The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter Chapter 108: Confusing Feelings

Easter~

The night was silent, but my mind wasn’t.

I curled up on the bed Jacob had given , staring at the ceiling, my heart racing for no reason I could explain.

Or maybe I could.

Jacob.

I had only just t him today, and yet, here I was—restless, unsettled, clinging to the thought of him like he was the only solid thing in my life.

It made no sense.

Maybe it was all because of the pregnancy.

I had just escaped from a hellish marriage. My body still rembered the sting and soreness from the bruises left by Ruben’s fists. My heart was still raw from years of betrayal— from learning the hard way that trust was nothing but a pretty lie.

So why—why—did I feel like I needed Jacob?

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the feeling away.

It wasn’t like this with Natalie. When I held onto her earlier, when I begged her to take and Rose with them, it was desperation. A plea for salvation.

But with Jacob, it was different.

There was a pull, a force I didn’t understand, sothing stronger than logic, stronger than fear. Every ti he so much as looked at , my heart stuttered in my chest. His presence filled every corner of the room, like he was sothing more than I could imagine—sothing ancient, sothing undeniable.

And I hated it.

Hated how ridiculous I was being.

I didn’t trust n.

I didn’t trust anyone.

And yet, the idea of Jacob leaving—of him disappearing from my life just as suddenly as he’d entered it—made my stomach twist with panic.

I rolled onto my side, pulling the blanket tighter around , trying to shake off the feeling. But my thoughts kept circling back to what Eagle had said earlier.

Natalie was leaving tomorrow.

Jacob would go with her.

And where does that leave ?

I couldn’t stay here. I had nowhere to go. Every bridge behind had been burnt. And even if I did have a choice, the idea of Jacob walking away, of never seeing him again, felt—

No. I wouldn’t think about that.

I exhaled shakily and sat up. Sleep was impossible. Anxiety had its claws in , deep and unrelenting. I felt trapped in my own skin, overwheld by the storm in my mind.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was out of bed.

I moved quietly, checking on Rose. She was fast asleep, curled up under the blankets, her tiny fingers wrapped around the stuffed bunny Jacob had conjured out of thin air earlier. My heart clenched at the sight of her peaceful face, at how unaware she was of my turmoil.

I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then turned and slipped out of the room.

My bare feet padded soundlessly down the hallway, my heartbeat growing louder with every step. I didn’t know where Jacob’s room was, but I felt it—like sothing inside was pulling toward him.

And when I reached the door, I didn’t hesitate.

I sat down right there in front of it.

Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was pathetic.

But I couldn’t bear the thought of him slipping away in the middle of the night.

I wrapped my arms around my knees, staring at the wooden door in front of . What the hell was I doing? Why was I acting like this?

I didn’t need Jacob. I could survive without him.

Right?

My stomach growled suddenly, breaking the silence.

I winced.

I hated this. Hated the way pregnancy cravings made weak, needy. When I was pregnant with Rose, Ruben had made sure I never asked for anything. The one ti I had, he’d beaten so badly that I had spent days curled up on the floor, too afraid to move.

So I had learned.

I had learned to swallow my cravings, to pretend I wasn’t hungry, to never let myself need anything.

But right now, I wanted sothing.

Chicken. And sothing sweet.

It was stupid, really. But the craving hit hard, wrapping around my ribs like a vice.

I sighed and buried my face in my knees.

I wasn’t going to ask. I wasn’t going to be weak again.

So I sat there in silence, fighting against my own hunger, and trying to ignore the ache in my chest.

And then, the door creaked open.

I sucked in a breath as Jacob’s towering figure filled the doorway. He was shirtless, his muscular fra illuminated by the soft glow of the hallway light. His dark hair was ssy, like he had just woken up, and his sharp brown eyes locked onto mine with an unsurprised expression.

He didn’t speak at first. He just stared down at , his face caught sowhere between irritation and amusent.

Finally, he sighed.

"Why the hell have you been sitting in front of my room for the past hour?"

I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling ridiculous.

"I—" My voice ca out weaker than I wanted it to. I cleared my throat, straightening my back. "I couldn’t sleep."

Jacob arched a brow. "And sitting on the floor outside my door is sohow the solution to that?"

I scowled, heat rushing to my cheeks. "I don’t know, okay? I just—" I hesitated, looking away. "I don’t want to be like this either."

His expression shifted slightly, sothing flickering in his sharp brown eyes, studying as if he could see straight through . Then, he sighed, "Are you hungry?"

The question startled . Yes, I was hungry, but that wasn’t why I was sitting outside his door like so abandoned puppy. Before I could even find the words to respond, Jacob sighed again—this ti with sothing that sounded suspiciously like exasperation—before he bent down and scooped into his arms.

I barely had ti to gasp before I was lifted off the floor, cradled effortlessly against his warm, bare chest. My breath hitched.

"What—what are you doing?" I stamred, my heart pounding.

Jacob glanced down at . "Taking you to get so food into your system."

I blinked up at him, completely dumbfounded. He carried as if I weighed nothing, his arms steady, his scent a mix of earth and sothing faintly wild—like the wind before a storm. My face burned with embarrassnt, but a traitorous part of curled closer to him, reveling in his warmth.

He carried effortlessly down the hall and into a spacious dining room, where he set gently on a chair. His hands lingered for half a second longer than necessary before he straightened, his deep brown eyes never leaving mine.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked.

I hesitated, swallowing hard. The craving was still there, clawing at , but the thought of saying it out loud made nervous. Years of conditioning had taught to never ask for anything. I clenched my hands in my lap, my gaze dropping to the polished wood of the table.

"I’m fine," I whispered.

Jacob’s lips pressed into a thin line. "Easter."

There was sothing in the way he said my na—firm, steady—that made glance up. His expression softened, but his voice remained steady. "You can tell anything."

I studied him for a long mont, searching for any trace of mockery, any sign that he was testing . But there was none. Only patience.

I took a breath. "Chicken." My voice ca out small, hesitant. "With ketchup." My cheeks ward. "And vanilla ice cream."

Jacob didn’t laugh. He didn’t sneer or scoff.

Instead, he simply snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the scent of freshly cooked chicken filled the air. My eyes widened as a plate of golden, crispy chicken appeared in front of , perfectly arranged with a generous side of ketchup. Beside it, a bowl of creamy vanilla ice cream sat, a single spoon resting on its edge.

I gawked at the food, then at Jacob. "How did you—"

"It’s safe," he interrupted, as if reading my mind. He pulled out a chair and sat across from , watching with quiet amusent. "Eat."

I hesitated, my stomach warring with my mind. This was magic. Real magic. I knew Jacob wasn’t human, but this was sothing else entirely.

Still, the hunger won.

I reached for the chicken cautiously, half-expecting it to disappear the mont I touched it. When it didn’t, I took a tentative bite—and nearly moaned. It was delicious. Perfectly seasoned, hot, crispy—exactly what I had been craving.

Jacob didn’t say anything as I ate. He just sat there, watching , his expression impassive.

After a while, I slowed down, licking ketchup from my fingertips before sneaking a glance at him.

"Are you going to leave tomorrow?" I asked quietly, not looking at him. "With Natalie?"

There was a long silence. Then, Jacob sighed. "Do you want to go with ?"

I froze, my head snapping up. His eyes held mine, steady and calm, but I could see the weight behind them.

"I—" I faltered, unsure how to answer.

Jacob smirked, tilting his head. "Of course you want to go with ."

I scowled, but my pulse betrayed , hamring wildly in my chest.

Jacob leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his gaze steady. "I’m not irresponsible, Easter," he said, his voice quieter now, more asured. "I wasn’t planning on sneaking out in the middle of the night," he muttered.

Heat crawled up my neck. That was exactly what I’d thought. I bit my lip, unsure if I should admit it. "You were planning to leave, though. Tomorrow."

Jacob exhaled through his nose, running a hand through his already-ssy hair. "Yeah. But I haven’t decided yet."

My chest tightened. He hasn’t decided.

Which ant he could still leave.

Which ant I was still standing on shaky ground.

I lowered my gaze, staring at the empty chicken carton in front of . My fingers curled around the fork, gripping it like an anchor. I just... I wanted to say don’t go. I wanted to say I feel safer when you’re here. I wanted to say I don’t understand why I feel like this, and it’s ssing with my head.

But I said none of that.

Instead—my stomach growled. Loudly.

Heat flooded my face as Jacob’s lips twitched, his amusent barely contained.

"You’re still hungry," he said, his tone sowhere between teasing and knowing.

"No," I lied imdiately.

Jacob’s dark eyes sharpened, like he could see straight through . In one smooth motion, he reached forward, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face.

"You’re a terrible liar," he murmured.

I sucked in a breath.

His voice. His touch. His scent—clean and wild, like earth after rain—wrapped around , making it impossible to think straight. My pulse thrumd in my ears, and suddenly, the space between us felt impossibly small.

I looked away, forcing my voice to remain steady. "It’s nothing. I’m fine." I just didn’t want him to think I was being a glutton or greedy.

Jacob didn’t move. "What are you craving this ti?"

I shook my head. "It doesn’t matter."

"Easter," he said, softer now, but firm. "Tell ."

I pressed my lips together. I wanted to say I don’t need anything else. I wanted to say I’m used to swallowing my cravings, my needs.

But the words slipped out before I could stop them.

"More chicken," I whispered. "And this ti, chocolate ice cream."

Jacob let a small smile graze his lips.

Then, just like before, he snapped his fingers.

The scent of warm, crispy chicken filled the air, and beside it—a bowl of chocolate ice cream, perfectly lting around the edges.

I stared at the food, my stomach twisted, not with hunger this ti, but with sothing else—wonder, hope.

Jacob leaned back, watching with that expression I couldn’t decipher.

"Easter," he said again.

I turned, expecting a teasing remark.

Instead, he t my gaze, his voice steady.

"If I accept soone as my responsibility, I protect them. To the end."

My throat tightened. No one had ever said that to before. No one had ever looked at like I was worth protecting.

Jacob continued, his gaze never wavering. "I’m not about to bring you and Rose here just to abandon you. If I leave tomorrow, you’re coming with ."

I swallowed hard. "You an it?"

Jacob exhaled, shaking his head slightly. "I don’t say things I don’t an."

For a long mont, I just stared at him. Then, finally, I nodded.

Jacob sat back, satisfied. "Good. But next ti you want to ask sothing, don’t just sit outside my door like a lost kitten. Knock. I’ll open."

Heat crawled up my neck. "I wasn’t—"

He arched a brow.

I groaned, hiding my face in my hands. "Fine."

He chuckled, the sound deep and warm.

We sat in comfortable silence after that, and I slowly finished my food. Jacob stayed with the entire ti, never rushing , never looking away.

When I was done, he stood and extended a hand. "Co on. Ti to get you back to bed."

I hesitated, but then I took it. His grip was strong, steady. Warm.

He walked back to my room, stopping just outside the door. Rose was still asleep inside, her tiny form curled under the blankets.

Jacob glanced at . "Get so rest."

I nodded. But as I turned to go inside, I hesitated.

I didn’t understand what I felt for Jacob. But I knew one thing.

I didn’t want to leave his side. Not yet.