Chapter 24 - The Lycan King's Treasured Luna

I turned my head toward him in disbelief.

He stood with one arm half-extended, offering himself like a human crutch.

“If you’re finding it difficult to balance,” he added, “just hold on to me.”

I stared at his arm. Then at the hand. Then back at his face.

No.

Absolutely not.

I looked away quickly. I didn’t want to touch him. Or rather, I did, and that was the problem. My body remembered his warmth too well from the times he’d held and carried me. The memory of his scent, the strength in his arms, the way his heartbeat had sounded near my cheek, these things clung to me like shadows. I wasn’t ready for more of that.

I gritted my teeth, determined to ride this unnatural machine out with some dignity.

WHAM.

The elevator gave a sudden, sharp jolt. My feet slipped forward, and my balance tilted back, and I let out a startled noise as I stumbled right into his chest.

His arms instinctively caught me, one around my waist, and the other steadied my shoulders.

“That was just a mechanical shudder as the cables adjusted themselves at the new floor level,” he explained.

But I wasn’t concentrating. My panic overrode all thought.

I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly and buried my face against the solid wall of his body.

I felt his chest shake slightly, he was laughing.

I squeezed my eyes shut, mortified and furious with myself. My face was pressed so close to him I could smell the warmth of his skin, the faint leather and cedarwood of whatever he wore, and underneath it all that distinct scent that was him. I could hear the steady thud of his heart, completely unaffected, while mine threatened to combust.

“You can let go now,” he murmured, amused.

I opened one eye, reluctantly.

The elevator was no longer moving. The hum had stopped, and the door had slid open. My limbs didn’t catch up as quickly as my brain did.

I was still wrapped around him tightly.

I quickly pushed off his chest and took two rapid steps back, pretending my face wasn’t burning and my palms weren’t still tingling.

I cleared my throat, reaching up to smooth imaginary wrinkles in my shirt.

“I think I might have bruises from how tightly you clung to me.” he teased, clearly entertained.

I should have been embarrassed. But truthfully? That moment didn’t even rank in the top ten of Most Embarrassing Narine Moments. Not after everything he’d seen.

He stepped aside.

“This way, Lady Koala.” He held out his hands, and I ignored it.

He chuckled again, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Still grinning, he stepped out of the elevator, and I followed behind only to feel my jaw nearly unhinge from my face the moment I stepped onto the mezzanine.

The space before me opened like a cathedral to the gods. Towering marble columns reached impossibly high toward a vaulted ceiling that stretched on like the heavens themselves. My head craned back instinctively.

The roof was so high up, they could’ve stacked one hundred Sargises easily and they still wouldn’t reach a quarter. And that was saying something, because the man was a walking tower of broad-shouldered menace.

Between the columns, windowpanes stretched like sheets of light, the glass was etched with curling patterns I didn’t recognize. Light flooded through them, bathing the floor in a soft, golden glow. At both far ends of the room, twin staircases curved downward in a dramatic sweep.

I barely noticed that I was following Sargis again. The world I had lived in felt like ash compared to this place.

Guards stood at attention by each marble pillar, unmoving, their eyes were fixed ahead like they weren’t even alive. Each of them wore silver-plated crests on their shoulders, and not one dared look up as we passed. I felt their attention all the same.

My feet echoed softly on the rich maroon rug, plush and thick beneath the soles of my footwear. And above, the chandeliers hung like frozen stars, shimmering with crystal droplets that tinkled faintly with the passing breeze. Magic, or perfection, or both, dripped from every corner of this place.

And then we reached the stairs.

We descended step by step, I lightly brushed the gilded banister as my gaze dropped downward. That was when I saw them, two thrones.

They stood at the far end of the room, elevated just enough to make anyone feel small, with Deep maroon seats and detailed embroidery carved with such intricate detail, I couldn’t begin to guess how many years it had taken to create. And on the tops of their frames, carved in polished obsidian, were two ferocious Lycan heads with the fangs bared.

“This is the palace ballroom,” I heard him say beside me.

I turned my head, and for a heartbeat, I saw him as I hadn’t before.

Not the man who brought me soup at night, watched anime beside me in silence, or caught me in the elevator like I weighed nothing.

This was Sargis, the King.

His fingers were clasped neatly behind his back, the stiff fabric of his shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, and his posture was taut and upright. Everything about him radiated authority, command, and discipline.

And suddenly… my skin prickled.

He could snap my neck with a flick of that wrist. Break me in half without even raising his voice. He could command every soldier in this kingdom to silence me. And they would obey.

I swallowed hard.

And here I was… under his protection and care. Sharing a wing. Sleeping in a bed so soft, I sometimes thought I’d sink into dreams forever. Eating food warm enough to make me weep. Even though I never asked for any of this.

Was escape even an option?

Could I run from a man like this? From a fortress like this?

The walls had eyes, and the doors were guarded. I didn’t know what frightened me more, the idea of staying, or the impossibility of leaving.

“It’s where we host royal events, meetings, and celebrations for the kingdom… and where we tend to official matters.”

He didn’t turn to see if I was listening.

He knew I was.

My legs moved on instinct now. I trailed behind him, trembling slightly under the pressure of so many unseen eyes. The guards watched without watching. The maids bowed low, offering silent greetings before stepping aside like shadows retreating from light.

No one made a sound or dared to meet my gaze.

I suddenly missed the comfort of the room. But we were already here. Too far forward.

We were now standing in front of a massive door.

Two guards stood beside it, kitted from shoulder to toe. They bowed low to Sargis without hesitation.

And then they reached forward and pushed.

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