Traded To The Lycan King by MG Wattsons

"I don't know what to say," | admit, his honesty catchingoff guard. Since the second he laid eyes on me

again, he has been nothing short of rude and cold. Every word has been a stab atin one way or another. But

now he suddenly racked with guilt and

apologizing?

"There is nothing to say, Kyra. You asked for your apology and | gave it to you," he says matter of fact.

"And that's it? We go back to constant fighting and bickering?" | ask, arching a brow. He pauses, then lets out a

low sigh, his good hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know," He admits. "What do you want from me?"

| scoff. "For starters? Maybe you not trying to sabotageat every turn."

He frowns like | am speaking suntruth, and | give him a stern look.

"Fine. But in my defense, | wasn't the one to drug you." He says.

"Did you tell Marcos to do it?" | ask, crossing my arms over my chest. He looks away and shrugs, refusing to

answer, and | roll my eyes. "Of course you did."

"I didn't want you to get hurt." He tells me, and | see how sincere he is, but sincerity doesn't matter when you

mess up.

"Yeah, that worked out really well." | scoff, throwing my hands up in frustration, and he winces.

"In retrospect, it was a bad decision." He admits. "Dragons are not known for being in this area, even scouts. We

are still close to the water and they usually avoid it."

"| was passed out for hours, Hayes. HOURS! That's not just a bad decision, it was a near fatal one and | know |

am here in one piece, but it was very, very close to beingin multiple pieces." | say, my voice rising.

It doesn't matter that he apologizes or that he admits he was wrong. What | understand now is that | want to

know why he thinks so little of me. Was loving him back then, asking him to choose me. Was it so wrong?

"I fucked up." He says, his voice matches mine in volume. "All | can do is apologize and ask if we can move on."

| throw my hands up in defeat. "And what does moving on look like?"

"What?" He freezes, swallowing hard as he blinks at me.

"What does moving on look like for us? You want to move on from this? Fine. How do you envision that

happening?" | ask him, my hands finding my hips as he looks around, his brows pulled together in thought. "Well,

| figured you would want an escort back—"

| step into him in a second, my body nearly pressing against his as my anger surges through me.

"Hayes, | am not going back." | hiss, "The girl you remember and the woman standing in front of you are very

different people. | do not cower and | do not run. You need to find this Fae? | am your only hope of finding him. |

can promise you that." His eyes meet mine and for a moment the air grows thick, the forest around us silent as |

get lost in his hazel eyes.

"Why do you hateso much?" | whisper, my chest breaking open. All his actions and reactions point to one

thing: hatred. Hayes has learned to not only hate life, but he has locked everyone out, and | am the furthest on

the outside than even Merikh. "I don't hate you," He says, his words soft as he leans closer.

My breathing hitches, his closeness catchingoff guard as his warm breath tickles over my lips.

"It feels like it." | murmur, cursing myself as my eyes flick to his lips, watching too eagerly as his tongue slips out

and wets them.

"I wouldn't have helped you if | hated you." He says. His presence is damn near overwhelming. The scent | didn't

pick up before now wraps aroundlike a safety blanket and it | can't tell if | crave it or fear it.

His chest brushes against mine,

catchingoff guard as he closes

the distance between us completely and he stares into my face. My breathing hitches and | can feel the heat in

my cheeks. | need to cut this tension, obliterate it to smithereens. | can't allow anyone to have this type of power

over me. Not again.

"You call beating Marcos and accusingof having sex with him, helping me?" | ask, my mouth still dry, my

body light as if it is floating. It doesn't matter how much | want this pull to go away, it tugsin deeper.

"I thought he was touching you." He says his words full of bite as if remembering the moment in his mind. What

he thinks he saw must have been something far more devious than what actually took place.

"He was touching me." | say, and his eyes flash as he seems to wake up from a daze. Hayes takes a step back

fromas he drags a hand down his face. "Marcos was helping me, Hayes. Just like you had instructed him to

do." "Why are you still here?" He asks, the gentle Hayes | remember disintegrating in a puff of annoyance. "I

already apologized."

"I cfor more than that." | tell him, and he watchesexpectantly. "The rest of the group is worried about

you."

He shakes his head, a laugh breaking from his deformed, yet somehow still handsface.

"They know when to givespace," he says, then he points at me. "You clearly don't rememberwell."

I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest, breathing easier now that the tension has lessened.

"| remember everything about you, Hayes. All of this" I lift my hands, waving them around his body as if pointing

out his aura. "All of it has changed."

"Yes, | am very well aware of how much my new look disgusts you." He says with an emotionless face.

| shake my head and look away for a minute before turning back to look at him. What | need to do is place a

barrier between us. Something that keeps him close yet far enough away that I don't fall into the trap of this one

sided bond.

| can't reject him until he acknowledges it exists and that won't happen until whatever is blocking on his end

fades. So | am stuck fighting two wars at once. The war against my heart and sout, and the one raging around us

we are trying to end.

"It's not just the outside that is repulsive, Hayes. You are only mirroring what's inside. | suppose | can't blyou

for that." The words feel like acid burning my throat as | watch him for a reaction. He nods, his lips pressed

together in a straight line before he clicks his tongue.

"Well, at least we can agree on that." He mutters. "I appreciate you making it clear. Next t| won't interject

when you are..."

"When | am being healed?" | arch a brow, interjecting before he can continue. "Yeah, probably best you let the

healer helpbefore you punch his lights out."

He grins as he looks away, a look of pain on his face.

"That mouth is going to get you in trouble, Kyra." He says, turning his gaze ononce more. "And it will likely

bepunishing you for it."

My body flutters in surprise and heat as | feign annoyance and let my eyes roll again.

x

"I welcyou to try, Hayes. As you can see, | am not the sweak love struck girl you remember."