Carrying the Lycan Cursed child

chapter 8

POV Kali

The moment we walked into Zion's private rooms, the mate bond became too strong to ignore. All day it had been getting stronger, but now, alone with him, it was overwhelming. Every breath I took was full of his smell - storms and pure male power that made my wolf want him desperately.

"Kali," he said softly, closing the door behind us. His voice sounded different, rougher.

I turned to look at him and saw the same desperate hunger in his silver eyes that I felt inside me. The control he'd kept all day was breaking, and I could feel how much he wanted me through our bond.

"I can barely think when you're this close," he said, his hands making fists at his sides. "Every part of me wants to—"

"Then don't think," I whispered, taking a step toward him.

The air between us felt tense. My wolf was fully awake now, more alive than she'd been in years, calling to her mate. When had I ever wanted someone this much? When had my body ever felt so ready?

Zion's eyes flashed gold as his wolf came forward. "Kali, if we start this, I won't be able to stop. The bond, it's—"

"I don't want you to stop," I said, reaching for him.

The moment my fingers touched his chest, he made a deep sound in his throat. His hands came up to hold my face, his thumbs stroking my cheeks with gentle touches that didn't match the wild hunger in his eyes.

"You're so beautiful," he said, leaning closer until his forehead touched mine. "So perfect, and you don't even know it."

His scent was all around me now, and I felt overwhelmed by it, dizzy with wanting. This was completely different from what I'd felt with Kastian. This was overwhelming and felt exactly right.

"Zion," I whispered, and hearing his name seemed to break his last bit of control.

His mouth found mine with desperate hunger, and everything changed. His hands tangled in my hair, pulling me closer like he wanted to make us into one person.

I pressed against him, my body responding in ways it never had before. Every touch sent tingles through me, every breath filled me with more of his presence. My wolf was happy and excited, finally with her true mate.

But just as his hands started to move lower, just as I felt myself getting lost in the amazing feeling of our connection, Zion suddenly pulled back with a sharp breath.

"No," he said roughly, breathing hard as he stepped away from me. "Not like this. Not yet."

I stared at him, confused and aching from losing his touch. "What's wrong?"

He ran his hands through his dark hair, looking tortured. "There's something you need to know first. Something that changes everything."

His serious voice cut through my desire-clouded mind. I watched as he went to pour himself whiskey with shaking hands.

"We need to talk," he said, offering me wine. "About why this situation is more complicated than you know."

I sat down in a chair by the fireplace, trying to ignore how my body still hummed with unfulfilled need. Even across the room, I could feel the mate bond pulling at me, making me aware of his every move, every feeling.

"I've been honest about the political problems," Zion said, his silver eyes troubled. "But there's something else. Something that makes finding you both a miracle and a tragedy."

He went to his desk and got an old scroll with worn edges. When he came back, his face was serious.

"My family has been cursed for generations," he said quietly. "Every Lycan King must find his fated mate and have a child before his thirtieth birthday, or he dies. Not pretend dies - really dies. Dark magic kills us."

The words surprised me completely, clearing away the last of my cloudy thoughts. I stared at his face, suddenly seeing the stress lines and pain I'd missed before.

"How long do you have?" I whispered.

"Less than a year," he said, rolling up his sleeves to show me something I'd never noticed - dark veins moving up his arms, pulsing with each heartbeat. "It's getting worse. I can feel my strength leaving me every day."

My heart ached as I understood how horrible his situation was. "The women in your... the harem... they weren't just for pleasure."

"They were my desperate attempt to stay alive," he said bitterly. "Years of beautiful women who could have children. Some did get pregnant, but then..." His voice broke slightly. "The curse killed them. Every woman who carried my child died before giving birth. The illness just ate them up from the inside." He laughed without humor. "But the curse is specific. Only my true mate can survive carrying my heir."

I felt tears coming as I understood what he was really asking of me. "So when you found me—"

"I found my only chance to live," he said simply, kneeling beside my chair. "Or maybe my doom. I'm not sure which."

When his hands took mine, that electric feeling returned between us. "You're here now, you're mine, but you're already married to someone else. And even if we could handle all the politics..." His silver eyes searched my face desperately. "I'd be asking you to give me everything - your body, your heart, your future - knowing I might die anyway if we can't have a child in time."

The honesty of his confession overwhelmed me. Here was this powerful, beautiful man showing me his deepest fears and needs.

"What are you asking me?" I whispered.

His thumb traced my cheek, wiping away tears I hadn't realized were falling. "I'm asking you to save my life. Become my woman, have my child, and I'll give you everything - a crown, a kingdom, a love that will never make you doubt yourself again."

He pulled me closer, his voice dropping to rough honesty. "But I'm also asking you to risk everything. If this doesn't work, I'll die and leave you alone in a hostile court. If it does work..." His eyes darkened with desire and desperation. "If it works, you'll be the most powerful she-wolf on the continent. My queen, my equal, my everything."

As he leaned closer, his scent surrounded me again - pure masculine power. My wolf responded instantly, the need that had been forgotten now coming back with overwhelming force.

"Yes," I whispered against his lips, and the moment the word left my mouth, my body responded to our mating bond in the most basic way possible.

Heat moved through me quickly, starting from my core and reaching until every nerve felt hypersensitive. I was going into heat - my wolf finally recognizing its fated mate and making my choice final and irreversible.