The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter Chapter 103: Just For Tonight

Sebastian~

I must have misheard.

That had to be it.

But my ears—sharp, inhumanly sharp—had never failed before. Not once in my centuries of existence.

And yet, I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.

That voice.

I knew that voice.

For years, I had heard it in my dreams. Soft, haunting, pleading—always calling my na, always asking to find her.

And now, that very sa voice had just slipped from Brielle’s lips.

My mate.

The sa mate who had nearly killed two hours ago.

How could this be?

My mind raced, trying to make sense of it, but the only thing I could focus on was her voice.

I swallowed hard, my throat tightening as I stared at her. She looked groggy, her dark lashes fluttering slightly, her warm brown eyes unfocused.

I needed to hear it again.

"Say it again," I said, my voice only a whisper.

Brielle blinked sluggishly at . "Say what?"

"My na," I said, inching closer. My entire body was tense, every muscle wound tight as if bracing for a blow. "Say my na again, Brielle."

She exhaled softly, rubbing her temple as if I was being the most annoying thing on the planet—which, to be fair, I often was.

"What are you talking about?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. "Besides, I don’t know any ’Brielle.’"

I froze.

Not because of what she had said—but because of how she had said it.

That voice.

It was the sa. The sa voice that had whispered through my dreams, calling , searching for .

I wasn’t even listening to the aning of her words anymore.

All I could hear was her voice.

I had found her.

I had finally found her.

A sharp, almost painful relief surged through , so overwhelming that I moved before I could think.

I pulled her into my arms, gripping her tightly, my fingers curling into her back as if I could sohow anchor her to , make sure she wouldn’t disappear.

Her body stiffened against mine.

For a mont, I thought she would shove away, stab , or maybe even bite —sothing dramatic. But then, slowly... she relaxed.

And damn, did it feel right.

I could feel it—this strange, electric pull between us, like our very existence was trying to fit back together after being separated for too long.

My dead heart... it did sothing impossible.

It leaped.

A deep, bone-lting warmth spread through , sothing I had never felt before. My kind—vampires—weren’t supposed to experience this. Not after death.

But I did.

With her.

I tightened my arms around her, inhaling deeply, committing everything to mory. "I’ve been looking for you," I whispered, my voice raw with sothing I couldn’t na. "For so long. And I didn’t even know it was you."

Then, as if I had snapped her out of so trance—

She shoved .

Hard.

I barely budged, but the mont was shattered.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped, glaring at as she pushed herself up on the bed.

I grinned despite myself. "A lot of things, actually. Where do you want to start?"

She ignored my sarcasm, her expression shifting. She looked... confused. Almost scared.

Then, Brielle’s expression suddenly hardened as she looked at , like puzzle pieces were clicking into place in her mind. "What happened?"

I hesitated, unsure how much to tell her.

Do I tell her about the demon? About Kalmia and whatever twisted ga she was playing? Do I tell her that she collapsed in my arms, that Zane nearly lost his mind, that Fox casually made a dead body vanish like it was a misplaced sock?

Or do I just keep it simple?

"...You fainted."

Brielle scoffed. "I don’t faint."

I raised a brow. "Then what would you call it?"

She opened her mouth, then paused.

Then scowled.

I grinned. "That’s what I thought."

Brielle muttered sothing under her breath that I was sure wasn’t very nice.

Then, her gaze darted around the room, then back to . "Where’s Griffin?"

I hesitated.

She noticed.

Her face paled.

"Sebastian." Her voice was sharp now, demanding. "Where is Griffin?"

I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. "He’s gone."

She didn’t move.

Didn’t breathe.

Then, without warning—

She bolted.

"Brielle—!"

I barely had ti to react before she shoved past , her bare feet barely making a sound as she sprinted out of the bedroom.

Damn it.

I chased after her, my body moving in a blur.

By the ti I reached the living room, she was already there, her wild eyes scanning the space.

Looking for him.

For Griffin.

But he wasn’t here.

I saw it—the mont realization dawned on her.

Her shoulders slumped, her hands slowly rising to clutch her head.

She looked... scared.

And that? That did sothing awful to my chest.

I took a cautious step forward. "Brielle."

She flinched.

I ignored the sting of that and tried again, softer this ti. "His body was taken. It’s... complicated."

Her breath hitched, and she shook her head rapidly, as if trying to clear it. "No. No."

This was going to hurt.

"He’s gone," I said gently. "So demon... Kalmia killed him."

Her entire body went rigid.

Then, suddenly—

She spun toward , her eyes burning with sothing dangerous.

"You t Kalmia?" she hissed, her hands curling into fists. "Where. Is. She?"

"She’s gone. For now," I said carefully, watching the way her breathing grew heavier, more erratic.

But then her eyes flicked past .

To the door.

Shit.

I knew that look.

She was going to make a break for it.

"Brielle, don’t—"

But I was already too late.

She lunged.

And I did the only thing I could.

I caught her.

She gasped as I wrapped my arms around her from behind, pinning her against before she could make an escape.

"Let go, Sebastian!" she snarled, struggling hard. "I swear to the gods, if you don’t let go right now—"

"No," I said simply.

She froze.

Her breath was ragged, her body vibrating with fury, but she didn’t fight this ti.

I held her firmly, my chin resting lightly against the top of her head. "I know you’re confused," I murmured. "I know you’re scared and panicking right now. But running from wouldn’t solve the problem."

Her fists clenched.

I could feel the heat radiating off of her—rage, grief, panic the need for escape.

But I wasn’t going to let her run away from . Never.

She inhaled shakily. "She killed him."

"I know."

Her body trembled, and I felt my own resolve tighten.

"You do not understand," Brielle whispered, her voice hollow, distant. "This isn’t the end."

Her body trembled against , and for a mont, she seed utterly lost in thought, speaking not to , but to herself.

"This is just the beginning..." she murmured. Her breathing turned shallow, her fingers twitching at her sides. "What happened today was nothing. A taste. A warning. I need to leave this city before she—before she makes do sothing I’ll regret."

Her voice cracked on that last word, and I felt sothing tighten in my chest.

Then, suddenly—she moved.

Like a shadow slipping through cracks, Brielle twisted out of my grasp and made a break for the door again.

Shit. This woman.

I caught her again.

One second she was bolting, the next I had her pinned against my chest again, my arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

She struggled. Harder this ti. But I wasn’t letting go.

"Sebastian. Let go!" she snarled, her voice raw and desperate. "I need to get away from here!"

I tightened my grip. "Not happening."

She turned in my arms, fire blazing in her eyes, but her strength was wavering. She was too weak to fight properly, her body exhausted, barely keeping up with the rage fueling it.

"Sebastian," she hissed. "I an it. Get. Away. From. ."

I scoffed. "Yeah, not gonna happen, sweetheart."

"Stop calling that!" she snapped, but even then, I noticed how she wavered, how she was shaking, how sothing deeper than exhaustion clung to her—fear.

She tried to push again, but I had had enough.

Before she could even blink, I lifted her into my arms.

Bridal style.

She gasped, her fingers gripping the front of my shirt as if her body betrayed her instincts. "What the hell are you—"

"Carrying you," I interrupted, moving swiftly toward the elevator. "Because you clearly have no idea what’s good for you."

"Sebastian, put down!" she growled, thrashing weakly.

I smirked. "Nope."

She squird, but I felt the mont she gave up fighting—when her muscles stopped resisting, when the mate bond between us made her crave my warmth even though she didn’t want to. She was torn between wanting to push away and just letting herself collapse.

Her head rested against my chest for a mont, and my damn dead heart clenched so hard I thought it might beat.

I stepped out into the night, the city lights flickering around us, and carried her straight to my car.

She didn’t fight when I placed her in the passenger seat, didn’t fight when I buckled her in.

She just... stared.

As if she didn’t recognize herself.

As if she couldn’t believe she was letting do this.

I didn’t say a word as I drove through the city, navigating the streets until we reached my ho.

And for the first ti in years... I felt like I was bringing soone back to where they belonged.

***********

Brielle stood in my living room, arms crossed, jaw clenched.

She was still trying to push away.

"I can’t stay here, Sebastian," she said, voice firm but unconvincing. "It’s not safe for you. I’m not safe for you."

I leaned against the kitchen counter, watching her.

"Cool. Noted. You’re still staying."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "You’re so stubborn."

"And you’re exhausted," I countered. "So maybe, just this once, stop fighting ."

She glared at but didn’t argue.

Progress.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "Look, you don’t have to tell anything. Not about Kalmia, not about whatever’s chasing you. Just... let take care of you for one night."

Brielle scoffed. "Take care of ? You? A vampire? Vampires I know would rather drink bleach than deal with soone else’s problems."

I smirked. "I’m still considering the bleach option, but here we are."

She rolled her eyes but didn’t move when I stepped closer.

"Besides," I added, lowering my voice, "you’re my mate. That changes everything."

Her breath hitched.

She turned away sharply, her fingers gripping the hem of her shirt like she needed sothing to ground her.

I saw it, though.

The way she kept stealing glances at . The way her heartbeat spiked when I got close. The way she wanted to push away but couldn’t.

She was fighting this.

Fighting us.

And gods help , I was too whipped to let her.

I walked past her and into the kitchen, opening the fridge.

Brielle blinked, watching warily. "What are you doing?"

"Making you dinner."

She blinked again. "You can cook?"

I smirked. "Shockingly, yes."

Her brow furrowed as I pulled out ingredients.

"Why the hell do you have normal food in your fridge?"

"My best bud, Zane visits sotis. He’s a werewolf like you. Werewolves eat. I prefer my best friend alive, so I keep food around for him."

She stared at like I had just confessed to being a unicorn. "That’s... weirdly thoughtful of you."

I snorted. "Don’t get used to it."

I turned on the stove, moving around the kitchen with ease, feeling Brielle’s gaze on the entire ti.

She sat at the table, arms crossed, expression was full of disbelief.

Then, finally, I placed a plate of food in front of her.

She hesitated.

I raised a brow. "If you think I poisoned it, I’ll eat so first. Even though it would be like eating trash. I can do it for you."

Brielle scowled. "That’s not—" She sighed and picked up her fork. "Fine."

She took a bite.

Then another.

Her expression didn’t change, but I caught the slight widening of her eyes, the way her shoulders relaxed just a little.

I leaned on the counter, smirking. "Good, huh?"

She stabbed her fork into the food. "It’s edible."

I chuckled. "You like it."

"I tolerate it."

"That’s high praise coming from you."

She muttered sothing under her breath, but I caught the way her lips twitched.

When she finished, she pushed the plate away and stood.

I watched her closely, waiting for the mont she’d try to run.

She hesitated.

Then, in a voice softer than I’d ever heard from her, she said, "I need to clean up. I feel sticky."

I gave a short nod. "Bathroom’s down the hall. I’ll get you a towel and clean clothes."

Without another word, she disappeared inside, and the mont the door clicked shut, I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.

Her scent lingered in the air, weaving through the empty spaces of my ho. For years, the only thing I’d breathed in was solitude—cold, suffocating, and laced with the ghost of sothing long dead.

But now?

Now, it slled like her.

And I wanted to drown in it.

But I wasn’t stupid.

Brielle was still planning to run away.

So I waited.

I sat outside the door, listening. The sound of water running, the occasional shuffle of movent. I pictured her in there, washing away whatever haunted her, scrubbing off the weight of whatever had brought her to my doorstep.

And when she was done, I was waiting.

She stepped out of the bathroom, hair damp, skin flushed from the heat. My shirt hung off her fra, swallowing her whole. She looked smaller like this. More fragile.

"Co on," I said, keeping my voice even.

She didn’t argue when I led her down the hall to a room I barely used—the one I kept for Zane whenever he was around. Unlike the rest of the house, this room was untouched by my own existence. No shadows of the past clung to the walls. It was warm, clean, a place that didn’t feel like it belonged to .

I pushed the door open. "Sleep here."

She hesitated again, glancing at like she wanted to say sothing. But in the end, she just stepped inside, curling into the bed as if it had always belonged to her.

I stayed outside, listening.

Waiting.

And when her breathing finally evened out, I moved.

Silent as the night itself, I slipped into the room, standing over her sleeping form.

She looked peaceful. Like she wasn’t carrying the weight of sothing dark and terrible. Like, just for a mont, the storm had passed.

I should have left.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I did sothing I never thought I would.

I laid down beside her.

Not close enough to wake her. Just close enough to feel her warmth. Close enough to exist in the sa space, in the quiet, in the stillness of a mont neither of us had asked for but sohow needed.

I didn’t ask her about Kalmia. I didn’t ask why she called my na in my dreams.

I just let myself be in her orbit.

Because sothing told —

She was doing the sa.

Just for tonight.