Claimed by the Mad Lycan King

”Stand down, Reaper!” Ace snapped at the wolf that kept barking at his car, where Neriah was sitting inside, scared shitless because the wolf wouldn’t stop trying to attack the car. ”Stand down!”

Reaper wouldn’t listen to Ace. The wolf didn’t attack the royal beta as he sometimes did to Zephyr, but he certainly didn’t take orders from him.

There was only one person who could tame this wild wolf, and Zade was not here; with Seara, Reaper would be docile.

With no other choice, Ace mind-linked the nearby warriors and, with three of them’s help, regretfully caged Reaper as they shifted into their wolf forms.

”It’s okay now,” Ace said, opening the car door for Neriah as he watched the warriors take away the cage with Reaper inside. ”Are you okay?”

”Yes, I am fine. I am only a little bit scared,” Neriah stuttered a bit as she stepped out of the car.

Ace took Neriah to the main house, but as soon as he got out of the car, Reaper dashed out of the small forest near the main building and tried to get to Neriah.

It was not uncommon, since Reaper used to attack unfamiliar people around the residence. The wolf had bitten nearly all the warriors, but none of the bites were serious.

”My apologies for that.” Ace escorted Neriah into the house and told her to sit down in the living room.

He asked one of the omegas to make a drink for her while he changed his clothes and contacted Zade to inform him about what happened.

However, Zade didn’t pick up his phone.

In the hospital, Zade felt his phone vibrate, but he ignored it. His focus was on his mate, who was eating slowly because the effects of the medication still had not worn off yet.

Zade was standing behind a two-way mirror, watching Seara with Jane.

Jane was talking about something, but Seara didn’t say anything; she focused on finishing her food, and when she was done, she lifted her head to look at Jane.

”Where is Zade? I want to see Zade,” she asked in a small voice and then looked around, as if Zade would appear out of thin air.

”Zade will be here.” Jane took the plate from Seara’s hand and talked gently to her. ”While waiting for him, why don’t we do something fun?”

Meanwhile, in the other room, after hearing what his mate said, Zade felt close to disregarding all of Jane’s warnings and going to her.

Jane said that Seara was too dependent on him, which was not good. However, Zade didn’t think so. There was nothing wrong with his mate depending on him.

However, Jane strongly disagreed.

If only Zade didn’t know Jane better, he would have strangled her for suggesting the temporary separation.

”Is Zade angry with me?” Seara ignored Jane entirely when she suggested the activity that they were going to do.

”Why do you think so?”

”I hit him.” Seara lowered her head and started picking her nails. ”I hit him... and I screamed at him... and I lied...”

”What did you lie to him about?”

”Sybill is dead, but I made him come all the way to the Blackthorne Pack for her.”

Jane glanced at the mirror, where Zade was watching the entire thing. Seara was so deep in her delusion about Sybill.

Her mind kept trying to cope, to make Sybill’s existence real, since her reality and her delusion collided. She had to believe that Sybill was real, or else it would leave Seara alone, taking what happened to Sybill as her own nightmare, and she couldn’t accept that.

”May I know how she died?” Jane asked again, casually, as if they were talking about the weather. After all, it was Seara who had brought up the topic first.

”She died. They killed her. A day before Zade came, she died because she was sick. They didn’t give enough food for the two of us.”

And now, her mind started making up a story...

From here on out, it would be difficult to know whether what Seara said was true or if it was only in her head unless they could confirm it.

***

”You are well aware this is a hospital, right?” Jane furrowed her brows when she entered the next room, where she saw Seara was sleeping.

The strong smell of tobacco lingered in the air.

”How is she?” Zade asked without taking his eyes off Seara’s figure. She was sleeping restlessly after the conversation with Jane. ”How long does she have to stay here?”

”I have told you, I can’t say for sure how long it will take for her to be better. But at least give me a month to observe her.”

”A month?” Zade turned his head; his icy glare found Jane.

”Zade, I am doing the best that I can.”

”Maybe letting her vent out her anger will be a better solution.” Zade felt the bloodlust in his veins; his beast was restless after he killed the three filthy warriors. He wanted to kill some more, especially when he saw what they had done to his mate.

”Zade, you can’t do that. You know that there is a consequence for every life that a shifter took.”

”As far as I know, she no longer has her wolf spirit. She will not bear any consequence.” Zade still had the same solution.

”Do you want to bet on that? Without it, she is already like this; do you want to make her condition worse?”

And that question shut Zade up. He wanted to light up another cigarette when Jane reminded him.

”You smell like a damp cigarette, Zade. This kind of smell can be a trigger for her if you want to get closer to your mate. She lost her wolf spirit, but it doesn’t mean she can’t smell this nasty scent.”

Zade narrowed his eyes dangerously at Jane. ”Damn you, Jane.” And then he walked away.