Defying the Lycan King-Chapter 12: The Caged Queen

As Kira finished dressing, a knock sounded at the door, and Mara opened it to let Connor in. He stepped inside and dipped into a quick bow.

"Your Highness, the family breakfast has been moved to tomorrow. The King is handling some urgent pack business."

Kira couldn’t have been happier. She had been dreading the awkwardness of a family meeting, even though she knew she’d have to face them eventually. "Alright then, I’ll head to campus," she said, reaching for her handbag.

"You’re not to leave the palace until His Grace returns."

Kira blinked, staring at him in total disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"King’s orders," Connor replied simply.

"I don’t care. I have a presentation at ten, and I’m already running late. Am I a hostage now?"

"Not at all, Your Highness, but the King wants you to recover fully before going out in public."

Kira didn’t waste energy arguing; it wouldn’t get her anywhere. This one was following instructions. He’d promised not to mess with her education, so what was this about? She sat back on the bed, waiting for Connor and Mara to leave so she could slip out anyway.

A maid brought in her breakfast just as Connor bowed and exited. Kira waited patiently until Mara and the maid were gone, then headed to the door, only to find it locked from the outside.

"Are you kidding me right now?" she muttered, rattling the handle. "Let me out of here. Now!"

Silence was her only answer. She kept twisting and pushing, but nothing budged. Frustrated, she stepped onto the balcony and peered down; there was no way to climb, and her room was on the top floor.

If only she had her wolf. Moments like this made her miss it the most.

She went back to the door, knocking and yelling at whoever might be listening to open the damn thing. But by mid-morning, she realised it was pointless. They weren’t letting her out. Defeated, she slumped onto the bed, picked at her breakfast, took the meds Lorenzo had prescribed, and soon her eyelids grew heavy. She lay down and drifted off.

***

When Kira finally stirred, it was already dark outside. She woke slowly from a deep, dreamless sleep, the kind that left her groggy and disoriented. The room came into focus bit by bit: high ceilings, rich dark wood panels, soft dim lighting, and that calming, soothing scent lingering in the air.

As her eyes adjusted fully, she spotted a dark silhouette by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Derek stood there in a sharp dark suit, arms folded across his chest, watching her.

Her eyes snapped wide, and she glared at him, even if he couldn’t see the fire in her gaze through the shadows.

"You’re awake," he said, his voice flat and even. "Good. We have questions that need answers."

Kira pushed herself up against the pillows, ignoring his tone. She knew this was about her suppressed wolf, but she wasn’t letting him steamroll her. She had plenty to say about him locking her up and controlling her life.

"Straight to business, then," she murmured, glancing around for her phone.

"You have a remarkable tolerance for poison," Derek said casually, as if commenting on the weather.

Kira sighed deeply. This was the first time they had talked about Lorenzo’s bombshell revelation, and it made her feel exposed and vulnerable.

Derek stepped closer to the bed, his presence filling the space and looming over her. "Who did that to you?"

Kira shook her head, genuine helplessness and hurt swirling inside her. "I don’t know," she whispered, her mind spinning. "No one has ever... I’ve never been ill like that. I thought I was just born wrong, cursed, like my father always says."

"The poisons only managed to weaken your wolf," Derek continued, his eyes never leaving her face. "They would have killed you eventually if you hadn’t left that place."

"But... but..." She trailed off, struggling to piece it together. She’d tried not to dwell on it since last night; it left her too confused and sad that she hadn’t even replied to Jessica’s texts or calls. If she was being poisoned in Moonfang, someone had to have known. Her pack doctor should have seen the signs.

"If you’re really Rolf’s daughter," Derek’s voice cut through her thoughts, "why did he have to whip you into marrying me? Why send you instead of his true heir? And how is it that everyone only knows about one daughter?"

She looked up at him before quickly averting her gaze, blinking away hot tears. She hated how pathetic this made her feel. "That’s how he wants it. He hates me."

"Why?"

Kira swallowed hard. "That’s... that’s none of your business."

He leaned in, voice low and dangerous. "It became my business the second he used you as a weapon against me. Tell me why a father would send his own daughter to a pack he believes would kill her."

Kira hugged herself, that old, bitter shame rising up, the one her father had drilled into her since she was little. Somehow, she’d grown to believe it. "Because my mother died giving birth to me," she whispered. "He blamed me. Said I killed his mate, the only woman he ever loved. Said I was cursed."

"I’m confused," Derek said, settling into an armchair. "From what I know, the real Chloe just turned eighteen, right?" She nodded. "So how old are you?"

"I’m twenty."

"If you’re twenty and Chloe’s eighteen, that means he remarried within a year, maybe even months, after your mother died."

Kira paused, letting that sink in before nodding slowly. She had never considered it that way before. For twenty years, she had carried the guilt of "killing" her mum as a helpless newborn, wishing she could turn back time, make her mother survive, or never be born at all, just to make her father happy again. She had never tried to hate her father so much because she chose to understand him, convinced he was hurting. She told herself that every slap was just him grieving, every curse was hurt. She had imagined he was haunted by memories of her mother, by guilt, by pain.

She had never questioned how quickly he had moved on, or why no one ever spoke of her mother, even when she asked.

She had never thought about why her mother’s pictures were not anywhere around the pack. Why she knew absolutely nothing about her mother except that she "died giving birth to her."

"You truly know nothing about the poisoning," he said finally. It was not a question.

Kira shook her head.

He stood up then, smooth and controlled. "You’d better not be lying to me."

Kira shot him a glare. "You still think I am?"

"You don’t expect me to trust anything from a den of conniving deceivers."

She held his gaze, refusing to let his words sting. "Was that why you locked me up?"

"Necessary. I didn’t want you tampering with investigations."

Kira’s brows furrowed. "Tamper with... what does that even mean? You said you wouldn’t interfere with my education."

"Not when it threatens my pack’s safety. You stay in until I get what I need. Now rest," he said with finality, turning to leave.

Kira watched him go, then started hunting for her phone. She had been subtly looking during their whole talk.

"Where the heck is my phone?" she muttered, checking the bedside drawer.

"Are you looking for this?" Derek said from the doorway, holding it up.

Kira’s eyes widened, then narrowed into slits. "What are you doing with my phone?"

"I’m keeping it for now, until we’re sure about your mission in Dravengard."

She frowned deeply. "What? What mission? Give it back, I need to check my messages."

Right on cue, the phone began to ring. Derek glanced at the screen, his brows knitting. "Who’s Jessica?"

"My best friend." She held out her hand. "Give it back, she might have something important."

"Important, huh? I’ll answer the call then and put it on speaker."

"Why?!" Kira nearly shouted.

"Security purposes."

Kira bit her lip to hold back a sharper retort. She was not going to let him control her or invade her privacy like this. She folded her arms defiantly. "I’m not talking to my friend with you listening in."

"Have a good night then, Miss Thornclaw," Derek said in that sharp, emotionless tone. He declined the call, pocketed the phone, and walked out, leaving Kira staring at the closed door in stunned disbelief.

In that moment, Kira knew one thing for sure: someone was going to end up murdering someone in this sham of a marriage. Either she would kill him, or he would kill her, because she wasn’t putting up with any of this.