Transmigrated: The Lycan King's Pet
Chapter 170 Burning from Within

Chapter 170: Chapter 170 Burning from Within

(Damon POV)

I saw the princess slip out through the exit door. The light caught her silver hair just for a second before she disappeared into the night.

’Ember... where is she going?’

"Let’s go after her," Beowulf growled in my head.

I started walking after her. I wasn’t sure what I planned to say... maybe I’ll try to make her remember me or maybe I just wanted to be near her again. Her scent was still in the air, driving me crazy.

But I didn’t get far before two fae guards stepped in front of me, blocking the way.

"She’s not to be followed," one of them said without even looking at me properly.

My jaws clenched, Beowulf was already clawing inside my head to let him out. "Since when do party guests get treated like prisoners?"

"We’re only following orders," the other replied, his tone too calm.

I held back a growl and forced my hands to stay at my sides. My wolf didn’t like being challenged, but starting something in the middle of a fae celebration would only cause more trouble. And that will expose and ruin my plan.

"Get out... I’m going to get some air."

"Then wait for her to return." one of them said to my face.

"Rip his throat out," Beowulf growled.

"Damon."

I turned to see Theo approaching, holding a wine glass like he didn’t have a care in the world, but I knew better.

"You’re tensed up like you’re ready to shift," he said under his breath. "You do that here and it’ll be more than just the guards coming after you."

"I don’t care," I said.

"Yeah, you do," Allaric added, stepping beside him. "Because you don’t want to ruin all of our plans." he mindlinked me.

They weren’t wrong.

But that didn’t make it easier to stand still while she was out there alone.

I stayed at the edge of the ballroom, half-blending into the crowd, with my eyes locked on the door. I told myself I’d wait just five minutes, then ten. But I wasn’t leaving without seeing her come back.

And then... she did.

But she wasn’t alone. A tall man with blonde hair walked beside her. He looked calm, carrying the air of a noble around him. His coat hung over her shoulders.

They didn’t walk close enough to touch, but the space between them was small. Which made my chest tighten.

I watched them move through the room after having a brief chat with two other ladies toward the dance floor.

I swallowed the growl that was rumbling from my chest.

I turned away before I could see more, then I grabbed a wine glass from the tray of a passing servant. I gulped the wine in one go.

I took another and gulped it down, but it didn’t drown out the ache in my chest or stop the thought circling in my head.

And to make it worse she looked happy and relaxed with him. And in that moment, it felt like I had never been part of the picture at all.

I told myself I wouldn’t watch her. I even looked away at one point, trying to pretend I didn’t care. But somehow, my eyes kept going back. No matter how much I tried to focus on something else, she always found her way into my line of sight.

She was dancing with him and smiling like she was having the best time of her life...

He leaned in and said something to her. She tilted her head slightly, and the corners of her lips curved again. She smiled at him like she had known him forever.

That was what got to me.

It wasn’t the dancing, it wasn’t the coat still draped over her shoulders. But it was the energy between them.

I turned away and picked up another glass from the passing tray. I didn’t even taste the wine this time. I just needed something to do with my hands. Something to push down the pressure building in my chest.

"She looks happy," Allaric said beside me, his voice quiet.

I didn’t say anything... Because she did look happy.

The music began to fade into a slower rhythm, and the lights above the ballroom dimmed slightly. I didn’t realize how long they had been dancing. Two songs, maybe three, but it felt like they could go on forever.

Then the King stood from his throne. The music stopped and the air grew tense, like the walls themselves were holding their breath.

"Tonight marks the beginning of a new season," he said calmly. "And with the Queen’s absence, certain traditions must be restored."

There was something in his voice I didn’t like, but I couldn’t put my hands around it.

"I have decided that Princess Aeris will be presented formally to the other noble courts at the next high gathering."

The silence that followed stretched longer than it should have.

Then the whispers started.

"To be considered for a suitable union that strengthens the alliance of the realm," the King added.

The words hit me hard.

’A union?’

I turned to her immediately, only to find how pale her face was. She looked like she had seen a ghost... a pure reaction of someone who had been deceived.

"How dare he try to give our mate out?!" Beowulf growled in my head.

My eyes turned to silvery grey. My claws elongated in and out of my fingers.

Alaric and Theo rushed to my trying to stop me.

"Damon, remember what we came here for? Don’t ruin everything now... Don’t ruin it now!" Alaric gritted his teeth.

"I need to go to her... they are going to marry her off," I growled.

"Relax, Damon, or you will ruin the little chances you have got." Alaric held my shoulders.

"I know what I’m doing!" I pushed him away and made my way to Ember...

My eyes met with hers, and I felt my heart miss a beat before it burned with fury.