Kayra
"Ahhh!"
I screamed, backing away from the severed head of the vampire at my feet.
Was he dead?
He was a vampire. Technically, he was already dead. But could he come back to life?
I lifted my head when I heard Bozok growl. Blood was dripping from his mouth. I took a nervous step backward.
I had missed him, but he looked terrifying right now.
He responded to my movement with a whine, then a growl.
"Luna!"
The moment I heard Soren's voice, Bozok lunged at me. He knocked me to the ground, climbed on top of me, and tried to lick my face. I quickly tried to push his mouth away from my face.
"I missed you too," I said, turning my head away to avoid his bloodied tongue.
Yes... he had killed a vampire right in front of me. I should have been afraid. Maybe I should have been disgusted. But for some reason, I couldn't feel that way.
Was it because of this fated bond?
Would I love him no matter what?
"The Alpha is completely under his wolf's control right now," Soren said, panting.
He had come right up beside my head and was leaning over me as he spoke. And he was naked. I was going to have to get used to the pack being like this too. They weren't like humans.
I quickly looked away.
But Bozok took advantage of my distraction and licked my neck with his bloodied tongue.
"Ew."
Disgusting.
"Alpha," Soren said. But Bozok ignored him.
"That vampire you killed..." he continued, taking a deep breath. "He was Prince Lucas."
At Soren's last words, Bozok stopped licking my neck. Then, while he was still on top of me, he suddenly transformed into a Lycan, and I held my breath. He had transformed so quickly. And he was huge.
And I think I saw his... you know.
I quickly covered my eyes with my hands. My cheeks had turned bright red.
He had been in his Lycan form at the ball too, but I didn't remember seeing that.
"What?" Bozok said... or Arkan, or both of them. His voice was animalistic.
"Alpha," Soren said with relief. "You finally have control of yourself again. We thought we were going to lose you completely."
Arkan turned his gaze toward the headless body lying on the ground.
"Is that Prince Lucas?"
Soren nodded in confirmation.
Arkan silently cursed as he pulled away from me. Then he pulled me toward him and wrapped his arms around me.
His muscular, fur-covered body practically had me trapped. I couldn't move at all. But I was perfectly happy like that.
I rested my nose against his fur and breathed in his scent.
"You smell so good," I murmured.
Arkan tensed instantly. Then I felt something press against my stomach.
I guessed it was what I thought it was.
Had this damn heat not passed yet?
Arkan growled and pressed his body against me a little more.
"Ah..."
A quiet moan escaped me, and I buried my face even deeper against Arkan in embarrassment.
I want to die.
I heard Soren clear his throat.
"Yes, Alpha," Soren said. "It was Prince Lucas."
"Why did he come here?"
"I'm not entirely sure either," Soren replied. "He told me that a creature was keeping Luna underground."
Ah, right. Kongar…
I quickly turned around.
He was there.
He still hadn't left.
He was watching us.
"Did that bastard do anything to you?" Arkan growled.
I wanted to say no, but his question made my body tense up all of a sudden.
Arkan growled and charged toward Kongar.
"No!" I shouted. "He didn't do anything!"
Why am I protecting him?
"Alpha!" Soren shouted. "Be careful. He uses dark magic!"
Ignoring Soren, Arkan swung his claw at Kongar.
When I rushed toward them too, Soren stepped in front of me.
"Luna," he said. "It's too dangerous."
Dangerous?
Though... yes, he was dangerous. But he could have taken my heart and he hadn't. I needed to find out why.
"Get out of my way," I said.
"I can't," he said. "I won't let anything happen to you."
I was about to push him out of my way when he was suddenly sent flying toward the trees.
"Soren—" I shouted as a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of me.
Kongar.
"Is he bothering you?" he asked.
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean him," Kongar said, pointing at Soren, whom he had just thrown aside. "Is he bothering you?"
"Do you care?" I asked.
Arkan growled and swung his claw at Kongar. His head tore free from his body and rolled to a stop beside the vampire's head.
This was too much.
"You can't kill me."
I screamed when Kongar's head on the ground started speaking. I knew he wouldn't die, but how could he still be talking?
"If you want to kill me, you can accomplish that by killing yourself," he continued.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Arkan growled.
"You're bound to Kayra," Kongar said. "And she's bound to you as well. And I'm bound to Kayra too."
Arkan's growl echoed through the forest.
"Kayra is mine."
Damn it.
Hearing Arkan say those words, I pressed my thighs together.
Why did that word—"mine"—affect me so much?
Kongar's headless body suddenly began moving toward his head and stopped in front of it. He bent down and picked up his head from the ground. Then he brought it to his neck.
"I'm Kayra's too," he said as his head rejoined his neck.
I was still having a hard time believing what I was seeing.
Just as Arkan was about to swing his claw at him again, I stepped in front of him.
"What happened to the heart?" I asked Kongar. "Do you not want it anymore?"
"I do."
What was I expecting to hear?
"But in a different way," he added.
"What do you mean?"
Kongar turned away without answering my question and walked over to the vampire's body lying on the ground. Then he turned his gaze toward Arkan.
"They'll want revenge," he said.
Arkan nodded in agreement.
"Yes."
Kongar nudged the body on the ground with his foot several times.
"Fool," he said emotionlessly. "I had spared your life."
Then he turned his gaze toward me.
"But it was a mistake."
When I felt his eyes on me, I pressed my thighs together again. But this time, it wasn't because of Arkan.
Kongar spoke again as he slipped a hand into his pocket.
"Now I have to protect both of you."