Traded To The Lycan King by MG Wattsons

*Hayes*

It doesn't matter how good Nisha's food usually tastes, this tit lacks flavor. Or maybe it's lacking the privacy

of not having everyone staring atlike. They sit across the fire as | pick at the food in my bowl, trying not to

look up at anyone. Their eyes have been onsince the moment | slunk back after Kyra leftin the woods to

sulk. Not that | was sulking, though. Because | wasn't. It was more than that. It was realizing how much | have

missed her even when I don't have the right to. Well, that and feeling like a complete asshat for pummeling

Marcos in the face when he didn't do anything wrong. | mean, his hands were all over her, but what right do |

have to be upset over that?

My stomach churns and | ignore it, refusing to acknowledge the truth | can feel deep in my gut. It doesn't matter

that | don't have the right to care. | do, and | fucking hate that anyone else is touching her when my hand can

barely register the touch of her skin. "So..." Nisha says, clearing her throat. "Are you going to apologize to

Marcos next?"

| exhale, placing the bowl and spoon to the side. "What is your obsession with apologies, Nisha?" | ask.

She shrugs, a smug smile tugging at her lips.

"| was just curious." She says.

"Be less curious, Nisha." | mutter.

"Is there a reason you are being more of a jerk than usual, Hayes?" Koda asks, breaking into the conversation.

| scoff, reaching up to drag my hand through my hair. My twisted flesh covered fingers tangle in my locks and |

struggle to get them out, my fingers refusing to bend as they do on occasion. | yank hard, but the jerky

movement doesn't go unnoticed by the blazing light brown eyes watchingfrom under her long lashes.

"You know, if your hand is acting up again, you should have Marcos take a look." Dean offers. "He probably won't

even want an apology."

"Can we just drop the Marcos thing?" | growl, annoyed with their antics as they try to hide their amused faces.

"Why don't you guys fillin on the plan?" She says, drawing the attention to her. | glance at her, surprise in

my brows, and she sendsa soft smile. One that letsknow she is changing the subject for my own good.

"Right," I clear my throat. "Alpha Merikh has provided us with sintel, giving us a few ideas of where Ezrah

may have potentially gone. Since we are in a tof war, trespassing on the Fae's territory is dangerous, but

since we are allies, most of them anyway, we should be okay."

Kyra's brows knit together in thought before she frowns.

"And you plan to just wander around and hope to cacross him?" Kyra asks, sounding shocked and

unimpressed.

"What else do you expect? We have vague sightings and hopeful chance encounters. There is no solid proof of

where he is, just verifying where he isn't." | explain. "For close to two years, we have traveled in search of him

and found absolutely nothing."

"And you hope to find him in the void between the areas you have checked off?" She asks, looking amused yet

skeptical.

"When you have nothing else to go off of, you kind of start getting desperate." Dean says and she chuckles.

"And where do | cinto play, then?" She asks, "I mean, | am here to track him, am | not? Does that not alter

the plan at all?"

I look around at the others, who shake their heads and laugh to themselves. It is annoying and cute how highly

Kyra thinks of herself. She always did undervalue herself back when we were younger.

"You can't track a ghost, Kyra." Koda grins.

"Ezrah is not a ghost," Kyra says matter of fact.

"He might as well be." Nisha cuts in now. "Look, the guy was a messenger. A fae messenger. That means they

don't travel like normal people do. His speed and ability-"

"I am well aware of what he is and how his kind moves." Kyra interjects Nisha. | watch as Nisha's face goes from

shock to frustration. She has never handled being talked over well, even when | do it. "I mean no disrespect, but

| was briefed on all of this." "Then you know you are of no use to us." | say, doubling down on making sure she

knows she is not needed. What use is a tracker when you can't even find a place for them to start tracking?

"How about you all letdeal with the details and do what | do best. All of you have spent close to two years on

this mission, and yet, it has yielded nothing." She reiterates.

I scoff, trying to hide the offense I feel, but I fail miserably.

The others must feel the sway as the others grow more tense, Nisha's anger rising, Dean grows despondent

and Koda licks his teeth rearing to toss a smart ass comment out. But yet no one says anything, all of them

looking toto speak instead. "We have figured out where he is not." | remind her and she shakes her head in

disappointment.

"It's not about where he is not,

Hayes. It's about when he IS. You

keep tellinghe isn't here or there when you looked in the past. But how do you know he isn't right on our

heels going where you have checked? Remaining unnoticed under your noses because they are pointed the

opposite way?"

"And what do you plan to do when you find him like you say you will, huh?" Nisha barks out, unable to keep her

mouth shut any longer. "Be a good little doggy and wag your tail and point in his direction." "Nisha!" | groan.

"That is enough."

"Sorry," she mutters, looking ashamed. "But she is saying all our tinvested is what? For nothing? Useless?

It's bullshit."

"Tracking isn't the process of elimination. It is a calculated process of finding clues and following them in the

right direction. | know you have had trackers before, and no, I'm not under the impression | will just join you guys

and find him in a few days. This will take time." "I am running out of tand patience," | grind out. "The

dragons are growing desperate and moving closer even despite the risk it poses to them. There is no ending this

war without finding the Fae asshole."

"Then letbe the patient one

while you guys continue on doing what you have been doing. | will look deeper, search for things you don' think

to examine." She explains. Her words are almost ones of pleading, like she is begging us to let her help. To trust

her, but trust is hard for people like us who hardly have it in us to trust each other.

But Kyra is so confident. Her voice is unwavering and her shoulders squared as she defends and explains what a

tracker is to us. She sounds like she knows what she is doing and she looks even more like she believes it. "We

have never had a tracker before." Dean says and | shoot him a glare dark enough to melt his lycan away. The

asshole didn't have to tell her that. | watch as Kyra's eyes shoot up in surprise.

"Alpha Merikh said you had used sin the past." She says, looking confused.

"We had sjoin us for a short time." | admit, scratching the back of my neck. Her eyes narrow as she looks

around at all of us.

"How short, exactly. Because | am getting the vibe that maybe you guys drug all your trackers and leave them

behind?" She snaps and | chuckle nervously.

"No," | try to reassure her, but Dean's and Koda's faces betray the truth. "We have never had to drug any of

them before. Just a day or two with us and they sort of wanted to leave."

Kyra looks around at each of us, a dry laugh tumbling from her lips as she shakes her head in disbelief.

"Why would you not want a tracker to help? | don't get this blatant distrust of someone so useful."

"It's not that we don't want the help but..." Dean stops mid sentence, the words falling off like he wants her to

follow his thought process.

"But what?" She demands, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes fill with a dare, waiting for him to say

something scathing.

"They are cocky and all important.” | say, drawing her attention to me, the full weight of her stark annoyance

bearing down on me, and | realize like it when her eyes are on me. And | like how her nose seems to

scrunch, drawing her freckles together, making her adorable and not at all lethal looking.

"For a group that has gone so long on a failure of a mission, those are sweighted words." She bites out,

clearly restraining herself.

| see Marcos walking up to us, clearly coming to swap with Dean for night watch.

"This looks like a fun conversation." He mutters, sliding a soft smile to Kyra who struggles to return it through her

own anger. "Dean, you are up for watch." "I'll go," Kyra says, jumping up far too eager. "I'd hate to get left behind

again."

"You really should rest," Marcos says, reaching out to gently grab her wrist. She stops, looking at his hand before

she pulls it away.

"The only people who rest well are the ones with trust. | have none of that with any of you." She says, her voice

cold.

Then she walks off into the dark.

"Well, that went well." Nisha mumbles.

"I'll go talk with her." Marcos sighs, turning right back around to follow her. | stand, stepping in front of him,

looking at where Kyra still strides away from us. "No, | will go." | assure him, and he frowns.

"Honestly, it's probably best if it's Marcos who goes, Hayes." Dean offers gently. "He is a little less quick to anger

and, well...they seem to get along rather well." "I get along with Kyra fine," | argue and everyone looks away as if

they don't want to tell| am wrong. "I do."

"I'll be back later," Marcos says before he steps around me, clappingon the shoulder with a sympathizing «

look before he saunters off after my Kyra.