The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation (Valeria) novel Chapter 467

BEOF

"She’s crying, Beof. Damn it, she’s Regent Elliot’s daughter. Her wolf told me. She’s the daughter of that woman—Katherine Everhart."

My wolf’s words yanked me out of my erotic fantasies.

Faint memories surfaced of the one time I met that sorceress, and how I swore never to go near her again.

I had always thought she could be my second-chance mate, and I didn’t want problems.

But I never imagined I had recognized my mate’s faint scent even before she was born.

Though, knowing now that she was a powerful and rare female lycan, it wasn’t all that surprising.

I finally stood up, half-dressed, watching her soft, trembling back. Now I was the one feeling nervous… and even guilty.

Fuck, I hadn’t even scolded her yet!

"It’s alright, little one, don’t cry. Don’t cry—we can talk about this. You should have told me from the start…"

I reached out to touch her shoulder. Goddess, the closer I got, the more intoxicating her scent became.

The silhouette of her naked body was too tempting. My brain tried to be rational, but my heart and instincts pushed me to take what was mine.

Before my fingertips could touch her skin, she suddenly turned, catching me off guard, and pressed herself into my arms, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist.

Her soft hair rested under my chin—never had a woman reached that height before.

The firm swell of her breasts crushed against my tense muscles, my cock trapped against her warm belly.

My hands hovered stiffly in the air, my whole body rigid, sweat breaking over my skin as I tried to hold back.

"Do you not like me? Tell me the truth, Beof. Are you only attracted to me because of the bond? What do you really think of me?"

She lifted her face, her damp eyes locking onto mine—so tender, so fucking tempting.

I swallowed hard, placing my hands on her shoulders just to do something, anything, other than stand there like an idiot.

"I’ve waited for you for so long… I’ve known for years that you were mine. Why didn’t you ever come to my home? It always felt like you were avoiding my family."

And she was right. I had been. But I’d rather die than mention the confusion with her mother.

"I… I had a lot of responsibilities at the castle… I never imagined my mate was in the Elemental Realm," I muttered, fumbling for an excuse, my brow furrowing.

"If you knew about us, why didn’t you come to the castle and introduce yourself? Why all this deception, little one?"

"My name is Amara. That’s my name. You don’t even know my name."

Her voice wavered, anger and pain laced in every syllable.

"You… you chose to sleep with them over me. I was going to give myself to you, to confess everything. But I guess I’m not what you expected, huh?"

She made to pull away. I could feel her sadness, her anger, her disappointment swirling together.

I was the one who was supposed to be pissed off here!

"Yes, I like you, but wait, Amara…" I grabbed her by the arms.

The smartest thing to do would be to step back. Having her this exposed in front of me, this vulnerable, only worked against me.

I would never forgive myself. Not her. Amara wasn’t just another nameless body in my bed—she was my fated mate.

"Beof…"

Her expression darkened. My hesitation was hurting her. Maybe if I showed her what she was getting into with me…

Her warmth against me began to fade. She stepped back, head lowering.

In that moment, I forgot she had lied, that she had pulled me into this twisted scheme.

Driven by my most primal instincts, I grabbed her waist, yanking her against me so she couldn’t pull away.

My fingers clutched her chin, tilting her face up to meet mine.

"I’m going to show you just how much I want you. Raw, unfiltered, exactly as I am." I whispered against her parted lips.

"You’re in control, Amara. Every step of the way. And if, in the end, you don’t want to be bound to a beast, I’ll understand…" My voice dropped lower, raspier.

"And even if it kills me… I’ll set you free."

Then I lowered my mouth to hers, crushing my lips against hers—desperate, starving for her, devouring her.

This wasn’t just the mate bond. I wanted this woman in every way imaginable.

I wanted to know everything about her—what made her sigh, what made her laugh, what made her tremble…

And deep in my soul, I prayed that this wasn’t some cruel illusion. That the Goddess hadn’t lifted me to the heavens… only to shatter my dreams into dust.