Unwanted Mate Of The Lycan Kings

"You've decided?" Zeke asks eagerly with a sly smile on his lips. I purse my lips, not having forgotten about last night quite yet. He seems to know where my thoughts go because he smirks and licks his lips. My eyes go to them, remembering the feel of his tongue on my body as the mate bond rears its slutty head. I took a step toward him before shaking my head having no idea what I was planning to do. My sudden awkwardness only making Zeke's smile broaden.

"Zeke!" Lyon elbowed him in the stomach, making him grunt and clutch his stomach.

"What?" Zeke growls.

"You know what!" Lyon growls back and I glance at him but he shakes his head. "So you've decided." Lyon asks.

"I have," I begin, my voice cutting through the tense air, my words aimed at Zeke and Lyon. "I'm willing to give you both one chance to prove yourselves." My gaze flits between them, a silent challenge suspended in the thick silence when thunder and lightning roll across the sky from the manifesting storm. Zeke's eyes flare with a fiery anger while Lyon simply shrugs in response, unimpressed by his antics.

"Come, we should head inside,” Regan whispers behind me, steering me toward the castle. We ended up in the dining hall.

"So, you'll give us a proper chance?" Zeke asked, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly. His head jerked toward Lyon as if waiting for him to agree with his sentiment, but his brother remained silent. The pair exchanged a look, a shared sense of eagerness and resentment toward each other swam in their eyes. Yet beneath it all, there was a glint of something else - uncertainty? Fear? Maybe both. "Whose kingdom are we visiting first?" Zeke asked eventually, a brow arched in question as he looked at me and Regan. He didn't flinch under my scrutinizing gaze, his stance exuding a reckless confidence.

I glanced between the brothers before I answered, "We'll start with Lyon's,” I replied, my voice crisp and clear despite the apprehension that bubbles in my guts. I was not here to play their games, and my response makes it clear that I am not to be trifled with.

A smirk stretched across Zeke's lips, his amusement apparent. "Why not Regan's?" he ventured mockingly, glancing at him behind me. I peered up at him over my shoulder to see his jaw tight. Turning back to face Zeke, he clearly thought this was just some game--- yet why did Regan seem angered by his words.

"Regan’s kingdom is the furthest away," I retorted icily, brushing his mockery aside.

"Really, is that right?" Lyon chimed in, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He took a step forward so he was standing closer to me than before; too close for comfort as far as I was concerned. His comments seemed odd, loaded with an underlying hint at something I couldn't quite grasp. Was he testing me? Or trying to avoid me visiting his first. Whatever his intentions were, it wasn't working, if the stiffness of my spine was any indication.

Before I could probe further into what underlies Lyons comment, James interrupted my thoughts. "Zirah," he began gently, drawing our attention away from each other. "Zirah, perhaps you should spend some time with each of them alone. Understand their perspectives.”

James' suggestion caught me off guard, and I eyed him skeptically before turning my attention back to the brothers. The air in the room shifted as they exchanged a look, and Zeke's smirk faded away as though he knew something that I didn't.

"What do you mean?" I asked James cautiously, keeping my gaze on the brothers.

"I think it would be wise for you to spend some time alone with each of them,” he repeated calmly yet firmly. "This way you can get to know them better, understand who they are as people.”

My eyes narrowed but I remained silent, weighing his words carefully. After a few moments of contemplation I reluctantly agreed to James’ suggestion, drawing a deep breath to steady my nerves as I turned back towards Zeke and Lyon whose eyes are still trained on me intently as if reading through my thoughts.

"Very well," I say, finally nodding at both Lyon and Zeke before addressing James. "When should we start then?"

He nodded back, a faint smile played on his lips. "You can leave at first light tomorrow morning, how does that sound?" he stated simply.

"Fine," I agreed, drawing a deep breath to steady my nerves.

"But what about the Vampire Kingdom?"

"Leave that to me, Regan and Zeke to figure out for now," he told me, before he took his leave from the dining hall.

I've stepped into a world far removed from my own, but I won't be deterred. I'm here for a reason, a purpose that goes beyond the power plays of the Lycan world. I'm here to see whether or not the Lycan species will continue to exist.

I turned to face Zeke and Lyon again, a newfound determination in my gaze. "You've got your chance. Don't waste it." I told them firmly, though my voice had taken on a gentler note.

The brothers exchanged a look and then both gave me a nod of understanding.

"We won't," Zeke finally spoke up, his eyes met mine in an unspoken promise. I could see the calculating glint in his gaze, but I also saw something else beneath the surface - something that suggested he meant what he said.

My lips twitched into a faint smile as I turned towards Lyon who stood with his hands clenched into fists at his sides, looking off into the distance as if lost in thought. His expression was hard to read but I could sense the tension radiating off of him in waves

"We leave first thing in the morning,” I told him and he nodded once before turning and leaving.

As the words lingered in the air, a silent vow wrapped itself around me - I will navigate through their worlds, dissect their truths and lies alike, and I won't rest until I've attained what I came for - justice for my mother, and a reign over this world that is rightfully mine. With one last wary glance at the brothers, I turned on my heel and strode out of the room.

Despite the lingering doubts, the uncertainty, and the tension that gripped the room, I knew one thing with crystal clarity - I wouldn't be the pawn in their games.

No... Now they were the ones in mine.