Traded To The Lycan King by MG Wattsons
Chapter 190

be alright. It's tight and filled with anger reserved especially for me.

It feels like a dream, the way we glide to the stage in utter silence swimming in the stifling tension between us. My hands sweat, and my pulse races as we climb the stairs and he turns me to face him. Teiran smiles, but it's not a true smile that says everything is going to

In order to escape his gaze, I look out at the crowd, my eyes finding Hayes as if he were a beacon. He watches me, a soft tilt to his perfect lips, showing me a glimpse of a tiny smile. My body physically aches to be with him, my very nerves pinging as if an alarm is blaring an incoming attack. When will he make his move? What is his move? "Kyra?" I hear my name being called that sounds so far away and I twist my head back to Teiran.

"Hmm?" I hum before I realize he has started the ceremony and his two hands are outstretched for me to take. He nods to them and lifts a brow, trying to tell me to take them without verbalizing the command.

I lift my arms, my fingers quivering in protest as I hover my hands over his. The heat from his skin radiates up as if I am warming myself over an open flame and suddenly I feel weak, overheated, and lost. I linger for a moment before I allow my eyes to fall closed, and I draw in a shaky breath, releasing a steady one. My heart is resolved. "No," I whisper, dropping my hands to my side, and taking a half step back.

"Kyra," He hisses, reaching out and taking my hands by force. "Let Hayes make a scene. Just go with this for as long as you can."

But I can tell he is hoping Hayes doesn't interrupt, and when I look back out at the crowd again, Hayes is gone. I narrow my eyes, my lip twitching in disgust as he reads my reaction.

"If he is not here, it is not my doing." He whispers as low as he can, before he clears his throat and chuckles lightly, looking out at all our spectators from all types of species. "She is nervous about our 'after' affairs."

me.

He teases us about mating in a way that makes my stomach twist as a chuckle erupts from the dragon's side; the others looking as unamused as I feel. His father sits in the front, looking content as a clam, holding Tiago who continues to struggle to get away and come to "Kyra, before you I stand, the heir to the dragon throne and a beast willing to promise you a life of loyalty and love..."

Love, he wants to promise me love, yet he tries to tear me from the only man who can give it to me. I chuckle, ignoring his words, and reach up to touch my forehead.

"Love?" I scoff, lifting my eyes to meet his.

"Yes," He grinds out the word and I chuckle to myself again as the door flies open. A very stunning and pissed off Flora stands in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest and a smug smile on her lips.

"Whoops," she giggles, as she struts toward us, flipping her hair over her shoulder, as she shoots me a wink. "Seems I am late."

My knees nearly buckle with gratitude as she walks down the center aisle, humming to herself as if she is just walking by herself in the woods. Flora takes her time, pretending to look at seats before she frowns and walks further down.

"Who are you?" The Dragon king stands, demanding she answer him. She halts, not bothering to hide how she looks him up and down from head to toe. Then she lets out a disappointed sigh and bounds up the steps.

"I am the replacement, silly old man." She grins, moving to my side as she gives me a gentle hip shove and takes Teiran's hands.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he asks her.

"Teiran, baby," she says as if she is trying to whisper, but her words are clear and unmistakable even for those in the back. "We have one night of passionate lovemaking, promising to mark me as yours, and you didn't think I wouldn't come for you?" "What?" I ask, feigning shock and horror as I clasp my hands over my mouth, mostly to hide the growing smile. It feels awful to admit that after everything happened, I had forgotten about her and what might have happened to her. "Please don't be mad, I know your mate is here too and for your kind, to give up your mate-" She rattles off her words faster than I can even understand as Teiran's dad stomps up the steps and roars in anger.

"Enough! You," He points his finger in Flora's face, his skin turning red. "Get your ass removed from the stage or become ash! And You!"

He stomps toward me, his massive frame towering over me as he puffs out steam from his nose, reminding me of a train gaining traction.

"You will either mate with me or my son. The choice is yours. Just know Teiran seems to be softer at mating than I am."

"No." I say, rolling my shoulders back, finding my strength as Flora backs me up, a giddy grin on her lips.

Teiran watches her with awe in his eyes and for a moment I see a flicker there. Is there any truth to what Flora said? Or has she planted the thought in his head and now he is thinking about her in an entirely different way? "No?" He snorts, spinning around to face the crowd. "Such a shame you all came here to burn to death."

"This is your king?" Hayes' voice says, a hint of shock twisted with amusement. "The one you all follow blindly and trust with your future?"

He walks up the backside of the stage, his hands tucked in his pockets.

"I am their king. Trust comes with the title." He snorts.

"Good thing you haven't led them into a useless war with the wrong species all this time." Alpha Merikh says, standing in the audience, Colette at his side.

"You stole my son, and then you hatched him before he was due and imprinted him on your warrior. Let's not pretend this was all happenstance, Alpha."

"You already have the true perpetrator in your midst in your mountain, unless of course you killed him?"

"That is enough." Teiran's father grits out, his body vibrating as he grows larger, scales erupting from his cheeks before a snout the size of Merikh pops out. My eyes grow wide in shock as Hayes grabs my hand, yanking me away from the stage. In an instant, he is trusting a baby Tiago into my arms and gripping my face.

"You two need to get to safety." He is serious. Hayes wants me to run and hide during this fight, as if he has forgotten everything I am capable of.

"Like fucking hell I will." I say, reaching out and gripping his hand tight. "I do not need you to protect me."

"I'm saving you, like you asked me to do." He frowns, pulling away. "I can't fight thinking you might get hurt."

"And I can't leave you thinking you won't come back." I argue to his back as he rushes off.

Tiago tugs at the scarf around my neck, the silk falling away as he seems focused on my mark before

he reaches out and touches it. Chuckling as I shy away from his little probing finger. My heart is torn as I watch Hayes, Colette and Merikh circle around the morphing, massive dragon. Flora steps up as well, her fingers calling roots from the earth as she latches to his feet, trying to keep him in place.

Roars break out behind me, dragons, lycans and wolves over take the open space, chairs knocking to the side. My skin goosebumps as the severity of the situation seeps in. A single flame in here and everyone is dead Dragons step up to either side of me, closing off my exit, but then on second glance I realize they are preparing to protect me from the flames.

Tiago is important and must be protected. Allowing me to die is the same as allowing him to lose his mind as he grows older. The only safe people in this entire war zone are me and this child, and Hayes knows that. So then why did he try to insist run and hide with Tiago for safety?

The dragon to my right swings out in fury, a wild screech coming from its mouth as it creates an opening for me to run and I take it. If Hayes knows I am safe, if he knows they won't hurt me, then he needs me hidden for his plan. It is the only thing that makes sense to me.

I look over my shoulder, in time to

see him leap onto the back of the dragon, who was blocking me in his lycan form, claws flailing as he tears chunks from the beast's scaly back. He meets my eyes for a mere moment before I watch the tait of the other dragon fly at his back, stamming into him with a sick crack, his limp body flying before

slamming into the side of the stage.

He doesn't move, his chest still and his body laying at a weird angle as my chest shreds itself, making it impossible to breathe. I have to go to him, i have to do something more than hide.