Cursed Lycan's Scarred Mate
Chapter 90: Haunted by weakness

Chapter 90: Haunted by weakness

Vivian didn’t want to exaggerate the state of her injury, especially since she was a wolf shifter and naturally something as minor as scratches from a mere cat shouldn’t have inflicted much pain. However, now that she was in a dying state and she was barely clinging to the connection with her inner wolf, even the most trivial of injuries affected her more than they should.

Even the grazes and scratches she received from the sharp routes on her way back to the mansion brought pain to her, but for the entirety of her conversation with the Lycan Alpha, she’d been silently concealing her pain.

"Let me see, princess," the Lycan repeated insistently when Vivian tried to hide her arm from him and knowing him as much as she did, she knew it was pointless to argue. "Do not hide your wounds from me."

"It’s just a scratch," Vivian stated casually, stretching her arm out to him. "It doesn’t really hurt that much."

And as if to prove a point that it was futile to lie to him, the Lycan gently applied pressure with his palm over the three long gashes. Vivian cried out in pain, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"When you are in pain, do not lie to me, princess," the Lycan warned with a low rumble emanating from his throat. "I detest seeing you in pain and I will kill anyone or anything that hurts you or tries to."

Vivian pressed her lips into a thin line, holding back tears. She didn’t want to appear weak and helpless by any means, but she was foolish to believe she could withstand the pain and let it go by unnoticed by the Lycan Alpha.

"This won’t heal," Vivian said with a deep sigh. "Unlike before, when I still had the full capacity of my shifter abilities, this would have healed almost instantly. But now..." She trailed off, frustrated that she was no longer as strong as she used to be with her inner wolf.

Without uttering a word, the Lycan Alpha darted out his tongue and laved over the three long gashes. He tasted her blood and what should have tasted metallic was rather sweet and addictive.

Why was her blood delicious? Shouldn’t have been bitter and taste like iron?

Vivian winced, feeling a sting from his rough tongue.

"What are you..." She began to question, her cheeks already warming with red as the heat and wetness of his tongue sent a strange sensation throughout her body.

The Lycan Alpha licked every droplet of blood, every crevice of the scratch. Gradually, Vivian noticed that the tattered stringy threads of her skin reconnected. The cells rejuvenated and her flesh had sewn itself together without a trace of the injury. She could feel a magical essence from his saliva seeping into her flesh before it closed, healing the torn tissue.

"How... how is that possible? Vivian questioned, her eyes wide with shock when the Lycan pulled back. He rubbed his palm over the area where the scratches healed, testing to see if there was still any pain. However, when Vivian didn’t grimace or wince, he took it as an indication that she was free of the pain.

"A Lycan’s body fluids have the ability to heal minor or medium injuries to a certain degree," the Lycan Alpha explained, soothingly rubbing the spot. "It is one of our special traits, much like lesser wolves who can heal themselves to an extent. We, on the other hand, can heal others through bodily fluids."

Vivian listened eagerly, still impressed that the severe scratches were completely healed without a trace. There wasn’t even a scar left in its wake.

"Can your blood and..." Vivian’s face flushed a deep red as she looked away, embarrassed to speak the rest of her sentence out loud.

"Yes, my blood and semen can do the same, princess," the Lycan completed her thoughts shamelessly and Vivian squealed shyly. "If I wasn’t behind bars, I’d be more than thrilled to fill you with my..."

Vivian covered her ears, which were already heated and red, to block out the next words that followed from him.

And before the Lycan Alpha could speak further, Lady Morgana returned to the dungeon. The heel of her boots echoed as she descended the stairs, approaching the cell.

"Ah, the witch is back," the Lycan commented with a grin, crossing his arms. "You’re going to regret what you did earlier."

"Ah, it’s the mangy mutt speaking," Lady Morgana replied with a scoff. "I used to think you were the more reasonable one to converse with, but it seems you’ve resorted to your animal traits."

The Lycan growled disapprovingly.

"Centuries old but no man to warm your bed," the Lycan bit back, gripping the cell bars and poking his head through them. "That should have given you a hint by now, old witch."

Lady Morgana’s last nerve twitched and she conjured a ball of flame in the middle of her palm, the magic crackling fiercely.

"And what makes you think I’m interested in disgusting men?" Lady Morgana retorted, but before she could take a step forward in retaliation, Vivian intervened.

The she-wolf gently touched Lady Morgana’s arm, shaking her head. Vivian’s fingers curled tightly around the Coven leader’s arm and the taller woman was forced to extinguish the flame burning brightly in the middle of her palm.

"Don’t touch him," Vivian warned firmly, her eyes dark with hostility. "You have no right to hurt him."

Taken aback, Lady Morgana didn’t expect that Vivian still harnessed such surprising strength within her. The she-wolf was adamant about not backing down, nor did she hesitate to step forward to protect the Lycan Alpha.

And Lady Morgana, who never intended to harm the Lycan Alpha, only igniting her flames as a part of her sarcastic banter with her old friend, snorted in amusement. She was impressed by Vivian’s boldness and commended her for it.

The Lycan Alpha himself didn’t expect Vivian to go toe to toe with Lady Morgana, who could easily restrain her with a simple spell.

Vivian was far stronger in her heart than anyone gave her credit for.

The Lycan wrapped his arm around Vivian from behind, gently tugging her back against the cell bars. His arm lay across her chest, the underneath of his jaw resting over her shoulder.

"That’s my girl," the Lycan whispered in her ear and regarded Lady Morgana with predatory eyes. "And you, old witch, keep your swamp weed pets away from my mate. If that lesser creature dares to cross my mate’s path again, I will eat her."

"What are you talking about?" Lady Morgana queried, confusion flashing in her magenta eyes. "Swamp weed pets?"

Vivian briefly explained the incident that just happened with the black cat, and Lady Morgana sighed apologetically.

"She isn’t a pet," the Coven Leader corrected. "That’s Selina. She’s one of my wickans experimenting with animal transformation magic."

"You mean doing a poor and cheap imitation of shifters?" The Lycan Alpha released a sound that was something akin to a cackle. "You Wickans are always chasing behind shifters because you’re lagging behind."

Lady Morgana glared odiously, clenching her fists at her side. However, considering her past and the dastardly things her kin committed against shifters, she knew very well that she had no right to argue back.

Thus, Lady Morgana decided to ignore his snarky comment, bringing a hand to her forehead in frustration.

"Enough of this," the Coven Leader said, setting her hands on her hips. "I’ve come here to discuss something else important."

Vivian and the Lycan didn’t speak further, awaiting the Coven Leader’s next words.

"After having a brief council with a sister coven and other allies, we’ve outlined a way to bind the magic to your body, Vivian," Lady Morgana revealed, leaning against the wall. "The procedure is risky and may require a very careful process, but if you agree, then we won’t delay any further."

Once again, Vivian was reminded of what Alaric had told her. He clearly stated that he was the only one capable of revoking the Umbrafyre curse from her body.

What if the procedure Lady Morgana spoke of backfired and went horribly wrong? What if it exacerbated the effects of her curse rather than binding the magic into her body in a way that wasn’t harmful?

The Lycan Alpha became tense in response. He was delighted to know that there was a method and possible solution to resume his mate from the clutches of death, but he was still sceptical since he wasn’t familiar with the ways of the Wicakans.

It was a risk he was uncertain that he was willing to take.