The Lycan King's Affection

TEN

DIMITRI'S POV

Great days didn't happen often in the Galdina Estates. Today would be much worse because my body was rejecting the pills. It was days like this I would be at my worst and keep up my reputation as a heartless man with too much power in his hands.

But I was happy. It had been five years since Camille Dumont died because of the nefarious intentions of her stepmother and her then mate, taking away the hopes I had of a normal life. It had been five difficult years of struggling to keep my disease under the covers. But all that ended today.

Neil's digging around and my conversation with the human elites had led me to strike a gold mine. Another healer was alive and well and this time, I intended to keep her close.

I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel dangling loosely on my hips. I needed to be in the proper regalia to address her. I was also pondering on what words to say to her. Considering we kidnapped her children, she wouldn't be so keen to help out.

There was a knock on the door and without waiting for my response, the fellow barged in. Audacity like that told me it could only be Milana.

"Dimitri," she began, falling on the bed and rolling to the side so she could meet my eyes while she spoke. "There are crying children in the living room. Who are they? Family I don't know about?"

"Hardly," I retorted, pulling the towel off my hips so I could wipe dry with it. "They are the children of that healer Neil was helping me search for. Turns out she is real after all."

I watched a smile light up on her face and she got up to approach me. "That is great." She said, taking a look at my back. I could see it too in the mirror from where I stood. I didn't even need to look at it to feel it snaking its way across my back and right hand. Each vein seemed to be poisoned by the darkest ink I had ever set my eyes on. The tainted lines branched and intersected, resembling twisted roots of some malignant tree, draining the life of every other in its path. The sensation it sent through my body as it pulsed was chilling and painful to the touch. "You have to get better."

"I hope she is that good. I've heard wondrous things about her gift."

"I'll leave you to it then," Milana whispered, planting a kiss on my cheek.

I watched her leave before proceeding to dry myself up. As much as it was great that Neil found this woman, I didn't have a lot of faith like most people did. Healers were rare but I had met my fair share. I had even grown up with some. The disease plaguing me had plagued my father and his father. So it wasn't relatively new. What would be new was permanently getting rid of it. Which the healers I had encountered couldn't simply accomplish. The only healer that had given me such high hopes was the late daughter of the also late Alpha of the Lily of the Valley pack, Camille Dumont. I almost had the granddaughter of the legendary Abigail De'crescent. I was so close to freeing myself from this inherited disease and It got stripped from me.

Thinking about only seemed to make my blood boil. So I stopped thinking. I had a healer to meet.

I stepped out of the grand chamber, adorned in the most striking attire befitting my station as king of the Lycan.

With each stride across the ornate halls, I emerged into the living room, where her children awaited, their eyes wide with terror. A terror, they soon seemed to forget when they laid eyes on me or rather, the golden band sitting on my head.

"Are you a king?" The boy asked.

I looked at Milana who had been sitting with them and trying to pacify them the whole time.

"Yes, I am."

"I have seen this in a movie before," the girl continued. She seemed to be even more cheekier than her brother despite having puffy red eyes and drying tears on her cheeks. "Are you our father?"

Milana was the first to burst into a laugh. She really had no self-control. "Dimitri, you had children and it didn't occur for you to tell me?" She whispered in the most dramatic manner.

I knelt before the children, my regal robe flowing to the floor. "No, dear," I replied gently, a soft smile gracing my lips as I tucked down her hair behind her ears. "I am not your father, but I can be your friend."

The boy's eyes widened in wonder, while the girl's playful spirit sparked a glint in her eye. "Can we explore the castle?" she asked eagerly, her curiosity overshadowing her previous distress.

"Of course, you may," I answered, gesturing toward the majestic corridors. "But first, you must tell me your name."

"Mummy said we shouldn't give private information to strangers. I think especially strangers who kidnapped us. Are you going to kill us?"

Children were wild things. One second ago she was asking me if she could explore the castle and another second she was asking me if I was going to kill her. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"No. I don't want to kill anybody. Especially not you. I want to be friends with you guys. My name is Dimitri." I offered the girl my hands given her cheeky nature. She would be the first to take it. The boy was a little bit more careful and wary.

I was right.

"Sofia," the girl shook my hand. "Now, can we explore the castle?"

I looked at the boy and urged him to take my hand. "What about you boy? What is your name?"

He looked at his sister w who gave him the look. I could tell who was older. He reluctantly took it and looked me in the eye.

"Collins."

Welcome, Sofia and Collins," I greeted warmly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Now, can we explore the castle?" Sofia asked me. She pouted like she could guess I was going to say no. I was but Lycaon was she good.

"The castle is really big. It would take days to explore the whole thing. But I have a garden at the back with a pond and guess what?"

"What?" They retorted together.

"There are fishes and ducks in the pond. Do you like animals?"

They both nodded.

"Good then, I can take you–"

I didn't get to finish. "That will not be necessary, Your Majesty. Step away from my children."

When I tried to meet the eyes of the daring woman, her entire form was shrouded in black. Even her face remained hidden beneath a dark veil. Her eyes were the only thing I could really see. Oh. She wanted to keep her identity hidden.

"You must be..."

"Cameryn Gallagher. Mother to the children you kidnapped and the healer you seem to be looking for."

***

CAMILLE'S POV

Before I followed Neal, I asked him for some time. I used that moment to tell HR that something came up and I would have to take some days off.

In the comfort of the hospital's bathroom, I weighed things. How much did the Lycans know?

With what Neal had revealed, it was clear their connection was extreme. I knew a day like this would come but I never imagined it reach this magnitude.

I stripped out of my scrubs and wore the dress I used with clients. A dark free gown that covered every inch of skin. My hands were the only things that were free.

I covered my hair in a scarf and used the other end to veil my face before returning to the courtyard to meet Neal.

"I see you are intent on keeping your identity a secret, miss Cameryn." He chuckled.

I scoffed, handing him my things. "If you knew where to find my children. You definitely know who I am."

When I decided to stay in Marblefay to keep the Gallaghers memory alive and fulfil my promise to my father, I found myself a blacksmith to fashion a knife made out of silver and wolfsbane. I cut myself on the face badly before reinventing myself under the alias Cameryn. A werewolf with no origin. If the Lycans had pulled in my records, especially the ones from the hospital, they would only see a badly scarred woman.

"Couldn't you heal the scar?" Neal asked. He seemed keen on having a conversation as he led me to his car. "The werewolf healing factor is not the fastest or the strongest but if you can cure cancer, you should be able to rid yourself of a scar."

"I want to keep the scar. It reminds me of what I have survived," I lied effortlessly.

Neal proceeded to open the car door, his expression turning thoughtful. "I understand," he said, his tone filled with empathy. "Sometimes scars serve as a reminder of our resilience."

"I could heal yours," I told him. "I always thought the Lycan regeneration was stronger. But I guess I was wrong."

Neal caressed the scar on his forehead and chuckled. "Our regeneration is potent actually. This particular scar wasn't caused by an ordinary weapon. I survived a bomb filled with silver mist."

I nodded in understanding. Trying not to act like that revelation unsettled me.

Through the years, I had tried not to think about the Dumont family, the pack or the accident that happened that day. All I knew was that my birth father did not escape the explosion and had died. I figured with time, it would just become a distant memory. I was wrong.

I settled into the car seat with the realization that the explosion had not been some freak accident but an orchestrated attack directed at the Lycans.

"Plus, I like the scar. It gives me some personality and reminds me of someone." Neal said shutting the door.

When he entered the driver's seat and fixed his seatbelt, I asked him, "Who does it remind you of?"

It was a bad idea. I knew it in my bones. But I couldn't help myself. Neal barely knew me. Even then, the connection we had was symbiotic. He needed my help and I needed to escape my hell. I just couldn't comprehend a small memory that ended in the worst way imaginable being something he didn't want to forget.

"A healer," he replied, keeping his eyes on the road as he started the engine. "She would have been the one to end this." He mused, more to himself than me.

If there was one thing I had learned, it was that the history book on the shelf was always repeating itself. A part of what I ran from and found me again. But at least this time, I could actually choose. I would just heal Dimitri Galdina, take my children and skip town for a while. A vacation on an island seemed nice.

The car accelerated into the road and I got another reality check. Was this fate? The children had always asked me who their father was. They had done plenty to figure out the identity of the man who left their mother but I couldn't bring myself to tell them the truth.

There was also that tiny inconvenience I had almost forgotten. It had been five years but the yearning was still there and strong. The Lycan King was my mate. Again I had to consider if this was some kind of cruel fate. Then my stomach twisted into knots as I imagined the different ways our meeting would go. I remembered the face he had when we met the second time. Our first encounter was still a blur because I was drunk and foggy. It was clear the mating bond was one-sided but I wondered what would happen if I met him again. Considering it caused goose pimples to erupt on my skin.

As if I hadn't been out though enough Neal's vehicle came to a halt, dragging me out of my flood of thoughts. I looked outside and a mansion behind a great iron-wreathed gate came into view.

The gates creaked open, inviting us onto the gravel driveway.

The mansion stood tall amidst the sprawling estate, an architectural masterpiece with towering columns and a grand entrance. Its pristine white exoskeleton exuded an air of true elegance.

Neal, my forced companion for the day, stepped out and opened the car door with a courteous smile. "Welcome to Galdina Manor, Camryn," he said, handing me an umbrella to shield myself from the drizzle that had begun to fall.

I gave him a weak smile to thank him even though he couldn't see it and stepped out of the car, my eyes unable to tear away from the mansion's impressive structure. Intricate details adorned the entrance, revealing the craftsmanship of a bygone era. It looked at least two hundred years old.

A butler, impeccably dressed in a traditional black suit, emerged from the entrance with a similar umbrella in hand. He approached us with a respectful nod and extended his arm towards the mansion. "Please, allow me to welcome you, madam. His Majesty is awaiting your arrival."

Without hesitation, I followed the butler into the mansion's opulent interior. The entrance hall stretched out before me, adorned with marble flooring and a chandelier that glittered with a hundred crystal drops.

Neal was right beside me. As we threaded deeper into the mansion, I fed myself with the house's personality in hopes of getting to know who Dimitri Galdina was.

The butler led us through a labyrinth of hallways, adorned with portraits of people I figured were family members of the Galdina household. All men with crowns adorning their heads. Men who had power and knew it. The last one looked new. It was the current king. It was Dimitri.

I didn't get enough time to observe much because the butler was incredibly quick with his feet and soon enough, we arrived at a set of large wooden doors, ornately carved with intricate designs of mythical creatures and symbols.

With a soft knock, the butler announced my arrival. There seemed to be a lot of giggling and talking inside so the butler got no response. He was going to knock again. But Neal took things into his own hands and pushed the doors open.

The doors swung open, revealing a lavish room filled with antique chairs and pristine wallpapers.

In front of the room itself was King Dimitri. He wore a perfectly tailored suit that looked like it wasn't of this century and a red robe adorned his behind.

He was kneeling, laughing and chatting with my children. The sight caused my blood to run cold.

"There are fishes and ducks in the pond. Do you like animals?" He asked, in a voice that told me he was playing nice. Almost fatherly.

My oblivious kids both nodded with excitement.

"Good then, I can take you–"

"That will not be necessary, Your Majesty," I blurted out. It was like my body went on autopilot. "Step away from my children."

At that moment, his eyes, piercing and powerful, met mine across the room, and a barely perceptible smile played at the corner of his lips.

I felt it again. The overwhelming pheromones that his body was releasing and how it made my knees buckle. It had been over five years and the effects of the mate bond were still just as overpowering.

"You must be..."

Pull yourself together Camille!

"Cameryn Gallagher. Mother to the children you kidnapped and the healer you seem to be looking for."