A Dangerous Obsession
Chapter 106 - 105

Chapter 106: Chapter 105

A voice slithered into my ear, soft as silk yet cold as ice, seeping into my bones like a winter wind that refused to leave.

"Don’t worry. Your true mate is on his way to get you. You will be whole."

I stiffened. My breath hitched in my throat, my body locking in place as if invisible chains had tightened around me.

That voice—her voice.

The Moon Goddess.

Her presence was everywhere and nowhere, pressing against my skin like a whisper of unseen hands. My heart pounded, the sound loud and ragged in the suffocating silence of my bedchamber.

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms, sharp crescents of pain blooming against my flesh.

I had spent years screaming at the sky, pleading for answers, for justice, for mercy.

But now? Now, all I wanted was silence.

Yet she wouldn’t leave me alone.

My lips curled bitterly, my breath shuddering out in a sharp exhale.

"Your true mate is on his way..."

What was I supposed to do with that?

Was I meant to feel relief? Joy? Hope?

Because all I felt was nothing.

A deep, hollow emptiness that swallowed everything else.

I lifted my hand to my face and wiped at the dampness on my cheeks. My tears had fallen before I even realized they were there.

Pathetic.

How many times had I cried? How many times had I broken?

Yet I was still here. Still breathing. Still trapped in this cursed tower.

I refused to let my life be dictated by some unseen force playing puppet master with my fate.

I refused to be a pawn in a game I never agreed to play.

But...

If this true mate—whoever he was—could give me back my wolf...

If he could make me whole again, make me a true werewolf instead of the empty, half-formed thing I had been my entire life...

Then maybe—just maybe—this time, I could accept it.

Not because I believed in mates.

Not because I believed in fate.

But because I needed something to hold on to.

And if that meant surrendering to this so-called bond, then fine.

I had nothing else left to lose.

A tremor ran through me as I forced a shaky breath, my hands relaxing from their death grip. My gaze flickered to the foot of my bed, where three pairs of sleepy golden eyes blinked at me.

Xylara stretched lazily, her tail flicking before she padded closer, rubbing her small body against my side.

I reached out, threading my fingers through her soft fur, clinging to the warmth she offered.

A sad smile tugged at my lips.

"Don’t worry, Xylara," I whispered, my voice barely more than a breath.

"I’m sure he’ll let me take you."

But deep down, I wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

My fingers ghosted over Xylara’s fur, her soft purring vibrating against my palm. She nuzzled closer, her small, warm body pressing against my side as if she could sense the storm brewing inside me.

"You’ll come with me, won’t you?" I murmured, scratching behind her ear. "We’ll leave this place together."

Her tail flicked lazily, golden eyes half-lidded as she rested against me. My other cats stretched out on the bed, their tiny paws curling as they lounged without a care in the world.

For a brief moment, their presence soothed me.

But then, a strange feeling crept over me.

A prickling at the back of my neck.

A sudden awareness that I wasn’t as alone as I thought.

I stiffened, my fingers freezing mid-stroke against Xylara’s fur.

Was someone outside my door?

I turned sharply toward it, my heart thudding against my ribs.

I wasn’t sure what I expected.

Maybe the maid from earlier, cautiously returning despite my outburst.

Maybe another servant, coming to insist I eat.

But when I yanked the door open, bracing myself for an annoyed sigh and an apologetic face—

I found him instead.

The Lycan King.

A smirk played at his lips, subtle and unreadable. His ruby red eyes gleamed in the dim light, dark and heavy with something I didn’t want to name.

"Darling," he murmured, his voice silk and steel all at once.

I froze.

That word.

That stupid word.

My stomach twisted violently, rage bubbling beneath my skin.

I frowned, my hands tightening into fists at my sides.

Without thinking, I moved to shut the door in his face, pushing it as hard as I could—

But he caught it easily.

His fingers curled around the edge, unmoving.

"Darling," he repeated, slower this time, like he was tasting the word.

Like he knew exactly what it would do to me.

"Don’t call me that!" I snapped, my voice breaking, tears welling in my eyes before I could stop them.

No.

No, not again.

I was crying again.

In front of him.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I swallowed hard, blinking furiously, willing the tears to stop. But they kept falling, hot and angry, streaking down my face in silent betrayal.

His expression shifted. The amusement in his smirk faded, his eyes darkening.

"Let me speak with you." His voice dropped lower, quieter—more of a command than a request.

"I don’t want to." My words were sharp, brittle.

I shoved at him, my palms pressing flat against his chest as I pushed him back, every part of me screaming to get away.

He didn’t move at first.

Didn’t even flinch.

He was a wall of unyielding strength, towering over me, radiating the kind of power that could crush me without a second thought.

But I shoved him again.

And again.

Like I had a death wish.

Like I wanted to be punished for it.

Because at least that would be better.

Better than listening to whatever it was he had to say.

Better than standing here, drowning in his presence, feeling the weight of his gaze like a noose tightening around my throat.

Because he was the Lycan King.

Cunning. Cruel.

And if I listened to him for even a second, he might make me believe again.

Believe in a lie he doesn’t even need to tell me.