The Lycan King's Puppet-Chapter 83: Harmless

"I finally have an opportunity to talk to you, young man. You’ve been quite... absent for the past few days."

Yeren gestured at the cushion chair across him, pretending to busy himself with writing another poem of a particular woman that would not be named.

"Have I come at a bad time?"

Yeren looked down at his work and rubbed his brow.

"I was writing an important letter, but I suppose I can spare you a few minutes of my time."

Casmere smiled. "I remember those days when your father asked me to assist him with correspondence. May I have a look?"

He continued to scribble more lines on the parchment.

"Don’t bother. It is a very private letter."

His uncle narrowed his eyes but dropped the subject.

"I understand that I am not your father, but I would like to offer you some advice." Casmere paused, waiting for a sign that Yeren was listening.

Sighing, he dropped the quill on the table and folded his hands.

"The failed mating ceremony was a disgrace to both our families. A disgrace on the Crown is a disgrace on everyone beneath it. The people will expect a proper bride."

The urge to roll his eyes hovered just below the surface.

How many times would people tell him the same thing?

"Garelle isn’t my fated mate. My Lycan is quite... picky. It wouldn’t let me choose, even if I wanted to."

"Do you already have a fated mate?"

He leaned back on his chair and threw his head back. She rejected him, so it didn’t count.

Or did it?

"No."

"Why the hesitation? Is there someone you do not wish to mention? Some ugly menace perhaps?"

Ugly? She was very far from that.

"None, Uncle Casmere."

Casmere nodded slowly.

"Garelle is a suitable bride, and you cannot leave her family in such disgrace. I suggest you marry her, put a son in her and be done with it. You never have to bear her company if you don’t want to."

Put a son in her?

"My father raised me up to respect women - especially the woman I will wed. I cannot and will not marry a woman I cannot stand in the name of removing disgrace from our families and procuring an heir for the Crown."

Casmere leaned closer, tapping his short fingers on the polished table.

"Kings don’t marry for love. They marry for bloodlines. Stop thinking that the rules don’t apply to you, young man. Your father did not love your mother when he married her - they grew to accept each other after they were married. The same thing will happen with Garelle."

Yeren’s fingers twitched.

"I never said I won’t marry Garelle."

"Good. She is here with her family. But I advised that you talk privately amongst yourselves before a public decision is made. Shall I send her in?"

She was already there?

He folded the parchment he had been writing on and stuffed it into his drawer.

Just then, his uncle ushered in the fair Lady Garelle Plumette.

He stood up as she entered.

The first thing he noticed was how pale her face was.

"Excuse me." Casmere said with a graceful bow, closing the door behind him.

"Have a seat." He gestured at the chair.

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I won’t harm you, my Lady."

She still didn’t move.

Her eyes were wide and wary, her lips slightly trembling.

"You tried to kill me." She choked out, tears filling her eyes.

He pushed away from the table and moved to stand by her.

She moved away slowly, putting a few inches between them.

"I don’t remember what I did and did not do. But, do accept my humble apologies."

Her eyes flew to his.

"I don’t want your apologies!"

His charm clearly wasn’t working.

His eyes darted around the room for a solution.

Wine. Wine was a good solution for him... not for her.

"What do you want, then? A wedding ceremony this very hour?"

Her hands fell to her sides as she stared up at him.

"I want an explanation, Your Grace. One moment you look at me with admiration, and the next, all I see is pure and unmasked hatred."

"I hope you’re not foolish enough to think you’re my mate, Garelle?"

She gasped at his harsh use of words. "Of course, I know that! But I didn’t expect you to do what you did." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

He wasn’t going to explain what really happened to her. Or to anyone for that matter. Only Andon understood. And it would stay that way.

He reached for her hand. It was icy underneath his.

"Sometimes primal needs take priority."

"And is this ’primal need’ another woman? I can understand if you take a concubine, but I will not understand you harming me."

He said nothing.

"My father was very furious. I have been labelled a coward for running away. But..." She trailed off.

He saw the tears again.

Something bad had happened - he just knew it.

"Tell me."

She pulled her hand out of his grip and made to leave.

He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. The force ripped off the entire sleeve of her right arm.

His mouth fell open as his hand dangled in the air, still holding the ripped fabric.

Garelle quickly covered her arm and bare shoulder, colouring bright red.

"Why did you do that?"

He looked down at the torn fabric in his hand and back at her.

"Forgive me-"

There was a long slash that ran from the top of her right shoulder to her upper arm. The scar was red and ugly, showing faint signs of healing.

He did that to her? What kind of a monster had he become? What if he had hurt Claire like that?

Andon had mentioned something to him about him having hurt Claire’s arm at some point.

He deserved to be in chains.

"I don’t know what to say." He blurted out.

Garelle’s eyes softened.

"I’m almost convinced that you’re not the same man that attacked me."

He tried to smile but could not.

"I’m afraid I am."

She touched the puckering flesh lightly and winced.

"The healer says it will disappear within a week. But I doubt that. The strike of a Lycan is lethal at the very least."

He nodded, reaching out a hand to pat her good shoulder.

Since she was to be his wife, they had to find some amount of middle ground between them.

He didn’t notice when Andon walked in.

When he looked up, Andon wasn’t alone.

Miss Stenly was behind him, staring between him and the woman that stood so close to him.

He immediately realised what she was thinking...