Traded To The Lycan King by MG Wattsons

*Colette* Percy is silent, his eyes always on the lookout and his body tense as we move swiftly closer and closer to the enemy. There are so many things I want to say, want to ask him, but I know all too well the once chatty kid is much more closed off now. Even to me. I clear my throat softly and glance at him, catching him as he looks at me. Then he sighs.

"Luna, I am fine." He tries to assure me.

"Ok," I say nonchalantly, afraid to push harder.

"The Fae queen's hold wasn't long enough to linger in me. I have not felt her once where Leandra has." He offers and I shake my head.

It's funny how he assumes I am worried about that. Or perhaps he knows exactly what I am worried about and wants to be sure we skip that topic. When I look at him again, I see he needs this, to just air his own worries and doubts while I pretend they are mine.

"If you say so, Percy." I shrug, ducking under a pine branch, the needles tumbling from the dried out tree and scattering to the ground.

"I would never put you in danger. If I was worried about her having a hold on me, then I wouldn't have come." He says, his voice growing more desperate. "The fae's hold was weak enough forto fight once, so if it happens again, I will fight it." A soft breeze brushes my face, and I pause, wondering how a breeze could make it through the dense forest. He prattles on with his words while I watch as a single tree shudders from the swind and I reach out, grabbing Percy's arm. He lets out a sad sigh.

"Luna, I swear I am here to protect you, and it has nothing to do with Penny. We took an oath and I stand by that "Percy..." I mutter "Shut up." He follows my gaze, his eyes growing wide before he scowls up at the tree, his knees bending as he lowers his body and prepares for an attack.

"What do you see?" he whispers low enough only a wolf could pick up.

"Breeze in a single tree," I murmur back, my eyes focused on the branch that sways yet showsnothing. No animal or warrior can be seen, but we have learned that means shit in this world where magic has turned dark. "We need to move," He says, grabbing my elbow, and tuggingaway. My eyes snap to him, watching as he fixates on something I clearly can not pinpoint.

"What do YOU see?" I hiss at him and he shakes his head, though his eyes remain focused.

"Nothing where something should be, and that worriesmore," he says before snapping his gaze to meet mine. Panic explodes over his face. "Run, luna" "Shit," I grumble, turning and taking off at a full sprint. Percy is at my back, his even breathing loud enough forto hear, and I realize he is doing that for me, so I know he is there and I don't need to look back. I try to reach out to Merikh, but we have grown too far apart.

My mind whirls with possibilities of what the hell might be following us. Whatever it is, it has had the tto attack and yet it didn't. Whether that makes it a wise enemy or a shitty ally, I don't know. And truthfully, I don't care to find out.

"Move faster," I hear Percy usher out behindas I try like hell to make my legs comply.

Lycans are much faster. Not only do they have that height and long legs, their stamina and strength is overall just.... better. I, however, have to reserve my wolf and siren to try to save as many people as I can when the tcomes.

It's not just others whose lives depend onbeing able to drown out the blast, but my own. If I fail, I will be the first one to go and I can't imagine what that will do to Merikh.

My ankle twists as a stone rolls from under my foot, tossingto the right. I collide with a tree trunk, my shoulder smacking into it with a loud thud as I grunt out in pain. Percy is next toin a heartbeat, swooping under my aching shoulder and wrapping his arm around my back as he continues to blaze through the trees. Branches reach out, as if they are long fingers extending to entwine me. Twigs, slice at my face, catch as my waist as we try like fucking hell to break away from whatever the fuck is happening.

Then I am dropped, my support disappearing as I take a step onto my ankle and pain tears through my calf. I cry out, and land on my hands and knees, turning to look at Percy, who stands in front, his back toand his arms at the ready.

"She is here." He murmurs. "I can feel her now, she is so fucking close, I can taste her on my Tongue." "Fight it, Percy." I say, forcing myself to stand as I roll my shoulders back. He looks over his shoulders at me, a sly smirk on his lips.

"I fully intend to do just that, Luna Letty." The fear that was grippingsuddenly seems to fade. The sheer truth of Percy's words is enough to makebet my life on him winning this battle. He is young and new to this role, but I am not sure there has ever been a better gamma duo than the one I had.

A woman in a velvet green dress drops out of a tree, her eyes swirling with red and her face pale, almost gaunt. When she smiles, she reveals a mouth of missing teeth and lips that are colored red by her own blood.

With every step closer she takes, I see the stains on her garb. The way it is tattered and soaked with blood. Elm must have failed to kill her. She has clearly been tortured, so there is no doubting he was telling the truth. "Luna," she says, her lips cracking and a droplet of blood dripping down her chin. "You turned him against me." "Elm?" I ask and she looks sad for a moment, glancing down at her bloodied finger tips.

"He loved me," she whispers. "He choseuntil you calong." "Direct your word to me, bitch." Percy says, stepping in between us to block her view of me.

A tree branch snaps out, grabbing hold of Percy's wrist. He is fast as he grabs it back, yanking it toward him as his lycan surfaces and he tears into the tree's bark, breaking it clean off of him. Another flies for him, taking his other hand just as one grabs his leg. He howls, breaking his hind leg free as he snaps at the branch that lifts him high, then slams him down toward the earth.

I press my hands to the dry dirt, reaching for the water and swiftly pulling it from the earth intto break his strike to the ground with a soft mud. Lily's eyes squint as she smiles wide and then giggles, covering her mouth.

"I'm not the only one with a party trick, I guess." She says.

Percy looks at me, givinga 'don't do that' glare and I roll my eyes. I know I need to save my strength, but I refuse to watch him fight an unfair fight. There is nothing forto say to Lily so instead I shoot her a fake smile. One that really says 'fuck you', it only pleases her as she giggles again.

Percy takes the tshe is distracted to inch his way closer to her, but even without using her eyes, she witnesses it. Roots rise from the ground, breaking through with such force that Percy is unable to maintain his balance.

He falls onto his ass. They circle him, twisting together at the top slowly, trapping him. He tears them to shreds, but they replace quicker than he can move out of the way.

He is snatched to the ground, his lycan form roaring in anger as he tries like hell to break free. A green root slips around his neck, tightening as his lycan retreats and Percy's human form takes its place. His sad eyes meet mine.

"Stop!" I scream, scrambling from the ground and trying to make it over to him. "Please! Don't kill him!" The wooden noose around his neck stops, and I look up at Lily, who looks all too happy with what she is doing. Then he leans forward and tilts her head.

"I will let you say goodbye." She says. "It's more than you got to do with his sister." Rage boils inas I lick my lips and dig as deep in myself as I can. What use is water at this moment? What use is a wolf against a magic that took down a lycan warrior? "You are not allowed to die." I command him with my tone. He meets my gaze, unsure of how to respond as he lies, unable to move. Then I realize what it is I have to do, fuck saving my strength, fuck hiding how strong I am. "When I do this, you get your ass up and finish it." My words register to him, and he furrows his brows in confusion as I close my eyes. I dig deeper than the cold reserves of water just below the surface. My siren reaches past the flowing waters in the caverns hidden far below even what we could comprehend.

Dragons remain close to heat, a heat that comes from the earth, so I find the water that is bubbling, the water that steams and roars with pockets of heat. It feels as if my veins are being stretched as I pull it from the earth, the energy it requires making the fibers of my muscles quiver in use.

Then it happens, a geyser that rises to the surface, exploding from the very earth beneath Lily's feet as she screeches and flies into the air. The water drips down onto us, the searing burns ones I relish as it proves I did it. Then I look at Percy and he roars, his lycan back and breaking free as he leaps up a tree, tackles her from the geyser as it slows and falls away.

Lily's skin is red and covered in blisters as he hammers her to the ground and sinks his teethûntd her throat. Her ery turns to a gurgling as she drowns in her own boiling blood, her body twitching as the nerves die off. "Holy shit, Luna." Percy says, panting in his human form, his eyes wide. "I didn't know you could do that." either," I say, shocked, with a little surprised chuckle. "That was..." "Amazing." A voice whispers from behind us.

We whip around, and Percy leaps in front ofjust as Ezrah steps out from the shadows. I furrow my brows, looking at him.

"What are you doing here? You are supposed to be coming from—" "I didn't trust Elm, so I followed him." He admits, with an ashamed frown.

"And what did you find?" Percy asks, but he doesn't drop his guard.

"Elm wasn't the one torturing her. He was there to rescue her and set her free, and clearly he succeeded." Ezrah shakes his head. Percy looks atand then back at him.

"What did you do to stop it?" He asks.

"I fought with Elm while she escaped. He ran off, and I went after Lily, henceshowing up right now. I have been tracking her." Ezrah explains.

I sigh, tiredness tugging at my body as I look at Percy and he presses his el lips together, turning to look at me. He glances over his shoulders once more to make sure Ezrah isn't listening before he whispers so low I barely hear him. "I don't trust him." He says. I bite my lip and nod.

"Understood. We tread lightly then, okay?" I say and he nods, then I smile at Ezrah. "With Lily dead, what do you plan to do now?" I ask him and he shrugs.

"Follow the original plan, of course. Unless you are feeling tired, I could carry you, if you wish? I see that your gamma still has fresh injuries that need healing."

I glance at Percy, noticing Ezrah is right. Percy's bite mark from the dragon fight, though looking much better, has re-opened in a few spots. I wrestle with what to do, but I know I need the rest. So does Percy. "Actually, that sounds like a good idea for now." I say hesitantly. "Just for a little bit." "Perfect." He givesa bright smile. "Let's go kill a queen."