Found by the Lycan King by Natalie Winter

Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Zenovia

I froze in my tracks, my heart pounding in my chest. I had assumed Callahan hadn’t noticed my presence, but his voice shattered that illusion. Slowly, I turned around, my eyes meeting his intense gaze.

Callahan’s expression was stern, but there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. My mind raced, desperately searching for something to say, a plausible reason for my presence in his office. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words escaped.

I gulped when I heard the voice of King Callahan. My heart began to beat so fast that it was galloping at the speed of a thousand horses.

I feared it would fall out of my mouth at this rate. Slowly, very slowly, I turned around to see Callahan looking at me.

He still had the marker in his hand and gave me a small smile before returning his attention to his file.

“Come here.” He said and went back to sit on his chair, the file in his hand.

I gulped nervously as I slowly made my way towards him. I reluctantly approached Callahan’s desk, my eyes darting nervously around the room.

As I reached his side, he motioned for me to take a seat in the chair opposite him.

He pushed the chair in my direction without looking up and highlighted something with his marker.

“Are you going to speak at all?” He asked without looking at me. I sank into the plush chair and hoped that it would just swallow me whole.

“I…I am sorry…” I muttered weakly. He flipped the page, took a pen, and scribbled something on the paper.

Callahan did not say anything and kept reading intently for the next five minutes that felt like an eternity to me.

There were a few files scattered along the table and a huge map of the kingdom strewn across the length of the desk.

There were a few stains of teacups, showing that he had been really working hard on it, and a few pins that marked certain important spots.

“Do you not know that it is a bad habit to eavesdrop on someone?” Callahan asked as he pulled the cap off a pen with his mouth and threw it on the table as he took another pen to write something.

I thought of what to answer and could not come up with an answer. Luckily, I was spared of answering him when there was a knock on the door.

The servant I had met on my way to Callahan’s office had returned with another round of tea.

“Yeah, come in,” Callahan muttered as he began pacing through the room while reading the file.

He flipped a few more pages and was done with the file as he tossed it on the table and picked another one.

The file had landed on the edge of the table and it was going to fall down, so I stopped its fall. A few loose pages came out of the file, which I began picking up.

As I collected all the papers and put them in a stack, Callahan’s voice reached me.

But it was not directed at me. “Zenovia will prepare the tea. You can leave.”

the sugar. He did not say

absorbed in work and it did not look like

but I

fantasizing about him, but he had been working all day and was still reading the

upon seeing me again. Either that, or just leave the room if he did

he did neither, and that was confusing me.

left, glad to not be

the tray. Placing the papers I

“Sugar?”

and I put one cube

“Milk?”

poured the milk while reaching for a spoon to mix

11.01

Chapter 39

office. I would have argued with him that I am not his maid to serve him tea/coffee, but he had found me eavesdropping on him so I could not yell at him

moment.

because his mark meant I was under his protection. I meekly handed him the cup, which he took from me without even looking at me, leaving the saucer

on the table, spilling it all over

let out a startled cry and hastily pulled some tissues

cup on the

marker ink was spreading through

the desk and I felt scared of

sorry, I did not mean to…”

only grabbed my wrist and held it in front of me. My hair was askew as

me was firm.

said stop

and I quickly looked down, not wanting to see the rage directed

I didn’t do it purposely…” I cried, but he simply plucked me away from

and my body had not even gotten time to react to his touch before he had dropped me again, letting go

not moving, he went to the cupboard and rummaged through it to bring out a plastic box.

this,” He mumbled to himself before taking off the lid. I peered intently and realized it was

he going to disinfect the

placed the box beside me and squatted down. Without saying a word, he took my hand in his and

what he was doing before he wiped away some of the dried bits off

most of the tea in my hands. He wiped it off

bent low, and his hair fell on his face, covering it partially. He was

not even the least bothered. How could

become another plaything for him

to bear and seeing him

be done with it so I don’t

the place, the ink of the marker and pens spreading through even more papers, making it look

I

I tried not to gasp when his hands softly caressed me, his

instant if he wanted to. After he was done, he got up from the floor and went back to

sat there, holding my burned hand with another as he began salvaging the