The Lone Wolf's Lycan Princess

Truth

River POV

The moment I felt her panic, a wave of unease washed over me. I swiftly rose from my seat and pushed through the doors leading to the rooms, disregarding the receptionist's pleas. The distinct scent of Erin guided me, leading me to burst into the room she was in. Erin was restrained in a chair, barely conscious. This was far from normal; they knew she was a shifter and had been messing with her.

The doctor, feigning ignorance, initially urged me to leave. But her facade crumbled as she realized I saw through her deception. Without wasting a moment, I released Erin from her restraints and cradled her in my arms. She was limp, her consciousness stolen by the combination of wolfsbane and other unknown substances.

"Why are you with Erin, rogue?" the doctor demanded, her voice tinged with unease.

"I knew I smelled a witch," I snarled, my voice dripping with anger.

"I need you to put Erin back down. You don't understand how important it is that I continue," she pleaded.

"Not happening," I growled, my resolve unyielding. The doctor's eyes widened as she scanned me.

"Please don't tell me you're her mate, a rogue wolf," she implored, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"You have no idea, do you?" she questioned, disbelief evident in her tone. I moved towards the door with Erin still in my arms, determined to escape this wretched place.

"Leave with her, and her life is at risk, wolf," the doctor warned, her words falling on deaf ears.

"I'll tell you the truth, wolf, for if I do, you will understand why you should reject her," she yelled out to me, causing me to pause and turn to face her.

"I'll never reject her," I snarled, my loyalty unwavering. "She's mine."

The doctor sighed, her resignation palpable. "I have no clue why the goddess would gift her a wolf, and a rogue, nonetheless," she muttered.

"I may be rogue, but I am strong. I am the product of one of the strongest alphas, and my mother was the alpha's daughter from a neighboring pack. Yes, I may have been cast out, but I am far from weak," I declared.

"A wolf can't protect her," she said, shaking her head.

"Care to elaborate?" I challenged as she closed the door, shutting out the world.

"Erin isn't a wolf. We altered her scent to protect her. But since you're her mate, you have a right to know," she explained, her voice filled with a hint of regret.

"What is she then?" I asked, a mix of curiosity and apprehension coursing through me.

"Lycan," she replied. I stared at her, shock written across my face.

"Lycan?" I questioned, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"Doesn't change a thing for me. She is my mate. She will not be coming here again. If we were not in a city full of f*****g humans, you would already be dead for touching her," I snapped, my protective instincts flaring up.

"She is a pure-blood lycan," she said softly, her voice carrying a sense of reverence. I glanced down at Erin nestled in my arms.

"Then tell me, why would you mess with her?" I asked, my voice tinged with frustration.

"We are here to protect her," she replied. "We provide her with wolfsbane, a safeguard against her shifting. For even from a distance, her kind can sense that she lives if she shifts."

"You understand why that would be dangerous for her, don't you?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

I growled in frustration, my voice filled with anger as I spoke. "I understand. Living away from my kind, I am not up to date on everything. The lycans live far away in a shielded area, completely free of humans. But I have heard talk. I know we used to have peace with the lycans, but then they started using she wolves as breeders. Of course, that created issues. They started fighting us for land, but the lycan king put an end to that by signing a peace treaty among our kinds. He made it a law that breeders must be willing, not forced or taken. However, the lycan council went behind the king's back, claiming they were superior. This resulted in the death of the royal family and the end of the peace treaty," I explained.

The woman nodded, acknowledging my words. "Not all of the royals died. The king's twin daughters survived. Erin is the last royal Lycan and one of the few remaining pure-blood lycans. The original plan was for us to protect them and, when they came of age, help train them so Erin and her sister Alexia could reclaim the kingdom and bring back peace. However, a tracker found the girls with their new identities. Before we could intervene, Erin’s adopted human family and sister were killed. Erin believes she was not harmed, but she actually was. It's just that she didn't die since she is somehow immune to silver. Before the tracker was killed, he gave Erin some sort of potion, the nature of which is still unknown to us. It stole her voice and left her in a constant state of fear, clearly an attempt to break her. Luckily, the tracker was killed, and no trace of him sharing Erin's identity was found. So she remained safe in the city, except for a random person who messages her, yet we can't trace them. While she has lived here, we have kept constant watch on her. However, you managed to take her away. Since we determined you were no threat, just a job, we did not act immediately. We watched until she was needed for this appointment. I knew well she would come. We have been trying to reverse the damage done to her for four years. But you must understand, she can't protect herself. If she shifts, she will only be putting a target on her back. Erin is the only hope of restoring peace. Not only that, she is gifted, meant for more. We just don't know what yet. You are a rogue, a wolf. You can't stand against who will come for her. If you love your mate, as I believe you already do, let her go for her own sake," the witch said, her voice filled with concern and urgency.

"If anything, I want to be with her more now," I responded. "She needs me as much as I need her. The moon goddess would not have created this bond if I was incapable of protecting her."

"In the little time she has been with me, we are working through her fears," I continued, my voice steady. "I believe she will speak again, become the confident woman hiding inside of her. She doesn't need more abuse, and that is what you are doing."

My gaze locked with the doctor's, unwavering. "No explanation you give will change my mind on that," I stated firmly. "I'm good at hiding, and if need be, I will take her where no one will ever locate us for her safety. But I will also train her and help her, as I don't believe in locking away any of her potential."

The doctor's eyes widened, a mixture of surprise and skepticism. "You have no pack to help you protect her," she countered, her voice laced with doubt.

"I prefer to be a lone wolf," I replied, a hint of defiance in my tone. "But if I needed a pack, I could make one. Don't underestimate me."

"Now, I'm going to give you a choice. I'll take your number and maybe consider involving you and those helping Erin if need be. But you are to let me leave with Erin, and you are to drop any and all spells used to deceive others into believing this is court ordered. Erin is free from this day on."

Erin shifted slightly, nuzzling her head against me, still unconscious. The doctor looked at her, stunned. "She is comfortable," she muttered, almost in disbelief.

"No s**t," I snapped, my frustration boiling over. "I'm her mate, and right now, my scent and my body are what is helping her get over the s**t you just injected into her." The doctor reluctantly reached into her pocket and handed me a card.

"I warned you, wolf," she said, her voice tinged with caution. "We won't get in your way if destiny has gifted you to Erin. We will let it play out, for it is not our nature to mess with fate. We will only warn."

With a surge of anger, I kicked the door open, the sound of it crashing against the wall echoing in the hallway. Ignoring the stares and whispers, I carried Erin out of the building, my sole focus on getting her home.

I hurriedly made my way to the car with Erin, feeling the cold metal of the handle as I opened the back door and carefully set her down. The engine roared to life as I slid into the driver's seat, the sound echoing in my ears. As we left the city behind, I pressed down on the accelerator, the rush of wind against the car creating a symphony of sound.

Though I knew the dose of wolfsbane given to her wouldn't cause much harm, I yearned to hold Erin in my arms. My anger simmered, adding a layer of tension to the air. Uncertainty lingered in my mind about the doctor's words, but I believed she had been truthful.

The revelation that Erin was a Lycan caught me off guard. I knew that Lycans were forbidden from taking werewolves as mates, but I couldn't care less about the rules. Throughout the entire ride, Erin remained unconscious, her presence a fragile weight in the backseat. As soon as we arrived at my place, I swiftly carried her inside and gently placed her on my bed.

"We need to mark her, we can't wait any longer," Max growled in my mind. He was right, but I refused to force Erin into anything. I climbed into bed, removing my shirt and her sweatshirt, pulling her close to me. Even in her unconscious state, she twitched and moved, her nails scratching against her skin. This was a side effect of the wolfsbane, a burning sensation that coursed through her veins. I held her hands firmly, preventing her from harming herself.

I had initially believed that she was a half-breed with a human parent, but It seemed that witchcraft had been employed to ensure her appearance was as human as possible, even to the extent of experiencing a human cycle.

I may just be a wolf, and she may be a lycan, but that would not deter me. I possessed a strength far greater than many had ever acknowledged. If I truly desired it, I could have returned to the pack that had cast me out, challenging my half-brother, now the pack Alpha. With certainty, I knew I would emerge victorious, proving my superiority and worthiness to lead the pack. Yet, my interest did not lie in such matters. I had no desire to be a part of a pack that rejected me, nor did I feel a strong connection to my own kind. The rules and ways of my kind held no sway over me, nor did the forbidden nature of a wolf being with a Lycan. The fact remained, the moon goddess had chosen me for Erin. She had selected me to stand by her side, to protect her. And I would fulfill that role with unwavering devotion. She was my lycan princess, and I was bound to her.