Found by the Lycan King by Natalie Winter

Chapter 13
Zenovia
Chapter 13
I stared at him, and with every passing second, I felt death inching closer to me. I had been too caught up in the argument to worry about my survival.
I thought of a hundred things to say. Maybe I could have cooked up a different identity and called myself a rogue after my family was killed in a pack attack.
But there was no fooling the Lycan king who knew his territory like the back of his hand. I was sure he was aware of every single pack and their alphas, even if he did not pay them much attention.
Rogues, however, were a different matter altogether.
Maybe I should have faked a memory loss and avoided answering him. That would have saved me from a lot of trouble. But somehow the way his gaze held me in place, the way he was sitting inches away from me, demanded nothing but. honesty.
I was not sure how much he knew about me, but I figured he must have found out something by now.
So. 1 simply jutted my chin up again and replied, “Zenovia Archer of the Nightfall Pack. My father is was Alpha Drake, but he would not agree to that claim, not that I care.”
I spoke and stopped myself short of just vomiting all the contempt and hatred I felt for my family. He tilted his head and looked at me.
“I did not expect you to be honest about your identity. That was a start,” he muttered and reached for the glass, pouring water in it before holding it back in front of me.
“I believe you do not need a demonstration again,” he said, eyeing the glass and then my face. I recalled the way he had sipped water from my glass and how it had been the single most exciting thing to watch at that moment.
I blinked and tried to shove away that thought and took the glass from him.
“So, you are not going to kill me?” I asked, and he countered, “I thought you preferred to stay alive.”
He dodged my question again.
It looked like he would not give me any straight answers, so I simply took the glass and sipped some water again, wondering what he wanted from me.
After I was done. I placed the water glass back on the table as he murmured. “You are accused of mingling with the rogues and passing on crucial information to them. I even received photos of you with a group of rogues.”
Photos? Where did the photos come from? I wondered. Had Sid gone to such an extent?
I looked at him and tried to keep a neutral expression, but I think I was failing at it. My lips trembled, and the intensity of my family’s betrayal felt like somebody was scraping at a wound and trying to viciously tear off the scabbing, making me
bleed.

My hands curled into fists as I grabbed the sheets, my nails digging into my palms.
“I did not do any of that. My pack disowned me, and I do not feel the need to return to them either,” I spoke through gritted teeth. Tears were pooling in the back of my eyes, and I willed myself to not let it show.
“Your Alpha, Luna, and your brother claimed you were a liar. In fact, every single member of your pack said you were the culprit.”
I took a minute to process this piece of information.
I was not going to cry in front of him. So I took a deep breath to get a grip on myself and muttered, “I am not going to stay here anymore. When I am fit enough, I will leave for the human world and never show you my face again. Good riddance to
you.”
Surely, he would not want me anywhere near him or his people, right?
However, Callahan only looked me in the eye and replied, “That seems impossible for now.”
I furrowed my eyebrows and waited for him to go on, but he stopped himself. Curiosity got the better of me and I asked, “Why?”
He raised his hand and reached for a lock of my hair that was falling on my face-or that is what I thought he was doing-
His hand brushed my cheek, and I tried not to shiver as he reached for something behind me. My heart dropped when he grabbed the edge of the curtain and threw it open.
The moonlight was now shining brightly through the glass, casting a soft glow on the bed, on both of us.
I held back the urge to lean into him as he pulled his hand back, though I knew he caught the way my eyes fluttered when he
Chapter 13
brought his hand near me.
I cursed my traitorous emotions once again as he said, “You are mine now. They were going to offer you to me as a gift. And while you were busy sleeping for two weeks. I figured out your identity.”
Two weeks? I had been passed out and in this mansion for two weeks? And my father had ‘offered me to Callahan?
The Lycan King waited for me to throw a tantrum, claw at him or even yell back, but I fell unnaturally silent.
A hot wave of anger rose up my stomach as I processed yet another blow of my so-called family.
I should have expected this, I had known this, but it still affected me. I bit my tongue to not let anguish plant its roots in my
heart.
No. I was done with them. I reminded myself.
After ensuring that my voice would not come out as a croak. I muttered, “I am not a thing to be gifted to someone. And I am
not yours
I spoke, though my body was oddly delighted when he called me his. I knew he had meant as a slave to scrub his toilets or do his dishes, but the way he spoke that line had sent goosebumps down my spine.
I both hoped he had meant it the way I assumed and did not at the same time.
This man was hotness personified, and I was struggling to not let him have a hold over me.
I believe I was just desperate to be wanted by someone…anyone.
I was expecting a monster to care about me when my own family had shunned me. And I hated being so weak and gullible. Callahan placed a hand on the bed, just a hair’s breadth away from my knee and replied. “I am the King and it is for me to decide what to do with a rogue, and did you not see what I do to them?”
He asked as his eyes glittered with an unknown emotion. I tried to stay still, but my heart was thundering in my chest and I wanted to just run away from him.
Or maybe just kiss those damn lips again and die like a moth that gets incinerated when it gets too close to the flame.
I shook my head. What was wrong with me?
His gaze was unnerving, and it was doing odd things to me. There was a weird fluttering in my chest as I tried to hold his gaze, which was an effort in itself.
Callahan leaned forward, bringing his face close to mine. My heart began thumping again and my gaze dipped to his full lips
I was getting worked up, so, as usual, a snarky comment left my lips.
“You kill them, but you kissed me,” I said, and his gaze fell on my lips again.