Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 24

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Chapter 24 His big eyes shimmer with a hope that I recognize all too well -the skind that used to swell in my own chest on the rare occasions my father would promise a visit to the park.

"Please, please, please," he continues.

King Soren takes a deep breath, and I watch as the rigid lines of his shoulders ease ever so slightly. His eyes flicker toward me, dark orbs swirling with a storm of frustration and affection that makes my pulse quicken. There's a softness in the hard set of his jaw when he looks at Max, a tenderness that pierce through the armor of royalty.

The cafe's warm atmosphere does nothing to soothe the chill of anxiety that has wrapped itself around my spine. I need to get home, to the safety of familiarity where kings and their captivating sons can't reach me.

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"Max, sweetheart," I murmur, stealing one last glance at the boy who's managed to sneak his way into my affections. "I really have to go." The door to the outside world beckons, a portal back to my reality—a reality that doesn't include royal dilemmas or the piercing blue of King Soren's eyes. A reality where the heartache of pack betrayal and the sting of abandonment are as familiar as breathing.

"Max, we've just talked about this," King Soren says, his voice resolute but softened around the edges with a patience that only parents possess.

Chapter 24 288 Vouchers I can't help but eavesdrop, the words tugging atlike the moon's pull on the tide.

"You need to stay by my side when we're in public places. It's for your safety.” His tone is a tender command, one that speaks of unseen dangers and unspoken fears-a language I know all too well from my own fractured past with the pack.

I witness Max's face fall. His lower lip trembles as he casts his gaze to the ground, his small frdeflating like a balloon losing air. It wrenches something inside me, that look of defeat in a child's eyes, the loss of innocence to the harsh realities of their world.

I need to go home. I need to be the responsible one for once, not the girl who gets lost in a fantasy where kings look at her with softness in their eyes. Where little princes see her as a playmate rather than a stranger.

Max's hushed voice slices through the buzz of conversation, as thin as the sunlight filtering through the windows. "I know," he whispers, his tiny form dwarfed by the chair he's perched on. "I just...wanted to see Brielle." My gaze lingers on King Soren, and I can't help but notice the fatigue carved into his features, the way his broad shoulders sag ever so slightly. His hand rises, a brief gesture that belies a father's worry, thumb and forefinger pressing against the bridge of his nose.

The atmosphere thickens, my pulse racing in tandem with the ticking clock. Every second stretched thin, tugging at the threads of composure I desperately cling to. A longing to escape wars with the magnetic pull I feel towards him-a dangerous dance I never intended to join.

Chapter 24 288 iVouchers "Please Dad," Max pleads, his voice threading through the background chatter of the cafe like a delicate lament. His big puppy dog eyes, brimming with a child's earnest hope, seem to magnify in their appeal as he looks up at King Soren.

"We don't have any idea who she is, Max-she's a stranger," King Soren responds, his tone threading the needle between calm and frustration. The words are measured, but they carry an undercurrent of fear that resonates within me. It echoes the trepidation I've felt since he walked into this ordinary place, turning my ordinary day on its head.

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King Soren looks down at his son, his kingly posture unbending yet his eyes betraying a father's internal conflict. "She's not! She's my friend!" Max protests, his stubbornness as solid as the castle walls that shield their private lives.

I watch, heart hammering against my ribcage, as King Soren's mouth sets into a stern line. The air thickens with tension, and I find myself holding my breath, unwilling to disrupt the delicate moment unfolding before me.

"Can I stay with you tomorrow, please, please, please?" Max pleads, his bright eyes brimming with hope as he looks atand my eyes widen she realizing he is asking me. "I don't want to go back to training,” he adds, a soft note of desperation lacing his voice.

Flustered, I glance around the cafe, seeking an excuse from those imploring eyes. My gaze flits from one patron to another each lost in their own world, oblivious to the beside them. I feel trapped, caught between my growing affection for this boy who seesas a friend and the need to get away from his father before he killsfor treason or sother reason. Chapter 24 288 Vouchers

"Max," I start, but my voice is barely a whisper, drowned out by the clamor of my own Pacing heart. Chapter 25

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Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

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