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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inside, I’m a storm of nerves

looking up, her brows knitted in concentration.

on the mundane conversation, though my gaze involuntarily drifts across the cafe. It lingers on King Soren–his regal posture, the way his hand gently steadies Max at his side. The sight sends an unfamiliar flutter through my chest, an attraction mingled with apprehension. With each tick

me mid–stride. Looking down, my heart squeezes

into a warm smile for the small boy whose innocence seems untouched by the harshness of pack politics. Despite my own turmoil, I

I glance up at him, feeling the vast expanse of air shrink between us. His height casts a shadow that feels like an eclipse over my

command that unnerves me; it’s the way my heart stutters at the sight of him. The sunlight

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by the contrast the hard lines of a ruler softened by signs of vulnerability.

me twists. There, in the depths of his stormy eyes, I glimpse a father’s love so fierce it could move mountains or tear down walls. It’s a look that speaks of sleepless nights and whispered promises, of a heart entwined irrevocably

slipping out before I can catch it. My cheeks flame with a mix of embarrassment and something else—an inexplicable pull towards this

back to the safety of my grandmother’s house, yet also a longing to linger

need to go home, to ensure she’s alright, yet here I stand, captivated by

softer this time,

full of hope and longing. And there it is again, that pull toward the king,