Claimed by the Mad Lycan King

Three months—that was the time that Seara needed to finally be able to leave the hospital. She was beyond ecstatic, to say the least.

But there was one thing that she had to go through first before she could be discharged. Jane wanted her to see Neriah again. She wanted to know what made her uncomfortable when Neriah was supposed to be her closest friend in the Blackthorne Pack.

Seara couldn’t provide her a specific answer, and it could only happen in her mind. That’s why they had to confirm her feelings.

Seara didn’t want to see Neriah if she had any other choice. The last time they met left her with a dreadful feeling, yet part of her wanted to know if her fear was only in her head.

Today, she felt a bit nervous. She kept fidgeting in her bed, shaking her leg to calm herself and tightening Zade’s jacket around her body. The familiar scent of Zade helped soothe her anxiety.

”Are you ready?” Jane asked Seara. She smiled sweetly as usual. Her soft tone mitigated her fear.

”I think so...” Seara replied. She smiled back at her. She liked Jane in the same way as she liked Zephyr. While Jane felt like a sister, Zephyr was that annoying brother, whom she couldn’t wait to meet.

They played a different game this time, and Seara kept beating him up; that was her favorite part whenever she met him.

”You will be alright.” Jane hugged Seara and kissed her cheek. ”I am so proud of you.”

The words felt so warm. Jane always emphasized that she had gone through so much. And for her to be here right now, she should be proud of herself, which was one thing that Seara still struggled to do, but she appreciated it when Jane said it.

”Thank you.” Seara looked hopeful.

Everything would be alright. She would be fine. Nothing bad could happen to her, and Zade would never let anything bad happen to her.

He was a Lycan; he was strong, and she could rely on him, and the best part was... he was her mate. That last thought made her blush. Thankfully, Jane didn’t notice that, or even think that Seara would think of Zade at a time like this.

They would hold the meeting between Seara and Neriah in the hospital’s backyard garden, one of the places where Seara felt comfortable and familiar.

”Zade is here. I will leave you with him.” Jane winked at Seara and then opened the door before Zade could. They exchanged brief and polite greetings.

There was a time when Seara felt jealous toward Jane, since she thought she suited Zade better than she did. She was beautiful, young, and smart, but most importantly, she didn’t carry trouble as she did.

”How can you be more beautiful than the last time I saw you?” Zade leaned over and kissed Seara on the lips. She liked it when he touched her, and his kisses were intoxicating.

”Maybe because you love me?” Seara offered the answer, and it made Zade laugh. It felt so easy to laugh with her, and Zade did it often whenever he was with her.

”You are right.” Zade hugged her, squeezed her body lightly, and kissed her neck. ”You will be fine.”

Seara stood up from her bed and tiptoed to kiss him, as Zade leaned over to accommodate their height difference. He lifted her slightly until her feet didn’t touch the floor.

”Can we just stay here and kiss like this?” Zade murmured against her lips.

Hearing that, Seara giggled. ”Jane will be angry with you.”

”That will not be the first time.”

Seara learned that Zade and Jane had been in a cold war during her stay. It was so difficult to find the middle ground between what Zade wanted and what Jane suggested.

Of course, Seara got all this detail from Zephyr. He liked gossip, and Seara liked it too. It was one of the reasons why she felt safe when Zade was with Jane, though the jealousy was still there, as well as fear...

Slowly, Seara remembered what had happened with Daven and Eudora, not as fleeting images that made her uncomfortable, but as a whole memory.

Of course, it was not easy when the emotions rushed in, and she felt as if she were thrown back to that moment of heartbreak.

However, she and Jane worked through it together, and now, Seara could remember those memories without problem, though the lingering pain was still there. The betrayal left an invisible scar, and when she was being irrational, even she would get jealous of Zephyr.

Thankfully, Zade had never given her any reason to doubt him, especially not with Zephyr; that was only in her head.

”I want more kisses,” Seara said when Zade put her down after their kiss.

”That’s it, forget about the meeting,” Zade groaned, and he pushed her to bed, which made Seara laugh.

***

That feeling again, and Seara couldn’t be mistaken about it. She dreaded Neriah; there was something about her that made her feel uneasy. Even though she knew it was her, for some reason that she couldn’t explain, it didn’t feel like her.

As odd as it sounded, she felt as if someone else were wearing her face, pretending to be her.

Seara was hesitant to approach Neriah. She was sitting down on the fountain bench, talking to children with her sweet smile. She looked harmless.

That was why Seara would look crazy if she were scared of her. This couldn’t be right.

She bit her lip and took one step at a time. She refused to ruin it and made Jane think she still needed to stay here for some time. She couldn’t break down now; she was so close to going home.

She was going home no matter what.

With hesitant steps, Seara came closer and called her name; she almost jumped when Neriah turned around and saw her.