Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter39

Valen POV

I couldn’t sleep; all night I tossed and turned, knowing they were both over there and so close yet out of reach. It gave me a little comfort knowing Tatum was there with them, yet everything screamed I should be the one protecting them. How I had failed. No wonder she hated me. I would hate me too if our roles were reversed.

Now a few past incidents made sense, why I could never hold a relationship to save my life, why I had trouble with my sex life, the sudden bouts of depression seeping into me. Now it made me wonder if I knew all along on a subconscious level, and it was my body trying to stop me from making the idiotic decisions I sometimes did.

She felt it, felt it all, and didn’t say anything. When she kissed Marcus, the pain that she caused was brief yet painful all the same. How did she endure years of my infidelity? I may not have known about her, but she certainly knew of me, which made me groan at how stupid I had been. The countless brothels, the women, and she endured that pain over and over for countless long years.

Five years, for some reason, that number kept popping up in my head as I tried to dredge up any memory that would lead me to her. Why was that number so significant? Besides the obvious, of course. Yet something nagged at me, tugged as it

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should matter to me, Five years, five years I mutter under my breath when I feel my breath leave me altogether, and I gasp, nearly choking on my own spit as I lurch upright.

The Alpha meeting, the fairy girl, the girl who snuck out on me the following day, Could that have been her? I was pissed off that she left before I even woke, something told me it was Everly, yet I never saw her face, and Marcus woke me the following day, and she was gone. He said he passed the girl and I remembered it irritated me because I was angry he didn’t stop her.

That girl has remained in my thoughts for five years already and was one of the many things that got me through each night. Finding myself often thinking of the girl dressed as a fairy, yet I could never explain why she would randomly pop into my thoughts.

Marcus had told me to look for her, yet when I checked the registry, I could never find her name, which now made sense; she was underage. She wasn’t supposed to be in that side of the hotel, which was for only adults and …. and future Alphas. She shouldn’t have been where I was, and I always thought it odd when I went over the registry of attendees. I could never find anyone that even resembled her. No ID had me jumping the way Everly did.

I had spent weeks searching the hotel database, yet she would have been in the kid’s section. I cringed at that mental thought, don’t go there. Creepy as hell, yet I kind of remembered that night, even though I was wasted. I

remembered how I was drawn to her, and no matter where I

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Chapter39

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turned, I found myself in her vicinity again, drawn to her like a moth to a flame. It had to be her, and it made sense why she would have run. I spent weeks angry that she ran out on me, but it suddenly made sense because if Alpha John was her father, I could imagine the trouble she would have got in if she had been caught with me. That meant that Ava… the girl my father was trying to mate me to… was Everly’s sister.

That was back right in the middle of a brutal war when land was being divided again after we brought out half of Silverstone Pack lands, they fell under hot water with debts, and we settled those debts in exchange for a good size chunk of their territory giving us ownership to half the city. A war ensued, and too many lives were lost to violence in the streets, constant attacks, though my pack killed just as many as John’s did, we weren’t completely innocent.

Alpha John was furious, and our feud only became worse. It added fuel to the fire, so it made me curious what changed between my father and John that they were now willing to marry me off to his daughter.

they seemed amicable, friendly, and it made me

I glance at it to see Tatum’s number pop

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Chapter39

phone.

“Everything okay?”

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I follow her or

know where she went?”

it was none of my

her space; if she isn’t back

boss,” Tatum says, hanging

the phone, then face to face. We only seemed to argue

after the third ring. She

left the

by himself, and I figured your friend would watch over him

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Chapter39

leaving Valarian

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is fine. He is safe. I was just concerned where you were

fence again. I had it reopened yesterday afternoon, and someone keeps fixing it,” Everly curses, and I hear her

my fault. Marcus told me the fence was broken. I sent someone

it was

you get home okay. How was I supposed

of us use it as a shortcut, it is fine I can wait until tomorrow or something,” she says though she sounds like she was almost breathless.

just don’t hang up until I know you’re back with Tatum.

so I figure

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Chapter 39

“No.”

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why are you running so late?”

make sure it is still connected. “Because I need to,” she finally says though it sounds more like a murmur and like there was

do you mean?”

my door. Your bodyguard is staring at me because I look like a drowned rat from the rain. Can I go

just want to make sure you are

groans, the noise

boss I am home,” I

hear in the background and