Traded To The Lycan King

I yank the covers over my head, my knees pulling up as I struggle to keep myself from breaking into tears. Merikh has been the only thing keeping them at bay. He is my strength even when he doesn't try. His very presence brings me a calm, but since he has left me I feel like I have nothing else to think about but what I am missing.

Well, more like who I am missing, both of them.

I didn't have them for long, yet it felt like forever as the memories I once lost or repressed come flooding back with every passing second I live in a world without them.

Merikh's distress breaks through our mate bond, his emotions overwhelming as his worry for Hayes melds with my own. I toss my blanket off, jumping up and grabbing a robe before I fly out of the room.

My knees give out as I stumble into the wall, an arm grabbing my elbow as I am pulled up. I meet a frowning freckled face when I look up and Percy releases me.

"Where are you heading to, Luna?" He asks. "You should be resting."

"Merikh needs me," I tell him and though he looks unpleased, he silently leads the way, looking over his shoulder to indicate that I should follow him.

"I take it he heard Beta Hayes' nightmare and went to check on him?" He asks.

"We both did," I admit, tugging my robe tighter as I recall the way his voice broke through even my most exhausted state of sleep. "Have you seen him?"

"Beta Hayes?" he asks, slowing down so I can walk next to him. My legs feel wobbly with every step. What I need is sleep and a day in the healing waters again. And Merikh.

"Yeah," I say, recalling just how terrible Hayes looked when we checked on him before going to our room. Guilt prickles at my neck. I should want Merikh to be at his brother's side, but the selfish, hurting part of me wants him with me at all times.

Percy exhales, his hand sliding through his red hair as he nods and he makes a worried face.

"His loss is different from ours." He says softly. "He has not only lost his mate, but a part of himself. Those scars will not heal. They will be a constant reminder of how he feels he failed her."

"I know," I admit. "But I have never seen someone alive looking so close to death."

"Losing a mate is incredibly hard to recover from." Percy says, "Or so I am told. All I know is Alpha Merikh is the only person to know both yours and Hayes' pain."

It's like he can see through me. Like Percy knows exactly what thoughts rival in my head as I look at the ground and struggle with my emotions.

need him more," I whisper, my voice betraying me as it cracks. I clear

how you both are doing in a few days'

voice roars through the hallway, startling me as I jump. Percy takes a small step in front of me as if waiting for an attack, but nothing

can do that all I fucking want," Merikh says in a pained tone. His voice is full of sadness. "You aren't in your right

enter the doorway, I witness Hayes, throwing his hands in anger before he turns to the wall and throws his head back in a wrenching scream that pains

into the smooth surface, dust dispersing with

Hayes cries out, pressing his forehead to the

and softer growing sobs able to be

as if they aren't really for Hayes but for himself. A reminder of why he is putting his brother through whatever he is going

already dead." Hayes whispers as he calms down. "How many times must I tell you? I want to be dead. I deserve to be

slide up the wide collar of the robe and I squeeze both sides together tightly. Merikh walks around to the side of the bed nearest Hayes, and he slumps onto the edge,

thinks is best and what his brother wants. Merikh has lost a brother, even though he sits here before us, the

I say, stepping forward, hoping to distract him from his own anger and self hatred. He turns to glance at me, his right eyes red and puffy as he blinks, his other eye bandage over, but I can see

in a dead tone. He glides a glance to his brother. "Would you let me have her for a

shoots up in an

aura. "You are in pain and mourning, so

what?" he asks with a ghost of a smile on his lopsided mouth. His tongue flicks out, wetting his lip, a small wince

Hayes grunts in pain, but he seems to thrive

not the only person who lost someone,"

as he rights himself on

little more gracefully." I tell him with a frown. He glances away, embarrassed, or so I hope. "My

Leandra get tortured to death," he growls, shooting me a

I failed to do what I needed to do to save us all, so my parents stepped in to do it and they died in my

he slowly nods, a tear racing down his smooth cheek. He lets it fall before he looks away and then back up at

won't let me die

his voice breaking. I exhale softly, my head tilting to the side as I move-over to him. "He alpha ordered me not to kill myself

my eyes as I