I trust you. You won't hurt me."

His teeth scraped my erratic pulse and I almost exploded into a new star. Thankfully, his fangs remained sheathed.

His teeth scraped my erratic pulse and I almost exploded into a new star. Thankfully, his fangs remained sheathed.

"I don't want to hurt you, Lily." He whispered harshly. "I want to devour you."

I gasped and turned around to face him.

I shouldn't have turned around to face him.

His face. His eyes. Hungry. Wild. He was breathing heavily, desperate restraint clear on his face.

I'm barely holding myself back. I want to devour you.

For once, he didn't have that charming look on his face that felt like armour. He seemed distraught, wild, ravenous and yet, so hesitant, an emotion that I had never seen on him as he reached out to tuck stray strands of hair behind my ear. And when I didn't stop him, he leaned in to press a light kiss to my ear that made my entire body tremble.

When he pulled back, his dark eyes like pools of darkness were so intense and I felt almost hypnotized by him.

"Your blood. Your scent. You don't even realize how much you drive me crazy. There's something about you Lily, something that my body, my wolf just responds to."

I could hear the glogh glogh glogh of my heart pounding erratically in my chest. But it wasn't loud enough to drown out his words.

"I tried to stop, tried to not want you, I thought I'd get myself in a few days. I thought the insomnia, the nightmares will stop... but it only gets worse."

"Zac..."

He shook his head. "I never should have tasted you if I was going to become a f*****g addict over it. I never should have... f**k! Ever since I had a taste, you're all I want. All I crave. It's like something changed. At first, I thought that all I wanted was your blood, but the longer I stay with you, I realize that it's not just that."

"I want you. All of you. I want these moments, just us. Just me and you. Your smiles, the light in your eyes, your smart mouth. I want every one of them. I didn't realize when it happened but... I've started to think of you as mine. Mine to protect. To care for."

He raised a shaky hand to brush my hair out of my forehead and then leaned in so close that our lips nearly touched. "I know that it's probably too late to be making any requests... but if you don't find your mate in the end, I want you to choose me. I'll be good. I'll be so good to you, I promise. I'll be whatever you want me to be. Your friend. Your protector... your lover. Your mate. Just... choose me. Please."

My brain must have picked itself up and left a while ago because it took me a few seconds to feel the effect of his words.

He wanted me. Zac Talaverra wanted me.

But... does he really?

"Zac..." I said quietly. "I'm not Callista."

"This isn't about Callista."

"It is, though. From the first moment we met, it's been about her."

"And I will never forgive myself for what I put you through."

"You see me as her replacement, do you not? Since you couldn't have her, it's only fair that her doppelganger takes her place."

"Lily-"

"I'm sorry," I said, looking up at him and his face broke into a thousand tiny pieces.

I put my hands on his chest, pushing him away from me, putting a considerable amount of space between us even as his words made my heart pound hard.

"I'm my own person, with my own life and choices."

He grabbed my arm, desperate gaze burning into mine. "Don't you think I know that? You're nothing like her. I never want you to be anything like her. I want you. You, Lily Beauregard. You're the one I want."

"And what about what I want?"

His hands went limp at his sides.

"I've already made my choice and my choice is Ren. I'm sorry, Zac."

It's true. I meant what I said but why did something in me die a little? Why did my voice tremble with uncertainty?

What's worse was that a little part of me was entertaining his offer, wondering if it was possible to keep both him and Ren and not pick one over the other. They were two very different people but somehow I felt drawn to them. Attracted to both of them. Like a moth to flame. And what did that make me? An ungrateful cheat.

Horrified by my thoughts, I rushed out of the room, heaving a sigh of relief when I saw Ren standing outside, leaning against the wall.

His gaze softened as he looked at me, "Lily..." he whispered, pushing himself off the wall. He spread his arms. "Come here."

I ran into his waiting arms and breathed in his scent deeply as he engulfed me into a hug.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're so good to me, and yet... yet...

Ren's heart was racing wildly. I looked up to see that he was glaring hard at someone and turned to see Zac watching us, a broken look on his face.

Of course, Ren must have read his thoughts and figured out what he had done. What had happened between us... what I had allowed to happen between us.

I can't let them have an altercation over this. I wasn't worth being fought over and even though my heart skipped several beats at wanting to fix everything, I took Ren's hand and let him lead me away.