Carrying the Lycan Cursed child

chapter 2

POV Kali

My hands shook as I stood outside Kastian's private chambers. I clutched the royal invitation in my other hand, hoping it might give us something to talk about.

I pushed open the door and stepped inside. The smell hit me immediately - another woman's scent. My wolf whimpered in my chest, recognizing the scent of betrayal. My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to keep walking. I knew that it was happening.

Kastian sat propped against his headboard, candlelight flickering across his face as he read military reports. Even after all these years, he was still breathtaking. |

His golden hair caught the light, falling in waves across his forehead. His strong jaw was covered with stubble that I used to love scratching my fingers through. His broad shoulders filled out his white shirt, and I could see the muscles in his arms flexing as he held the papers. His wolf's strength showed even in human form.

He looked up when I approached, his green eyes went flat and resigned when he saw me. I caught a whiff of his scent - wet wood smell that used to make my wolf purr with contentment. Now it just made me sad because I caught it on other women.

"Kali," he said carefully, setting the papers aside. "What are you doing here?"

"A royal invitation came today," I said, holding up the letter with its golden seal. "We're commanded to attend a ball at the Lycan King's palace."

Kastian's eyebrows rose slightly. "That's unexpected." He took the invitation from my hands, his fingers brushing mine. The brief contact sent a spark through our faded bond, but it felt more like an echo than real connection.

"All noble families must attend," I continued, my voice getting softer. "I thought... maybe we could discuss it. Together."

He scanned the invitation quickly, then set it aside. "I'll make the arrangements," he said dismissively. "Was there something else?"

My throat felt dry, but I forced myself to speak. "We haven't... it's been months since we..." The words stuck in my throat, heat flooding my cheeks.

Understanding dawned in his eyes, followed by something that made my heart sink - duty. Not desire, not love, just grim Alpha obligation to his mate.

"Kali," he began, his voice gentle but distant.

"Please," I whispered, moving closer to the bed. My wolf was practically begging, desperate to reconnect with her mate. "I know things have been difficult, but maybe tonight we could try to—"

He caught my hand when I reached for him, his thumb brushing my knuckles. I could feel his wolf's presence, but it felt muted, distant. Like he was deliberately holding it back from me.

"If that's what you want," he said finally, pulling me onto the bed beside him.

But I could see it in his eyes, smell it in his scent - he didn't want this. His wolf wasn't responding to mine the way it used to. The bond that once sang between us felt like a broken string.

Kastian's mouth found mine, and for a heartbeat, I let myself hope. His lips were still soft and familiar. I kissed him with everything I had, trying to wake up his wolf, trying to remind both man and beast of what we once shared.

But even as he kissed me back, I could feel how forced it was. His hands moved over my body, touching all the right places, but there was no passion behind it. His wolf stayed buried deep, refusing to come out and play with mine.

"Do you remember our first full moon run?" I whispered against his neck, trying to bring back the connection we once had. "Your wolf wouldn't leave mine's side for hours."

His hands stilled for just a moment. "I remember," he said quietly, but I could sense his wolf pulling further away.

I tried everything I could think of. Every touch that once made him growl with need, every kiss that used to make his wolf surface and take control. I used my hands, my mouth, everything.

For a few moments, I thought I felt his Alpha power flare, thought I saw flashes of the dominant male who used to claim me completely. But it all felt forced, like he was fighting his own instincts.

As we moved together, I could feel his growing frustration through our weakened bond. His body was going through the motions, but his heart and his wolf weren't in it. The Alpha who used to pin me down with gentle dominance now felt like a stranger.

"Kastian," I breathed, trying to help, trying to submit the way his wolf used to crave.

"I can't," he said suddenly, pulling away from me with an Alpha's growl of frustration. "Damn it, Kali, I just can't."

The rejection crushed something inside my chest. My wolf howled in distress as he climbed from the bed, his movements sharp with the kind of agitation that made his Alpha power crackle in the air.

"This is useless," he snapped, his eyes flashing gold for just a moment before he controlled himself. "We're both just going through the motions. There's no point."

I pulled the sheet around myself, tears threatening to spill over. "Kastian, please. We just need time. Our wolves can reconnect—"

He turned to face me then, and the pain in his green eyes stole my breath. "Reconnect?" he laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Look at us, Kali. Really look. Our wolves won't even acknowledge each other anymore. I can barely sense you through our bond, and you know it."

"I know about the others," I whispered, the words scraping my throat raw. "I can smell them on you. But I understand. You're an Alpha with needs, and maybe if we just tried harder—"

"Don't." The word came out as an Alpha command that made my wolf automatically want to submit. "Don't pretend this is about understanding or trying harder. This is about duty, Kali. My duty to this pack is to produce an heir, and your failure to provide one."

Each word landed like claws to my heart. "My failure? Kastian, it takes both to—"

"Does it?" he cut me off, moving to his desk with the predatory grace of a frustrated Alpha. "Because my wolf responds just fine to others. Their wolves call to mine. Yours... doesn't anymore."

The implication hung in the air like poison. My blood turned cold, and my wolf curled up in pain.

"What are you saying?"

For a long moment, he didn't respond. Then, without meeting my eyes, he delivered the blow that shattered what was left of my world.

"I'm thinking about taking a second wife."

The words stole the breath from my lungs. My wolf let out a keening cry that only I could hear. The room spun, and I gripped the sheet tighter to keep from falling apart completely.

"The pack needs an heir, I need a mate whose wolf actually wants mine."

"Kastian, no," I breathed, tears finally spilling over. "Please, we were bonded once. We can fix this—"

"The decision is made," he said, already shuffling through papers on his desk as if I wasn't even there. "We leave for the royal ball in three days. I'll make arrangements for a second mate while we're in the capital."

I sat there, frozen in shock and grief, watching the Alpha I'd loved for eight years dismiss me like a rejected pack member.