Lyric
“I mean her no harm,” The Lycan Prince whispers while dropping to his knees and reaching out his hand to touch Harmony. “I would never hurt her; she’s my mate.”
“What?”
What the actual f.uck?
I can’t take my eyes off the prince as he looks down at Harmony. She lost consciousness while I tried to clean her up with the bowl of cold water a warrior had dropped off earlier. I hadn’t been able to wake Harmony, though I knew she was still breathing. I could only cradle her against my body, hoping to keep her warm and alive. All the while, I begged her not to leave me.
My sister is everything to me, and I wouldn’t survive without her. No one on this earth will ever come before Harmony in my heart, nor me in hers. But now Harmony has a mate, and he’s going to try and take her from me. Not happening!
My mouth hangs open in shock when the prince touches Harmony’s cheek with his fingertips. Everything else happening in the room, Lennix and Yuri screaming as they’re dragged away, fades as tears fall from my eyes. I don’t know what the mate bond feels like, but it must be powerful if the prince is crying.
“My baby,” He gulps back a sob while gently taking Harmony from my arms and encasing her frail body within his arms. I want to keep hold of her, but I can’t. He presses his forehead to Harmony’s and rocks her gently. “I found you, and I’ll never let you go. I won’t let anybody hurt you ever again.”
I think I’m in shock. I never expected this. Sure, I had hoped the King would hear me when I started yelling, and he’d save us. I didn’t even get to scream because I was too busy with Harmony.
How did these men even know we were here?
“I’m taking you away from this place. I’m taking you home with me, and I promise you’ll always be safe.”
I shake my head, more tears falling from my eyes. I want to tell this man there’s no way he’s taking Harmony from me, but I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t want her safe. When Harmony wakes and realizes the prince is her mate, she won’t be able to stop herself from wanting to be with him. The mate bond is powerful, and we all succumb to it in the end. It doesn’t matter how hard you fight; the mate bond will draw you to your mate, even more so if you’re fated.
My sister will need a lot of therapy to help her overcome what happened over the past five years. I hope the prince will help her with that because there’s no way Harmony will be able to mate and mark without it.
Harmony will eventually move on from the trauma. But she must do that before she and the prince can have a real mateship. I don’t want my sister to go, but I can’t ask her to stay with me either, because that wouldn’t be right. Harmony deserves to be loved and cherished, and I pray the prince will give her that.
I look around the room and, for the first time, and I realize Lennix and Yuri can’t hurt us anymore. I hope the King makes them suffer for their crimes. I hope he kills them!
Caleb is still in the room. He finally did as he promised and got us help. Caleb never touched Harmony or me in any way, so I don’t want the man dead.
There is a man whom I’ve never seen before, tall, dark, and handsome. Then there’s the King. He’s like no man I’ve ever seen before. He’s incredibly tall, typical for Lycans, and attractive in a way I’ve never known. He also has pale gray eyes.
Who has eyes like that?!
The King’s eyes lock with mine, and his eyes are filled with an emotion I don’t understand. I look away from him and back to my sister.
“You will take care of her, won’t you?” The prince looks at me, smiles, and nods his head. “Harmony is timid, a little childlike, and a lot abused. She’s going to need a lot of help. Please give her that.”
“I will.”
“Don’t rush her into anything. Go at her pace, and eventually, Harmony will be all the mate you’ll ever need. But first, I think she needs a doctor.”
The prince watches me as I lean in and kiss Harmony’s head. “I love you. Please don’t ever forget that. We’ll see each other again one day, I promise.”
My heart breaks, tears fall, and I fight to hold back the sobs as the prince gets to his feet with Harmony in his arms. I watch as he walks away, taking my sister from me forever.
What will happen to me now?
Whoever the new Alpha of Hell Howlers Pack is won’t want me here. My wolf is too dominant for other Alphas to handle. I could try and find another pack, or I could become a rogue and live alone. It wouldn’t be so bad, but I’ve never spent one day of my life without Harmony. I don’t know who I would be without her.
“Lyric?”
I turn my head to the right and see the King kneeling beside me.
Why is he so big?
And I mean tall and muscular. I know Lycans are big, but this man is enormous, though he isn’t grossly muscled. I guess he looks so big because he’s close to me right now.
“Everything will be okay. Lennix can’t hurt you anymore, you or your sister. How about we get this collar off you?”
I nod once. Getting this thick silver restraint off me would be amazing. I’ve been wearing it for longer than I care to remember, and I don’t know what it’s like not to wear it any longer. But it would be nice to move my head without the damn thing restricting my movements.
The King clicks his fingers, and Caleb rushes over, crouches beside me, and unlocks the small padlock holding the collar closed. It finally falls from my neck, freeing me from my silver prison. The King grabs it and throws it across the room. Silver doesn’t burn Lycans, but it does much more to us wolves. I whimper because the burns left behind from the silver suddenly throb uncontrollably.
“My King, she needs to be taken to the pack doctor. She may not think she’s as injured as Harmony, but I fear she is more so.” I hear Caleb say, but my vision and voice are failing. My heart is beating too fast, and I can no longer feel my body.
“Shh,” Someone lifts me into their arms bridal style. “It’s gonna be okay; I’ve got you now.”
I’m lying against the someone’s powerful chest, and I feel weightless. I snuggle into the person because the most alluring scent hits me. Snow on a winter’s morn and the wind through the trees soothes me.
‘That’s our mate,’ I hear my wolf for the first time since the collar was attached to my neck.
I sob a little inside my head. ‘Aspen, you’re back.’
‘I was never gone, Lyric, just locked away. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you or speak comfort in times of need. The silver rendered me useless. But I’m here now, and I will never leave you again.
‘We’re going to be okay, Lyric. No one can hurt us anymore. They can’t because we have our mate, and he is mighty!’
“Mate,” I mumble aloud before darkness takes me.