The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 280

ALDRIC

"They’re lycan pups! Aldric, they’re lycans. Baby, you’re going to have two little wolf pups… no, no… wait…"

Azarot roared in excitement, drunk on love for his mate, but suddenly, he stiffened.

Doing the math, he realized that if two male lycans were born from his powerful lineage, he would have to share his mate with two more males.

"Aldric, why didn’t we make more girls?"

"You’re just realizing this now?" I huffed, never stopping my kisses on my Vale’s soft skin.

Males, females—it didn’t matter. These were the fruits of my love for the woman of my life, the only one for me.

The happiness would have been overwhelming if it weren’t for the critical situation we were in.

"You have some great timing, my wolf," she said with a tired smile, "with Sigrid also pregnant in the middle of the storm."

"We’ll get through this, just like last time," I told her, taking her hands and kissing them.

Truth be told, I don’t feel as sure of that as I want to seem.

I hug her again, pressing against her belly. Now that she’s pregnant, my protective instincts double.

Suddenly, a terrified scream chills our blood.

"Sigrid!"

"Wait, Vale, take it easy, love. You need to think about the pups now, too. They’re unsettled because of your own emotions. Breathe."

I help her stand carefully. She doesn’t want me to carry her, so I take off her boots and quickly put on more comfortable shoes.

We rush toward Sigrid’s room, which isn’t far.

This is Zarek’s palace, but we have our own quarters here.

"I TRUSTED YOUR PARENTS, AND THEY BETRAYED ME IN THE WORST WAY… NO, NO, GRANDMA, DID YOU KNOW?… DID YOU KNOW THE SELENIAS ARE MONSTERS?!"

Her enraged screams echo down the hall. I shove the door open forcefully and see Gabrielle trying to approach her, but Sigrid is too shaken.

All her emotions are raw. I don’t know what happened, but she was once such a carefree, lively girl. Now, she feels like someone entirely different.

"Sigrid, calm down, breathe. You can’t keep this up."

Valeria immediately climbs onto the massive bed, embracing and consoling her.

Gabrielle frowns from one side, and Zarek stands at the foot of the bed—they must have been closer and arrived first.

"Pup, calm down, Sigrid…"

I circle around to the other side and sit on the edge of the mattress, beside her.

"We can’t understand what you went through unless you tell us. Look at me, Sigrid."

I plead, and she pulls away from her mother’s chest to meet my gaze.

It hurts my soul to see her eyes swollen and darkened with exhaustion.

"My mate is the villain—the one everyone hates unjustly. It’s… Umbros." Okay. That, I did not see coming.

The collective gasp in the room is deafening.

"So that’s why that damn lunatic sent you to the past—to create a bond with him," Zarek mutters under his breath, piecing it together.

Sigrid nods, lowering her head and sniffling.

Vale gently wipes her face with a handkerchief again.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’re utterly stunned.

"Is it true, what you screamed at me? Did my parents betray you?" Zarek suddenly asks, stepping forward.

I know they’re his family and all, but if he says anything to my pup, I’ll break that pretty-boy face of his.

I still haven’t forgiven him for monopolizing Sigrid’s attention.

"Yes. Back then, they were all rotten, fighting for power and to expand their bloodlines. That’s why they exterminated the elementals—they were… disgusting," Sigrid spat through gritted teeth, her face twisted in fury.

"Umbros is the way he is because of everything they did to him. They slaughtered his parents, enslaved him, raped him, broke him. That’s what happened to the elementals… You know it well, Zarek."

She stared straight at him.

"Maybe not everyone else here understands, but you do…"

"I do," he answered, his eyes flaring red, his expression dark with rage.