THE LOVE OF A LYCAN

73 THE MORNING STAR

The five of them were being released the moment Reynold agreed at Torak's demand.

Stephan scrambled towards his brother with tears and snot stained his handsome face, he was only seventy eight years old, a young age for a Dragon shifter who had a long life span.

He was holding his brother's bloody hand, trembling.

How ruthless Alpha Torak to cut off his brother's hand, he would be cripple for life! But, he didn't have enough courage to voice out his dissatisfaction.

His brother did nothing except wanting to save their last female to protect their lineage!

And about the betrayal, it was their predecessor's fault! The sin wasn't theirs to bear. His brother had nothing to do with anything of him! Why did he punish them?!

"Raph, clean all these up." Torak was done dealing with them, it was time for him to go back to his mate.

"Alright. Worry not." Raphael waved the Supreme Alpha away, assured him that he would handle all the remaining things to deal there.

Once Torak was out of the room, he sniffed the air and followed the familiar addicting scent that was able to calm his nerves in an instant.

Raine's smell was mixed with Calleb and with that Torak's burrows knitted slightly, he didn't like another male scent being all over her, even though it was the Gamma's.

He picked up his pace and in no time, he arrived at the garden that was located in the backyard of the manor with a scene of a beautiful sculptural fountain there.

His mate was sitting at the edge of the reservoir while playing with the water absentmindedly, she looked sullen for some reason that he didn't know.

The ray of the afternoon light fell on her delicate white neck as she tied up her hair into a messy ponytail.

Raine didn't see Torak coming as her back was facing him, but her slumped shoulder was a clear indication that she was not in a good mood.

Calleb was standing beside her while the ten Lycans, which were supposed to protect them, were standing on guard a few meters away.

Calleb noticed Torak's presence as he said with a mischievous smile at Raine. "See? He is fine. I told you right?"

Raine turned her head and looked at Torak in relief, but before that, she widened her eyes that Calleb assumed as a glare, but she was lacking intimidation. At this point, Calleb had gotten used to with Torak's ferocious side, so her attempt to make herself looked scary was failing miserably.

Raine turned her body and as Torak was approaching her, she gave him a smile as bright as the moonlight, so warm, beautiful and pristine.

"Alpha, if you are a bit late, she would have cried." Calleb told him, and that made Raine glared at him again.

As Calleb was often 'babysitting' her, he grew fond of her and acted like a big brother—an annoying one of course, as he liked to tease her if Torak was not nearby.

"Are you worried about me?" Torak wrapped her waist carefully, he was still afraid if he wasn't being cautious enough, he might end up hurting her.

Raine nodded while burying her face on his chest, the sound of someone screaming before was still ringing in her ears, it was terrifying.

"I am sorry to make you worried…" He whispered at her ear as he pulled her hair band and let her long black hair cascaded down on her back and shoulders. He combed her hair with his fingers as he hummed in satisfaction at the feeling of the soft hair between his fingers.

The Alpha, who would not say a word when he cut off the Dragon Lord's hand, was actually apologizing for something that he didn't have to.

He looked totally different from five minutes ago, the bloodshot eyes and the killing intent that lingered around him disappeared in an instant once he held his precious mate in his arms.

No one would have thought that he was so close to exterminating the close-to-extinct race of Dragon shifters a few minutes ago if they watched how good he treated Raine now.

Sometimes Calleb was curious about how far his Alpha could go or how low he could bend for his mate.

One could actually change drastically.

I don't think I want a mate… Calleb thought to himself.

***

When the night came and the old manor appeared more forlorn than the day time as the light from inside had not yet turned on, a Dragon Lord with crippled hand was standing behind the big window with a bleak expression.

His hand had casted with thick bandages.

With all the Lycans had been long gone, the silence inside the manor returned, but the rage within him didn't subside even a little.

"Brother, you need to rest." Stephan approached Reynold while holding a cup of warm water. "Does that still hurt?" He glanced at his brother's right hand as he recalled the event this morning.

"No need to worry about this." Reynold answered curtly, but his eyes still locked at the garden behind his manor as if he was waiting for something or someone.

"Alpha Torak is really cruel! How could he do something like this to us?! We had never betrayed him! Isn'tit enough for him to forbid us to shift as we wish? That is our nature as a shifter!" Stephan expressed his bottled resentment.

The younger brother continued to complain grumpily for a few good minutes until he realized that his brother didn't give any response to whatever he said.

"But, brother why did you kill Torak's people?" Eventually he remembered the reason why the Supreme Alpha came to see them. "That's just a baseless accusation, right? He just wanted our assets, right!?"

"No, I did kill his people." Reynold admitted calmly as he turned around and looked past Stephan's shoulder.

"But, why did you do that?" Stephan frowned. "You know that he will come after you."

However, instead of answering his brother's question he talked to the person behind him, whose presence no one realized. Since when had he been standing there?

"I did what you had told me to do, and this is what I get?!" Reynold showed him his bandaged hand as his eyes flickered with acrimony. "You better wish that your plan is going to work well."

Stephan abruptly turned around and looked at the ethereal beauty in front of him that truly brought him to speechless.

He was so astoundingly appealing, his features looked as if it had been carved by Gods themselves, which was indeed true, his entire body shone like a morning star while emanating a domineering aura and dignified air of monarch.

"The loss of your hand is nothing to the moment you get your pride as a Dragon shifter back." The man smiled alluringly.