Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 23

Aubrey

The clock above the cafe door ticks away, a relentless reminder of the time slipping through my fingers. Each passing minute ratchets up the tension coiling in my stomach, an uneasy dance between nervousness and anticipation. I can’t help but steal glances at King Soren and his son, Max, as I deliver steaming cups of coffee to other patrons.

“Everything alright, Brielle?” Marianne asks, her brow furrowed with concern. I force a smile, my hand trembling ever so slightly as I set down a plate.

“Yeah, just… ready for the day to be over,” I admit, my gaze flickering back to the regal figures occupying a corner booth. The sight of King Soren, so powerful yet tender with his child, sends a shiver down my spine—an intoxicating blend of fear and attraction that I’m not sure what to do with.

The café’s usual hum of chatter fades to a dull roar as my pulse quickens. I can sense King Soren’s eyes on me, heavy with an intensity that belies the casual setting. With every passing second, my skin prickles with awareness, and I find myself fumbling slightly with the coffee cups, my nervousness mirrored in the clatter of porcelain.

When my shift is a few minutes from over, my fingers fumble slightly as I untie the apron, the fabric suddenly feeling like chains that bind me to this place. Hanging it up with a practiced swing, I turn to Marianne, who’s busy tallying the day’s receipts. “Hey, I’m on for the morning shift tomorrow,

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Chapter 23

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My voice is steady, but inside, I’m a storm of nerves knowing the king hasn’t left

bright and early,” Marianne replies without looking up,

regal posture, the way his hand gently steadies Max at his side. The sight sends an unfamiliar flutter through

tiny pressure against my leg halts me mid–stride. Looking

in my tone melting into a warm smile for the small boy whose innocence seems untouched by the harshness of pack politics. Despite my own turmoil, I can’t

between us. His height casts a shadow that feels like an eclipse over my own petite form. He

just his command that unnerves me; it’s the way my heart stutters at the sight of

Chapter 23

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moment, I am entranced by the contrast the hard lines of a ruler softened by signs of vulnerability.

shifts to Max and something inside me twists. There, in the depths of his stormy eyes, I glimpse a father’s love so fierce it could move mountains

catch it. My cheeks flame with a mix of embarrassment and something else—an

I ask, though it’s clear it’s not. My voice trembles, betraying my nervousness–a need to flee back to

need to go home, to

again, softer

my chest for the little prince. He looks up at his father with wide, innocent eyes, so full of hope and longing. And there it is again, that pull toward the king,