Lucy's POV
"I admit that I withheld this information from you," Kenneth began, his voice carrying a tremor that I had never heard before. "But I did tell you there was something else I was keeping from you… something I wanted you to discover for yourself." His words came out heavy, almost brittle, as though he feared they might shatter the bond between us once spoken aloud.
My gaze dropped to the ground. He was right. He had warned me there was more to him than met the eye. I just hadn't expected it to be this—him shifting from a lion into the man I loved. My toes curled into the soil beneath me as silence stretched between us like a suffocating blanket. Five minutes, maybe more, ticked past, each heartbeat hammering louder in my chest until the quiet felt like an eternity.
He shuffled closer, cautious, as though afraid any sudden move might send me fleeing. This time, I didn't step back. I didn't want him to think I was rejecting him. My heart warred with my head—logic screaming that I should be afraid, that I had just witnessed the impossible, while my heart whispered fiercely that this was still my Kenneth.
Gosh. I loved this man. Knowing he was a lion shifter didn't change that—not really. But I wasn't ready to let him off the hook so easily. Some part of me wanted to test him, to see how much he was willing to fight for us.
Kenneth reached out and gently lifted my chin, his fingertips warm against my skin, coaxing my eyes to meet his. What I found in his gaze stopped my breath. Immense love burned there, tangled with fear and an ache so raw it nearly broke me. He was afraid—terrified—that I might hate him now. That I might walk away.
And I realized, with a pang that twisted in my chest, that I was just as terrified of losing him.
My hands itched to reach for him, to cradle his face, to throw myself into his arms and kiss away his doubts. But stubbornness anchored me. I wanted him to work for my forgiveness. To prove that what we had was worth fighting for.
He pulled me into a hug anyway, his arms enveloping me in warmth. But I stayed stiff as a board, unmoving in his embrace. After a moment, he pulled back, disappointment shadowing his face.
"Can I reintroduce myself to you?" he asked, his voice low, almost tentative.
I nodded once.
His lips curved into a faint smile, though his eyes still carried that storm of worry. "Hi there, gorgeous. My name is Kenneth Paige the Twelfth." He extended his hand formally as if we were meeting for the very first time. "I'm a werelion by nature, and the next heir to the throne of the Western Kingdom Pride. I'll begin ruling after my twenty-first birthday… which, by the way, is next week."
My mouth fell open. "Werelions?" I breathed, scarcely daring to believe what I'd just heard.
"Yes," he continued, his tone patient but tinged with solemnity. "Werelions are lions with supernatural ability to transform into human beings. We're not mere beasts in human skin. We are born with powers—gifts unique to each of us—that allow us to do things no ordinary human, or lion, could ever dream of."
He paused, studying my face as if gauging whether I would bolt or faint. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to keep listening.
"My kingdom," he went on, "is made up of ten Prides. Each Pride has its leaders, but together they fall under the rule of my family. The title passed to me is 'Leo.' That's what my father is, as the current King."
Something clicked in my memory, and my lips parted. "Leo…"
"Yes." He smiled faintly. "That's why I was surprised when you called me that earlier. The one you met—that was Zeus, my lion. He's… well, let's just say he's crazier about you than I am. He noticed you the very first day I laid eyes on you. He practically nagged me to speak to you."
My breath caught in my throat. The warmth that had filled me when the lion snuggled close, the sense of safety, the gentleness—it was him. It had always been Kenneth. Or rather, Kenneth and Zeus.
Kenneth's voice softened, almost pleading. "I know I may seem frightening to you, Lucy. But neither Zeus nor I would ever hurt you. You saw for yourself—he was practically a puppy in your arms. We would protect you with our lives." His eyes glistened. "He loves you just as much as I do."
My heart swelled, so full of emotion it was almost painful. I felt like a lantern lit from within, glowing with too much love to contain.
He took a breath, gathering himself. "As a Leo—and as the soon-to-be King of the Western Kingdom Prides—I will need a Regina beside me. That's what you would call a Luna in your Twilight movies." His lips twitched in a half-smile. "And I had chosen you… provided you'd accept me."
Had chosen? The phrasing snagged in my chest like a thorn. Had he changed his mind? Was he about to tell me I wasn't enough?
But he wasn't finished. His jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with frustration. "I just stormed out of my father's chambers because I was told I already had a chosen Regina. Someone I loathe. Someone we both know… Patri—"
The name barely left his lips before my ears rang. My vision blurred, spinning wildly as though the ground had been ripped from beneath me. My lungs seized, refusing air, and a horrible pressure clamped around my chest.
Patricia.
The world tilted. My knees buckled. And the last thing I felt was Kenneth's arms catching me before darkness swallowed me whole.
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Kenneth's POV
"I just stormed out of my father's chambers because I was told I had a chosen Regina… someone I loathe, and we both know…" The confession tumbled out before I could stop it.
It was the last thing I wanted to tell her, but secrets had already dug too many cracks between us. Keeping this one would destroy us.
The truth was, if the decree was tied to an ancient treaty between kingdoms, then this wasn't only about me and Lucy anymore. It was about duty. Responsibility. My people. And if a leader cannot sacrifice for his Pride, then he doesn't deserve the throne.
But that same truth terrified me.
Because in our world, treaties aren't just words—they're challenges waiting to be tested. If another Leo deemed me unfit, they could challenge me for the throne. And as Leos, we don't turn down challenges. We fight. To the last breath if we must.
I wasn't afraid of most challengers. I could take them. But if my own brother stepped forward…
I swallowed hard. That would destroy me. Real lions care nothing for blood ties, but we werelions are cursed—or blessed—with emotions that run deeper than the oceans. We care for family. We sacrifice for family. To harm my brother would tear me apart in ways no blade or claw could.
The throne of the Western Kingdom has been carried in my line for generations, from the very first Kenneth Paige to my father. And now, it was my turn to carry that weight. Yet the ghosts of an old war still haunted us. My father had been young when that war erupted between kingdoms. Peace only came after long years of bloodshed and bitterness, sealed with treaties that have now come back—not to haunt them, but me.
I saw Lucy's face blanch, her hand clutching her head as the name I had almost spoken crashed into her like a blade.
She swayed.
"Lucy!" I lunged forward, catching her just as her knees gave out. My arms wrapped around her fragile frame before she could collapse onto the jagged twigs behind her.
Her body went limp in my hold.
And with a sinking heart, I realized that the truth I thought would bind us closer… might be the very thing that rips her away from me.