Claimed by the Mad Lycan King

The pull that you felt when you met your destined mate for the first time was so intense, to the point of obsession. That was what happened to every shifter, especially the Lycans, as their kind was the strongest among all the shifters.

Therefore, the kind of willpower Zade had to exert and how terrified he was of losing Seara when he met her for the first time were unimaginable.

Even now, no matter how restless his beast was and how strong his desire to mark and mate her, the thought of hurting his mate alone was enough for him to rein back all his desire to the corner of his mind.

However, whenever they lay down like this and how casually Seara touched him without knowing how it would affect him, Zade felt disturbed.

It was especially hard when Zade saw Seara’s bare neck, where he should have placed his mark on her.

He had probably gone crazy for being so obsessed with her.

”Okay...” Seara finally replied. She blushed slightly with the intensity of Zade’s gaze on her. She didn’t know where to look or where to put her hands.

But Zade chuckled instead. ”You look as if I were going to eat you alive,” he said with a hint of amusement.

”I am not.”

”Are you scared?”

Seara shook her head.

”Nervous?”

She glanced at him briefly as she bit her lip, which drove Zade crazy. This woman seduced him even without her knowing it.

”Will you... mark me?”

”I don’t think you are ready for that, Love.” Zade kissed her forehead. ”For now, I only want to kiss you.”

Jane had warned him vehemently not to mark or mate with Seara, since she was still unstable, and Rio also told him that he didn’t know whether Seara would survive the mark, since she was physically very weak.

Marking was not a frivolous process. You could hurt your other half if you did it recklessly, and in Seara’s case, she hypothetically couldn’t endure more pain.

”Do you want me to mark you?”

”Not now...” Seara replied in a small voice.

”Whenever you want, Love.” Zade put his fingers under her chin and lifted her head. ”Look at me. Don’t hide from me.”

Seara was flustered; she didn’t know what to do, and Zade’s face was so close to her. He must be able to hear how strongly her heart was beating.

”But I want a kiss,” she said timidly.

”Gladly.”

Zade leaned over very slowly; he gave her time and space to push him away just in case she changed her mind, but Seara didn’t. She closed her eyes when Zade’s lips pressed against hers gently.

It was a chaste kiss, and Zade did it very carefully, as if Seara were the most precious thing that he had ever touched.

”Breathe, Love.” He noticed that Seara was holding her breath.

Zade nipped on her lower lip and licked it, teasing her with his tongue, and he felt her body tense up—he pulled away.

”I think that’s enough for now.” He pecked her lips briefly before he pulled her closer.

The kiss itself didn’t last for more than a few seconds, but it was enough to leave Seara breathless. Her heart was going to burst because of the tension.

”You will not leave me?” Seara lifted her head from Zade’s chest.

”There is no version of me that is willing to leave you.”

***

”I will see you again next week.” Seara hugged Reaper and kissed its muzzle. She wanted to stay here for a little bit longer. Why did a day pass so fast? ”Bring your pups again, okay?”

Seara hugged Maisie and Caylin as well; she liked the two of them. They also baked her some mint-flavored cookies, which she liked.

”She seems fine. Can’t she stay?” Zephyr asked. He watched how Seara interacted with Caylin and Maisie; she had gone back to her usual self. If outsiders saw her, they wouldn’t be able to guess that she was struggling inside.

”No.” Zade had the same thought as Zephyr before. Whenever Seara was smiling and laughing, he thought she was already fine, until she was not.

But seeing this progress, Jane might agree to let her come home more often. Zade still hated her decision, but it was her field of expertise.

”Good job at yielding in the game; she is very happy to beat you.” Zade patted Zephyr on the back before going to Seara to remind her that they had to leave.

”Are you mocking me too?” Zephyr was frustrated. He was not yielding to Seara, okay.

***

Seara hugged Zade a little bit longer before she went to her bedroom in the hospital while Zade wrapped his arms around her body.

”Can I have this?” Seara asked Zade, tugging at the black jacket that he was wearing.

”Do you want this jacket?” Zade remembered that Seara was wearing his jacket the entire time he was at the Blackthorne Pack for three days.

”Yes.” She looked at him expectantly. Of course, there would be only one answer for that.

Zade took off his jacket and draped it on her small body. Immediately, Zade’s warmth and scent wrapped around her, and it was the comfort that she needed.

After that, Seara never took off the jacket unless she had to. It felt as if Zade were with her, and it made her feel calm.

They still saw each other for two hours or more.

And after a month, Seara showed great progress. She could go to the coffee shop next to the hospital with Zade without getting a panic attack.

She bought her first drink: a mint chocolate.

On the one-month mark, Jane gifted her a blue book. They had talked about it before; Seara could put down her thoughts and feelings to help her understand what was in her mind.

And later that night, she wrote an entry.

[God, when my lips no longer know what to ask for in prayer, please hear my heart.]