Claimed by the Mad Lycan King

Seara started rocking herself back and forth as she said the same thing over and over again. Her voice sounded broken, and her eyes were not focused.

She was dissociating again.

”He is disgusted with me... of course, you are filthy... he is disgusted with me. You are a filthy bitch...”

Zade suppressed his rage with all his might as he put all of his focus on Seara. He took her hand gently and massaged it lightly to get her attention back.

”I am not.” Zade caressed her cheeks, but Seara slipped away even more, so he knelt in front of her, positioning himself at the same eye level. ”Seara, look at me.”

Seara did look at him, but she had this thousand-yard stare. She was not here, and she was not listening.

”Seara, you are okay. It’s okay now. You are fine...” Zade tried, but he didn’t know what the right word to say to get his mate back. He had never been this frustrated before.

He said everything that crossed his mind, but it didn’t work. No matter what Zade said, Seara didn’t listen to him; instead, she started mumbling something incoherently.

Out of options, Zade stood up and brought Seara up with him as well. He hugged her and pressed her face against his chest as he caressed her back and ran his fingers through her long hair.

”Come back,” Zade said softly. ”Come back to me, Seara.”

Her body was so frail. Zade had to be careful not to put pressure on her, because it was so easy for him to break her bones.

Occasionally, it distressed him whenever he wanted to touch her or hold her because of how fragile she was in his eyes.

Even though Seara had gained weight steadily, it was still not enough.

”Come back to me, Seara,” Zade whispered the same thing over and over again. He kissed the side of her head and massaged her nape.

The sky had turned dark, and the street lights had turned on when Seara finally snapped from her dissociative episode. Her body shuddered, and she whimpered softly.

”Cold...” she said as she snuggled against Zade’s arms. She sneaked her hands into his shirt, which made him stiffen.

Seara didn’t mean anything; she only sought warmth because her hands were freezing, and Zade was the source of it.

However, feeling her hands against his abdomen was a different challenge for Zade. The sensation of skin contact when they made contact caused Zade to grit his teeth.

It might also be the reason Seara wanted to touch him; the sensation gave her comfort.

”Let’s go back,” Zade said softly. He bent his body slightly to carry her back to her bedroom.

Since Seara couldn’t handle large spaces, he ensured she received the smallest ward available at the hospital.

In his arms, Seara buried her face against his shoulder as they walked through a packed corridor, where many people laid their eyes on Zade.

They couldn’t see Seara’s face, but the Lycan king’s strong presence was enough to draw the attention of people around him, whether they were shifters or humans.

When they reached the bedroom, Ace was already there. He had been waiting for them because there was an important matter he had to discuss with Zade.

”A moment?” Ace asked. He glanced at Seara, who covered her head with the blanket when she realized Ace was there.

”I will be right outside the door, okay?” Zade watched as Seara nodded under the blanket, and when he was sure she would be fine, he gestured for Ace to follow him out. ”Don’t show yourself for the time being in front of her.”

”Got it.” He furrowed slightly. He didn’t do anything outrageous to Seara, but why did she react strongly to him?

However, Ace didn’t want to piss Zade off again, since he was pretty infuriated when he learned Ace had asked a few questions that he told him not to.

”There is an urgent matter. Chloe had been looking for you. Sooner or later, you need to answer to people from the Wolfsbane Haven Kingdom. They will not be pleased to know that you broke the agreement.”

”The law of the mate is the highest law for the shifters,” Zade said. He was unfazed. ”I will see them by the end of this week. Arrange the meeting.”

”Okay.” Ace nodded. He was hesitant to say something, but in the end, he decided to voice his opinion. ”Zade, I think you need to really consider putting her in a psychiatric hold. You don’t seem to know what you are going to do with her either.”

Rio had suggested it, but Zade refused it almost immediately. But he had to admit that Ace was right. He was not sure how to deal with Seara.

Promising not to hurt her and protecting her was not enough. There were a lot of aspects of Seara’s situation that were beyond Zade’s control, and given what Seara had gone through for years, healing her could not be achieved merely by ensuring her safety.

”You can go now.” Zade didn’t give his royal beta a definite answer and then returned to the bedroom, where Seara had fallen asleep. She still had the blanket covering her head.

Ace had sworn up and down that he didn’t do anything else or even raise his voice when he asked her the questions, but it didn’t make sense because Seara had been afraid of him since that moment.

”What should I do with you?” Zade uncovered the blanket so she could breathe freely. He stared at her face, which had gained more color. Her cheeks were no longer hollow, and her lips were full now.

The Lycan king leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the crown of her head. Her scent was so divine.

Probably, he really needed to admit her to a psychiatric hold. That thought didn’t sit well with Zade.

”What should I do with you?”