Draven
I frowned at the picture Kylan had placed on my table. I laughed in anger, a bitter, low sound that made the walls of the room echo.
One of the pictures showed Charlene with Adrian, the chef I had seen her with a few days ago. My hand shot out, crumpling the paper into a tight ball. Seeing them together in every picture made my blood boil, but what really set my heart racing was the sight of two children in their arms, bearing features so unmistakably hers that it left no room for doubt.
I threw the pillows from my bed in frustration, the fabric hitting the floor with a dull thud.
It had only been two days since I'd seen her again after five long years, yet she looked just as breathtaking as I remembered. The only difference was her hair—no longer braided, now swept into a simple, elegant bun that framed her face perfectly.
"Why are you so worked up over her?" Ash, my Lycan, asked. "You were the one who rejected our mate five years ago. Why should it matter now?"
"Really!" I shouted at him. "Do not be ridiculous. You think this is about her being with another man? Ash, you know as well as I do why this burns. You've seen her, and you know she's mine, whether I admit it or not!"
Ash laughed, a low, melodic sound that grated against my nerves. "She's our mate, and yet you refuse to face it. You've been running from your own heart for years, Draven. Stop acting like the king who has it all and admit you miss her."
"I do not miss her!" I barked, though my pulse betrayed me. "I never said I wanted her back. This isn't about longing, it's about—" I stopped myself, realizing even I didn't want to admit the truth. "It's about the man she's with. He doesn't deserve her betrayal, and if she—"
Ash's chuckle grew louder, almost mocking. "A king, acting all noble and high-minded, yet he's consumed by jealousy. Just say it. You miss her. You want her. Stop pretending it's about anything else."
I slammed my hand against the table, silencing him. "Enough! I do not want her. I will not chase her. But I will not let her fool another man as she did with me. That is all. Nothing more."
"You're ridiculous." And then he went silent.
I returned to the pictures, studying them like I could extract the truth from the glossy images. Maybe Ash was right. Perhaps I did miss her. But I could never be with her. Not after all she had done. If she had admitted even once that she betrayed me, I might have forgiven her, welcomed her back, held her close. But she lied. Again. Even these pictures couldn't change that.
The door opened, and Kylan, my beta, stepped in. "Your Highness, I have news about Lady Charlene."
I straightened in my chair and gave him a nod. "Go on."
"I found her working in a restaurant a few blocks from the hotel," he said calmly. "She owes the restaurant, according to the information I got."
A slow smile tugged at my lips, tinged with anger. "How much time do we have left in the human realm?" I asked, fists clenching.
"Two more days to conclude the meetings with the human king," Kylan replied.
"Good," I said, exhaling a sharp breath. "We leave for that restaurant immediately."
Kylan hesitated. "Are you certain, Your Highness?"
"Did I stutter?" I snapped, my glare hardening. "I want to see her. I want to see how she lives. If misery isn't on her face, I will ensure it is. There is no way she deserves happiness after what she did to me. "
That wasn't entirely true. I wanted to see her, yes. I wanted to witness if she had truly moved on, if her life in the human realm had taken shape without me.
And I had a plan—a way to make her return to the Lycan realm, where she belonged, with me.
"I told you that you are pathetic, Draven," My Lycan laughed in my head.
"Shut up!" I yelled at him as I walked out of the room.
The ride to the hotel was silent, and as I leaned on the seat, I couldn't help but think about Charlene.
Seeing her again unleashed a storm of emotions inside me. She had ruined my love for me. I could never give myself to anyone else because she was my fated mate and true love.
The pain she inflicted five years ago lingered, and yet here she was, living freely, moving forward with someone else.
Irony never tasted so bitter.
"Your Highness, we have arrived," Kylan announced, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I came down to face a beautiful, tall building. I heard about its popularity as soon as I entered the human realm. The human king wouldn't stop mentioning her meals, and I confirmed that during the feast.
There was a small crowd at the side of the road talking, and as I took a step closer to the restaurant, a small boy ran straight towards an oncoming bicycle. He had dropped something on the ground and had rushed to pick it up, unaware of his surroundings.
My instincts kicked in immediately, and I lunged forward, catching the boy just in time.