Traded To The Lycan King by MG Wattsons

"There is a life form in there," Ezrah reminds me as if I give a shit. Right now, the only life I care about is the one with a pointy stick near his throat.

"I don't fucking care." I grit out, a gentle breeze tickling through my hair as the fog swirls about, moving across the barren wasteland like tendrils of smoke.

Ezrah's lips twitch, pulling into a grim line before he nods and lets go of Merikh. He takes a step back and puts his hands up in surrender. Then he throws the stick he must have brought with him to the side. My chest heaves, my face wet with tears. The small rock like egg in my hand hums lightly, vibrating through my weary muscles as I lower it to my chest.

"What now?" Ezrah asks.

"You fucking leave." Merikh growls, rising to his feet, ready for another round with Ezrah.

"You can not beat me, Alpha. Not in the current state you are in and I will not hesitate to kill you," Ezrah says. His words are calm and factual. Merikh is exhausted and still not in the best health after the last forty-eight hours. Hell, the last two weeks even.

"Take it and leave." I whisper.

"What?" Merikh asks, shocked, as he whips his head in my direction. Maybe he sees something in my face, or perhaps he feels the emptiness in me. But he stops his protesting and his eyes soften. "You have exactly ten seconds to get it and get the fuck away from here."

Ezrah rushes forward as I gently drop the egg on to the wet ashy ground. He swoops it up, and pauses, looking at us like he wants to say something more but can't find the words.

"I am sorry for my part-"

"We will hunt you down, and we will find you Ezrah. Your expertise is delivering messages. Ours is hunting." Merikh says, his voice a dark threat as Ezrah frowns and nods in understanding. "We shall see," he murmurs before he runs away.

Merikh moves toward me, his hands taking hold of my shoulders as he lowers himself to look in my sullen eyes. A sorrowful frown tugs at the corner of his lips at what he sees, then his fingers sweep a hair from my forehead.

The sparks are the only thing that makes me feel like I am alive, fluttering through me and reminding me I have lost a lot, but not everything. Not everyone.

collect Giselle's ashes," He murmurs, leaning in to press his lips to my

the tears flow

okay. You stay and wait here for me, okay?" He braces both sides of my face, forcing me to meet his worried gaze. "I will be

only thing that will come out will be a sob. Everything feels like it is too much. Simply waiting for him makes my heart pound and my body ache, but the mere thought of moving is agonizing. If my pain

pumpkin gutted and cut up to be put on display. Am I expected to placate everyone when it feels like my heart has been ripped from me? Must I wear a smile when just the thought of it makes

standing here, blinking at him. He has a bag in his hand that he

smile as he offers it to me, but my arms won't move as I look down at it and then back up at him. My poor gamma takes pity on me as he quickly slams the shirt over my head. I push

croak. And

he asks, confused, looking down at his

voice cracking. "She was the only family you had left, and now you

But I breathe every day the same as I did before. I just do it for her now." He admits, then he looks around, his eyes wide. "Where is Alpha

to the

my future kids' grandparents. Took

ever growing whole of pain. Then I realize what he thinks has happened. A pang of guilt slams into me, my eyes

He is well, Merikh is collecting what is left of Giselle to finish the plan." I explain, taking what little ability

care of it from there-" He pauses when my hand

falling as my

are gone." I say through a

"They?"

"Both of them."

of us," Merikh says, coming up to us, a charcoal looking piece of wood in his arms. I notice a pile of ashes in a groove of the item

her?" I ask, looking up at the sky, wiping my

announces and Percy frowns, peeking closer at