The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter Chapter 37: Keeping Secrets

Natalie~

"Who the hell are you?" Marcus hissed, his voice edged with both fury and caution. His dark eyes were fixed on Jacob, no longer dismissive but filled with a new, wary curiosity.

Jacob, standing with an air of effortless confidence, simply tilted his head and smirked. "That’s none of your business," he said smoothly. "Now take your n and get the hell out of here before things get ugly."

Marcus let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "You don’t scare , pretty boy," he sneered, rolling his shoulders as if preparing for a fight. "You think a little parlor trick is enough to make run?" He turned to his n. "Take him down."

Another one of the brutes lunged.

But Jacob didn’t move.

He didn’t need to.

The mont the man’s hand reached for him, Jacob raised a single finger and touched the attacker’s arm.

The effect was instant.

A gut-wrenching scream tore through the air as the man’s body trembled violently. His flesh cracked like dried earth under a rciless sun, crumbling into dust before my very eyes. One mont he was there—solid, breathing, alive. The next, he was a pile of fine sand on the ground.

Gasps filled the space around us—mine included. My heart lurched as I stared at Jacob, my mind barely processing what I had just witnessed.

Who the hell was he?

The remaining n staggered back, their bravado vanishing like smoke in the wind. Even Marcus, who monts ago exuded nothing but arrogance, took an instinctive step away from Jacob.

"You..." Marcus swallowed, his bravado cracking. "You’re not normal."

Jacob flicked so imaginary dust off his shirt, his expression calm, almost amused. "And yet you keep coming at like a bunch of idiots," he mused. "You’re either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. I’m betting on the latter."

Marcus clenched his fists, his entire body trembling with rage. But before he could issue another command, a blur of movent appeared behind one of his n.

Roland.

Silent as a shadow, he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck from behind and squeezed. The man’s eyes bulged as he clawed at Roland’s arms, gasping for air.

That was when everyone finally noticed him.

Marcus’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You’ve got to be kidding ," he muttered.

Roland’s grip tightened. "Tell them to back off, Marcus," he growled, his voice low and nacing. "Unless you want another one of your n on the ground."

Marcus’s jaw tightened, his mind undoubtedly calculating his options. He had co here expecting an easy victory. Instead, he had lost two n in the blink of an eye and was now outnumbered.

With a glare full of venom, he finally barked, "Retreat!"

The remaining n didn’t hesitate. They turned on their heels and sprinted away, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.

Marcus lingered, his gaze locking onto mine with pure hatred. "This isn’t over, Natalie," he spat. "Alpha Darius will make sure you regret ever crossing him."

The mont those words left his mouth, Roland surged forward with a snarl. Marcus didn’t wait—he bolted after his n, vanishing into the shadows of the trees as well.

A heavy silence followed.

Roland exhaled sharply and turned to Jacob and . "Get in the car," he ordered. His face was set in stone, his body tense with barely restrained anger. For the past few months I have gotten to know him, I knew him well enough to recognize that he was deep in thought, processing the situation and weighing the consequences.

I swallowed hard, knowing that this was just the beginning of sothing far worse.

The drive back to Zane’s estate was suffocatingly quiet. Roland’s grip on the wheel was tight, his knuckles turning white as he navigated the road with the precision of a man lost in thought. Jacob, on the other hand, was unnervingly relaxed, humming under his breath like he hadn’t just turned a fully grown werewolf man into a pile of fine sand monts ago.

I, however, couldn’t stop shaking.

Not just from fear—but from disbelief.

Who was Jacob? How did he do what he did? And more importantly... why did he risk getting into a fight that wasn’t his, to save ?

I clenched my hands in my lap, my mind spiraling with too many unanswered questions.

As we neared the estate, I saw Zane standing outside. It was clear that Roland had already told him, probably through their mind link. I sighed defeated. I couldn’t believe my problems were now affecting everyone around when I was just starting to enjoy life a little bit.

The mont Roland pulled to a stop, Zane was at my door in an instant. His hands reached for , his movents frantic as he checked over for injuries. His usually icy outward behavior was gone, replaced by sothing that looked strangely like... fear.

"Did they hurt you?" he demanded, his voice tight. His blue eyes, normally cold and unreachable, were burning with barely contained emotion.

"I—I’m fine," I stamred.

But before I could say more, Zane pulled into his arms.

The breath left my lungs.

He held so tightly against his chest that I could feel the frantic beat of his heart. His grip was desperate, as though he had feared the worst and was only now allowing himself to believe I was safe.

"Thank the goddess," he murmured, his voice filled with relief.

I was so stunned that I stiffened, my entire body locking up. Zane was hugging ? The sa man who kept his emotions locked away, who never let anyone close—was now holding onto like he never wanted to let go.

It was overwhelming.

When he finally pulled back, he cupped my face, his fingers lingering as if reassuring himself that I was real. "Co inside," he said, his voice softer now.

I barely had ti to process everything before he took my hand in his and led into the house. Jacob and Roland followed close behind.

Zane guided to the couch and disappeared for a mont, returning with a glass of water. "Drink," he ordered gently.

I obeyed, my throat dry.

Once I finished, Zane’s gaze sharpened as he looked at . His voice was steady but firm. "Tell everything. Don’t leave anything out."

I swallowed hard and gave a small nod. "Jacob and I were lying on the grass, waiting for Roland to co back with ice cream," I began, my fingers curling into the hem of my shirt. "Then... six of Alpha Darius’s n ca out of the bushes and surrounded us. And then—" I was about to tell him what Jacob did to save when a voice, smooth and familiar, slipped effortlessly into my mind.

"Don’t tell him what I did."

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

"I promise when the ti is right, I’ll explain everything. But for now... let this be a secret between us."

My heart slamd against my ribs.

What the hell?

I darted a glance at Jacob, who looked completely relaxed as if he hadn’t just spoken directly into my mind like it was the most normal thing that usually happened between us.

How was he doing this? Why was he doing this?

Zane’s eyes narrowed. "Natalie?"

I forced myself to keep my expression neutral. "Jacob tried his best to block them from getting to ," I said carefully. "And then, thankfully, Roland ca back and fought them off."

Zane’s gaze flickered to Jacob, sothing unreadable passing through his eyes before he gave a small nod. "Thank you." His voice was quieter now, more sincere. "For standing your ground. I bet you were just as scared as Natalie." If this was a different situation, I would have bursted out laughing.

Jacob smirked. "Not a problem. I live for dramatic entrances."

Zane exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Were you hurt?"

Jacob placed a hand over his heart, mock-wounded. "Only my feelings."

Zane rolled his eyes, but the tension in his shoulders eased a fraction. Then, before I could react, he turned to and pulled into another hug.

This ti, I didn’t stiffen.

I let myself sink into his warmth, the steady rise and fall of his chest, the way his arms felt so certain around . My heart thundered against my ribs.

"I swear to you," he murmured against my hair, his voice rough, "this will never happen again."

I barely breathed.

He sounded... shaken. Vulnerable. As if sothing about today had rattled him.

I didn’t know what to say.

So I just hugged him back.

"Thank you," I whispered.

After a mont, he pulled away, his expression hardening. That cold, calculated look slid back into place like armor.

"Excuse ," he said, turning to Roland. His voice was sharp now, all business. "Co with to my office. Now."

Roland nodded without a word and followed him, his jaw set.

The doors closed behind them with a quiet click.

I let out a shaky breath.

Sothing told this was just the beginning.