The Lycan King's Muse

Ep 5: Low Standard of Humor

In my old pack, I have never been to the council meeting. My rank as a healer was not high enough and mostly, council meetings are for males. Ed, however, was invited to almost all council meetings because he was the general of our pack. He was in charge of the pack’s safety and warriors training.

Ed was an important person in our pack. And his rank as the Beta Knight for Alpha Mason’s made the elders listen to him. Beta Knight is the official title for a beta wolf who has an exclusive bond with the Alpha.

Females, on the other hand, can only either be a healer or an omega. I don’t know if it’s our pack thing only or if it’s a thing with all werewolf packs. Luckily, I have the affinity to be a healer. I worked hard to maintain my rank as a healer because life as an omega is quite harsh. I was also lucky that my mate, Ed, was a wolf with a high rank and he treated me right.

A few of my patients were female omegas mated to lower rank wolves and were assaulted by higher rank wolves because their mates couldn’t protect them. When these females reported the assaults to the council, the higher rank males said that they did it to try to get the females pregnant, to preserve the pack’s bloodline.

Those males were usually only sanctioned lightly. Some even got the females they marked for.cefully as their ‘responsibility.’

No one dared to touch me because of Ed. Until he died, and Alpha Mason set his eyes on me.

Life is cruel for female werewolves.

I was lucky. I know.

That doesn’t mean I don’t deserve better.

In this council meeting, I am quite surprised to see female lycans sitting at the table. Two out of the six council members are females. They look confident. Radiant, even.

Like others, however, they look at me with animosity.

I step closer to Lyall. I don’t know if Lyall senses me being uncomfortable or not, but he steps in front of me, almost hiding me from everyone’s view with his large body. The heat coming out of his torso actually calms me down a bit.

“So, this is the werewolf girl?” One of the female lycans says. She has dark-blue hair and ice-colored eyes. Her fingers are constantly playing a dagger masterfully. Is that a silent threat to me?

The female is looking at me to answer her. But I remember Lyall saying I should just keep my mouth shut. Lyall is the one answering the question for me, “Yes. And she is my mate.”

“How does that make you feel?” the same female lycan leans her body, “Albus said she could make you laugh in the forest.” Not only her, but the entire council members in the room lean forward to hear Lyall’s answer. Why? What’s with Lyall and laughing?

I remember Albus saying Lyall is cursed and that the man hasn’t been able to laugh in years. Are those two things connected?

Lyall shrugs. “Nothing.”

The reaction of the council is weird. Some are crestfallen by Lyall’s answer. The rest look like it is nothing new.

“So, if she can’t break your curse,” a male lycan with auburn hair says, “What’s the point of keeping her here? Lycans are stronger than werewolves but if we can avoid a full-blown-out war, why not?” He looks at me with a pointed look, which makes me step closer to Lyall, trying to make myself even smaller in their eyes.

There’s just something about these lycans that are so intimidating. Even more intimidating than the wolves in my old pack.

“I didn’t say she couldn’t break my curse,” Lyall says. “There must be a reason why this werewolf girl is my mate, right? So, I’ve decided to keep her here for a year.”

“A year?” almost the entire council members cry out at the same time. The female lycan that spoke earlier throws her dagger to the wooden desk and stands. Feeling unsafe, I move even closer to Lyall. The man seems to know how I feel, because he broadens his shoulders and spreads his arm slightly to cover me.

Only one elder man notices this. He has a crescent moon on his bald forehead, and wraps himself with a lot of fabric. I know instantly that he is an oracle. A corner of his mouth tugs just slightly upward.

“What about the werewolves?” one council member says, “As much as it is amusing to annoy the werewolves, do you really think they can let go of one of their precious females for a year?”

“Three hundred and sixty-five days is not a long time for us supernatural creatures,” the Oracle says. His voice is so calm that it changes the entire atmosphere of the room. I can feel a soothing wave radiating from his body, which is amazing. The lycans seem to look up to this old man in respect. “Besides, I believe our king has sent a formal message to the werewolf alpha.”

The old man, Naver, looks at the king with a cheerful smile. It makes him way younger than the first time I thought he was. He looks playful.

“You’ve sent a letter stating we will keep the girl for a year in exchange for half ownership of our gold mine,” Naver says.

“What?” the council members cry out at the same time. Two of them throw their hands in the air as if saying, ‘what’s the point of us being council members if our king is going to just do whatever he wants?’

“Naver,” Lyall calls the old man, “I told you not to read me, anymore.”

“And stop reading the werewolf girl,” Lyall commands with an icy prick to his tone.

My heart skips a beat when Lyall says Naver has been reading me. “M–me?” My voice is small, but Lyall hears it. “Like… mind reading?”

“No. Naver can read people’s stories. He looks at them and can figure out what kind of person you are, what have you been doing or have gone through,” Lyall says, “Sometimes he just likes to make people uncomfortable with his knowledge, though. So, pay him no mind.”

It just occurs to me that I just spoke. Now the entire room looks at me as if I am an animal in a zoo. All have forgotten how Lyall has easily surrendered half ownership of their gold mine to Alpha Mason. I am assuming it’s not that big of a deal to them, which means… they have a lot more resources.

“So, she speaks,” the same female lycan sneers at me. She pulls the dagger from the table and plays it with her fingers again. Definitely; a threat to me.

“Nothing specific,” Naver says, “And you have nothing to worry about, child.” His greying eyes look at me with so much tenderness. Somehow, I get the feeling that he knows the secret I am keeping. And this is his way of telling me that my secret will be safe with him.

“Let’s hear what Naver has to say,” Lyall’s voice commands the entire room. “You all trust him, trust his ability. So, let Naver say what he thinks about the werewolf girl.”

It seems that ‘werewolf girl’ will be stuck with me in this lycan kingdom.

Following Lyall’s words, everyone now turns their attention to the eldest in the room, Naver. The old man, however, turns his gaze to me. “What do you see in me, child?” he asks.

I thought of not answering. But… Naver’s soft tone makes me feel comfortable letting out my voice. “You have a progressing cataract.”

The room becomes silent. They look at me with so much stillness.

I’m only speaking the truth! His eyes do have that cloudy substance that can only mean cataract. Should I have said something deeper and not so literate? Like… maybe a warm and wise person? Heck, I don’t know all of them. So, the first thought coming to my mind is… his cataract.

Oh, Goddess. Did I just offend a lycan? Is cataract a sensitive topic in this kingdom?

Just when I am about to say sorry, Naver suddenly bursts into laughter. He claps three times. “Brilliant! Brilliant!”

I am more confused than ever. Perhaps lycans have different humor than me.

“That’s… the only thing you saw?” It's the same female lycan again. She has stopped twirling her dagger. Now, she looks at me with a surprised face.

“Uh… yeah…”

Out of the blue, I hear a gentle scoff from next to me. It is Lyall, who is disguising his smile into a cough but failing. I think everyone in the room sees this. But what’s so bizarre is each one of them looks even more surprised now.

One of the lycan men points at Lyall and cries out, “Your Majesty! Did you just do what I think you just did?” The others lean even more, showing curiosity about the matter.

Why does it seem like it’s taboo for the lycan king to have other expressions than this serious face?

Lyall has returned his face back to that cold, icy, and impenetrable mask. “Did what?” he asks the lycan man with so much coldness.

“Well, that is our answer, then! You all saw what the king just did, even though he didn’t want to admit it, right? I think it can only happen because the werewolf girl is here,” Naver claps once, then raises his arm to the air. “I vote for the werewolf girl to stay. All of you who disagree, say ‘Nay’ now or never say a word after this.”

My mind is racing with so many questions and my heart is beating so hard that I feel dizzy. Without knowing, I grab a tiny part of Lyall’s shirt.

No one says a word.

“Well, that concludes the meeting then,” Lyall says curtly. He wraps his hand on my fingers. A rush of warmth envelops me. I can feel so much warmth from this cold-looking man. It’s funny that he treats me gently like this when he treats others that he has known for a long time with cold shoulders.

“The werewolf girl stays.” Lyall’s voice is sound, deep, and commanding. It is not a statement. It’s an order.

“For 365 days, brother,” the female lycan, which now I know is related to Lyall, reminds us. She squints her eyes at me. The lycan king’s sister doesn’t seem to be fond of me.

“For 365 days,” Lyall repeats. Then his voice goes lower, vibrating with so much authority. His grip on me tightens as he says, “No one shall touch her. You all know I do not get angry, but I keep numbers. I can be a calculating sadist.”

I feel that same chill vibrating in my body. If I were the one at the receiving end of those words, I would have been scared. But knowing that he said those words for my protection… I feel safe.

One by one, the council member rises to stand and bows to the king, slightly revealing their neck to the side to show submissiveness. Even Naver does the same. “Yes, Your Majesty,” they say in unison.

Lyall stays for one long second, making sure his authority is spread throughout the room. Before finally, he drags me out of the room again.

It is hard to keep up with him at first because I stumble a few times. The third time I stumble, he whisks me in his arms and jogs so easily while carrying my full weight. He only sets me down when we arrive in the room I went out of earlier.

His room.

“What was that about?” I ask as I create a distance between him and me. “Why were they so interested when they saw you smiling? And did I offend Naver by stating his cataract condition? I didn’t mean it as an insult, though. I mean, it was the only thing going through my mind. I was not trying to be mean or to ridicule him.”

Lyall looks at me. The next second, he bursts out laughing. Again.  

I am stunned to see his carefree laughter.

That’s it.

He has a very low standard of humor. Period.