Chapter 11: Lycans

ELAINE

I watched Connor, who was walking ahead of me. His shoulders were slumped, a stark contrast to my own tension.

“Should we shift?” he asked, and I hummed a response. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I said, clearing my throat.

But I wasn’t okay. The thought of shifting into my wolf form filled me with dread.

Only my brothers had seen my wolf, my lycan form. They were the only ones who knew what I looked like, and they’d kept it a secret, even from our father.

I should have been happy not to be the only lycan in the pack, but I wasn’t. Everyone knew what Connor was, so why wasn’t anyone making a big deal about it?

“So, are you shifting or what?” Connor asked, raising an eyebrow. I frowned at him.

“No, we both do it together,” I said, stepping back.

We were standing in an open field in the middle of the castle’s dense woods. It was midnight, and everyone was asleep. The patrol was far away, so no one could see us.

“You’re so troublesome,” Connor said, turning around. I rolled my eyes and did the same.

The sound of clothes being discarded was the only noise in the freezing night. I ran my trembling fingers over my clothes, worried that this might be a bad idea.

Hearing a sudden crack, I stopped and looked over my shoulder. Connor was shifting, so I followed suit. Every bone in my body cracked as it took the form of my lycan.

Once my vision adjusted to the darkness, I heard a soft growl behind me. I stayed still, waiting for my lycan to take over.

My lycan calmly let me sit back and relax. As we turned toward Connor, my heart skipped a beat.

A sudden pull in my chest made us step back. Confused, I took control and shook my mane, dismissing the strange sensation.

Looking back at Connor, we saw he was struggling with his wolf. Something was wrong, and I didn’t like it.

My eyes took in his red mane, his fiery red fur that covered his body, his enormous paws that could crush a human skull, his long canines ready to attack, and his eyes as black as the night.

I stared at his empty eyes, noticing one of them swirling with his honey color. It was breathtaking.

I shook my head and looked back at his body. Maybe it was because he was a male, but his lycan was bulkier—twice my size—even though I was a lycan too.

Our eyes met, and we tensed. Connor was staring back, his long, sharp canines dripping with saliva.

He slowly approached me, growling fiercely. My wolf and I stayed still, just watching him.

Something wasn’t right, and it was making me defensive. I didn’t know why, but something felt off.

~“Connor?”~ I mind-linked.

~“Connor?”~ I called again. All I got in response were his growls.

As he circled me, I moved, and we both formed a circle as if preparing for a fight. Why wasn’t Connor responding?

~“Connor, what’s wrong?”~ I asked through the mind-link, worry creeping into my voice.

His lycan let out a fierce growl that echoed through the entire forest. My eyes widened as I looked at him. Everyone in the castle must have heard that.

Didn’t he realize that would alert the patrol?

Staring into his dark eyes, I tried to figure out what was happening. I knew controlling your lycan was hard, especially if you didn’t have a good relationship with it.

Everything I’d read about it warned to be careful because your lycan could take complete control, leaving you a beast forever.

~“Ashina?”~

~“Yes?”~ my lycan answered calmly.

~“Do you know what’s happening?”~ I asked as we continued to watch him.

Ashina stayed silent as we stared back.

I didn’t know what was happening, but then a shift in his front paws put us on alert.

~“Shit,”~ I cursed as we dashed into the woods.

A loud growl behind us told us that Connor was chasing us, and it wasn’t a friendly chase—it was a ~hunt~.

~“Any ideas?”~ I asked as we ran faster through the dense forest. The cold wind brushed our mane as we dodged old fallen branches.

~“It seems he has no control over his lycan,”~ Ashina answered.

I clenched my teeth and focused on his heavy footfalls. He was right behind us. I could feel him getting closer.

~“Let’s head for the hill with the cliff,”~ I suggested out of nowhere. Ashina understood and followed my lead. We both knew this forest like the back of our hand, so losing him would be easy.

If Connor had no control over his lycan, it meant he would want to hunt us, to kill us. But why? If he had shifted into his lycan before, he should know how to control it.

Unless something else was going on, and he wasn’t conscious.

Jumping over a fallen trunk, we raced up the steep rocky cliff. Once we reached the top, we stopped and turned to watch him.

Connor was heading straight for us, and as he did, I moved out of the way, causing him to fall off the cliff.

A sharp pain made us howl. The sensation was so intense I shifted back.

I tried to crawl to the top, where the cliff was. It was a stupid idea, but I knew the only thing below was the deep river everyone used for swimming.

Looking at the rushing water, I gathered my strength and made my way down the cliff until I reached the river.

My body was shaking from the intense pain. I could barely keep myself from collapsing and losing consciousness.

I got into the water, reached for Connor, who was floating unconscious and upside down, and dragged him out until we were safe.

“Connor,” I slapped his face. “Connor, wake up!”

I barely had any strength left as I tried to rouse him.

“Connor!” I yelled, falling onto my butt, gasping for breath.

I glanced around, searching for something to hide my nakedness. We were creatures of instinct, but I still felt a twinge of shyness, especially around someone like Connor.

My eyes fell on his wet, naked form and I gasped in surprise.

“Oh, shit,” I mumbled, my cheeks burning. I clapped a hand over my mouth, stealing another quick look at him. “I need to find something to cover him up.”

I turned my gaze to a nearby bush. I knew the patrol often stashed clothes in hidden spots for emergencies.

Digging through the underbrush, I spotted a bag tucked behind a tree. Relief washed over me as I rummaged through it, finding a set of men’s clothes.

I hurried back, tossing the clothes onto the ground. Among them was a pair of denim shorts, perfect for Connor.

I picked them up, then froze. My shoulders tensed, my legs feeling like jelly. What was happening to me?

“You’re not a pervert, Elaine,” I muttered, giving my face a light slap.

It wasn’t my fault I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his impressive manhood, something I hadn’t realized he possessed until now.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and began to dress him. Once I was done, I grabbed the shirt and quickly dressed myself.

“Now what?” I wondered aloud, scanning the area for materials to start a fire.

As I gathered some broken branches, I heard a groan from Connor. I rushed back to his side, kneeling down next to him.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked, reaching out to touch his arm. He growled and swatted my hand away. “No need for the attitude.”

“What the fuck happened?” Connor grumbled, rubbing his neck.

I pushed the sticks aside, taking a few deep breaths to keep my temper in check.

“When did I shift back?” he asked.

“You…you can’t control your lycan, can you?” I snapped. His lack of control had landed us in this mess. “You almost got us killed!”

“It’s not like that,” Connor mumbled, struggling to his feet. “Khan just…”

“Just took over and tried to hunt us down?” I finished for him. “I’m not an idiot. I know what a rogue wolf looks like.”

I walked over to the bag and gathered up the rest of the items I’d found.

“And don’t bother apologizing,” I spat, brushing past him. He reached out to stop me, but I kept walking, tears welling up in my eyes.

He followed me, silent.

“It’s not what you think,” Connor said quietly.

“Then what is it?” I shot back, pausing to catch my breath. “Let’s just go back. I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

I wanted to understand what had happened, why things had gone so wrong, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask him, not when I was on the verge of tears.