Traded To The Lycan King by MG Wattsons

"What ya doing?" A voice asks from above me. I close my eyes and groan internally.

"Trying to find silence." I mutter.

"Hmm, looks more like you are spying on Marcos, Hayes." Nisha asks, dropping from the tree next to me where I hide and watch Marcos as he examines Kyra.

"I'm not spying on Marcos." I say defensively. She steps up next to me, looking straight ahead, and then she chuckles.

"So, are you going to apologize to her?"

I ignore her as I focus on Marcos' gentle, unmaimed hands as they glide across her bruised back. He eases her to the side, checking out the bruise on her abdomen, his thumb inching too close to her breasts-

"Hayes," Nisha says, stepping in front of me. Her dark brown eyes lock on mine as I clear my throat and look away quickly. "Seems like she is has gotten under your skin."

"She is not," I scoff, turning my back on Nisha and walking deeper into the trees. Every step away from where Marcos is touching Kyra feels like a brick is added to my body weight, sinking me further into the ground making it impossible to move further.

"What'd she do to you then?" Nisha pounces in front of me with a glimmer of excitement in her eye. Her short loose curls bobble with her head as she tilts it to the side, waiting for an answer.

"Kyra and I are old friends. She didn't do anything to me." I say firmly. It's the truth. When it comes to hurting Kyra, it seems I am almost always the root cause, and it sucks just as much now as it did back then.

"Oh," Nisha laughs as she covers her mouth. "Oh, you feel guilty."

My shoulders slump and I frown as I look directly into the thin werewolf's eyes.

"I feel bad she got hurt, yes, but my motive was justified." I clip out. "Kyra does not belong here. She shouldn't have been allowed on this mission."

Nisha makes a face, one that says 'interesting but I disagree' and I roll my eyes. Of the group we have with us, Nisha is annoyingly the most perceptive. Though Dean may be as well, he is much better at controlling his face when it comes to things he disagrees with. "Keep your opinion to yourself, Nisha." I warn her and she puts her hands up, feigning innocence.

"I didn't say anything," she protests.

"You didn't have to. Your face always speaks louder than your words." I mutter and she giggles.

"I can't help what my face does." She rolls her eyes. Her bubbly personality is a constant point of contention between us. But her desire for revenge is just as strong as the rest of us, so she fits our odd ball group. "Are you on watch?" I ask her, and she shoots me a grin.

was visiting with Koda." She says, as she waggles her

and she rolls

like that and I might almost be

winks at me, and I glare at

her hands land on my chest and she gives me a soft, sad look. "Wait. You owe Kyra an apology, Hayes. And you should do it sooner rather than later." She says, a demanding look on her face that makes me chuckle dryly and shake my head as I push her hands away. "What I do is my business, Nisha." I scoff and she

up with that command and you know it. Keep that shit up and you will lose crew

her aside as I storm

crosses a line and she is too weak to handle herself? Not that Marcos would ever do such a thing, but my mind can't think straight. My pace quickens, and

Dean calls to me from my right, but I

again, and then

and he looks at me like I am

now, making sure he goes further away. But it

right at Dean as he watches the realization

it is the second one that Kyra mentioned?" I ask him and

aren't usually in this area, so for it to be a separate incident,

dragging my good hand through my hair. "Where is Koda,

"He is

I mutter, changing directions as I sprint toward where Koda is hunkering down and watching the bastard dragon. "No!" Dean roars, chasing

I snort a laugh.

"The hell I can't,"

need to do is remember seeing Kyra in pain and the way her body is bruised

her. And

I can do

sheer fun of it. Dean has seen me at my worst and my best,

you for this mission. This mission is too important for this one dragon. Kyra is

my mouth sealing shut as I breathe heavily and spin to look at him, confused. "What did you say?" I

the way he thinks this has anything to do with me caring for her. And maybe

growl at him. "This is about those fuckers killing as they please for sheer pleasure of it.

he goes, what he does. We have a tracker now, right? Let's use her the way Alpha intended." "He intended her to help us find Ezrah, not dragons." I remind him and she shrugs,