The Lycan King and His Dark Temptation Novel

"Your mate asked for your hand. He sought my permission to claim you as his," Zarek's words left me in stunned silence. It was an ancient tradition for male mates to request the father's blessing before claiming their beloved. "Now I know exactly how to respond to him." I bit my trembling lower lip, overwhelmed by the whirlwind of emotions surging within me.

"Come here, my crybaby. Let me hold you one last time before you’re marked with warnings and your dark prince tries to tear my throat out for touching you."

"If he dares threaten you, I’ll cut off his bits," I joked, throwing myself into his embrace, nostalgia flooding over me alongside the love that would never fade. In my tumultuous world, Quinn had always been the steadfast lifeline that kept me afloat.

That night, we were invited to dine in the castle's grand dining hall, illuminated by candlelight. As I emerged from the bathroom, I was taken aback to find a stunning turquoise dress laid out on the bed, accompanied by high leather boots and elegant accessories.

"Celine!"

"Brother," I exclaimed as he enveloped me in a tight embrace, nearly suffocating me. I returned the hug, feeling as if I hadn’t seen him in ages. After a moment, he released me and scrutinized me from head to toe while chastising me.

"I leave you alone for a few days, and look where it gets you. Are you alright? Did that arrogant vampire hurt you? Don’t be afraid just because he’s powerful—if he forced you into anything..."

"Shhh," I interrupted, covering his mouth and pulling him inside. I could sense Zarek listening intently to every insult. Nothing escaped him in this palace.

"He didn’t harm me. I’m fine, Quinn," I assured him, even turning around so he could see that I was unharmed, trying to muster a smile. "If anything, your sister nearly took him down," I added, mimicking a throat-slitting gesture.

"And that’s a joke now?" He raised an eyebrow, ever the grumpy one. "Your mind..."

"Well, pfft, you see, I'm fine," I rolled my eyes, feigning nonchalance, though his concern warmed my heart. "Where's Gabrielle? What happened with the rebellion? What’s been going on? Everything is chaos."

We settled onto the comfortable sofas in front of the fire. Quinn recounted how our people had triumphed over the rogue vampires and warlocks, only for those terrifying undead to rise and hunt down the survivors, attempting to secure our territory.

"Aldric left right after the battle to return to the camp because he was worried about Valeria. He’ll bring her tomorrow; we all need to sit down and talk," he said, his gaze heavy with complexity. "Celine, you know your mate is practically the ruler of the entire realm now, right? That makes you..."

"We’ll discuss it later, okay? I don’t want to think about what they might propose to me... We’ll figure it out later," I interrupted, not wanting to complicate my life any further at that moment.

"Do you like him? He’s a vampire. Do you feel comfortable with him?"

"Yes," I replied, lowering my head to gaze at my knees, my ears burning with embarrassment. "I never thought I could accept a vampire as my mate, but he... he makes me feel different. He makes me feel less... strange." I couldn’t meet my brother’s eyes, feeling like an ungrateful traitor. He had always protected me, sacrificed everything for me, and now I was confessing that I had always felt out of place in his world.

Suddenly, a gentle touch brushed through my hair, smoothing it softly. I swallowed the lump in my throat—those were the hands that had healed my wounds, that had fed me, the hands that had defended me with claws and blood.

"Then I’m happy, my little Celine. Your brother can finally find peace, knowing that he entrusted you to a strong man who respects and loves you, who can make you as happy as you deserve."

"Brother..." I lifted my head, unable to stem the tears that spilled from my eyes. He simply smiled at me with that warm expression he always wore.