The Lycan King's Secret Daughter novel Chapter 7 read online

The palace doors opened with a low groan of ancient hinges, revealing a long hall bathed in golden light and lined with soldiers in black and silver armor. I stepped onto polished marble that gleamed like ice, my boots echoing in the vast silence.

I saw a man, tall, broad and regal, waiting at the end. His hair was the color of deep iron and a crown of woven metal and bone resting atop his head.

His presence hit like thunder and silence all at once. And when his eyes met mine—stormy gray and impossibly familiar—I couldn’t move.

Not out of fear.

But recognition.

“Come,” he said, his voice low but commanding.

I didn’t remember deciding to walk. My legs just carried me, drawn by something in my chest I couldn’t name. When I stood before him, he studied me, not like a king sizing up a stranger, but like a father trying to memorize his daughter’s face after years apart.

“I dreamed of this day,” he said, his voice thick. “Even when they told me you were better off hidden. Even when I doubted whether the prophecy was worth the price.”

“Are you—” My throat tightened. “Are you really my father?”

He exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for decades. “Yes, Syrla. I am King Maelric. And you are my daughter.”

I didn’t fall apart. Not right then. Instead, I stood still, locked in a moment that didn’t feel real.

“Why was I sent away?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“The prophecy,” he said, stepping down from the dais. “When you were born, the seers saw a future that terrified the Council. A girl of royal blood who would not just unite the fractured packs—but rule them. Not beside a king, but as one.”

“That’s… a lot,” I managed.

He smiled faintly. “It terrified them enough to make your life disappear. But I couldn’t bring myself to kill the vision. So I hid you. Swore to find you when the time was right.”

“And now it is?”

Maelric reached out, slowly, like he feared I’d flinch. His hand cupped my cheek, warm and solid. “Now you’ve survived betrayal. Walked away from a bond that wasn’t worthy of you. And your power is waking.”

I didn’t know what to say. So I said nothing. I just leaned into the touch I didn’t realize I’d longed for.

After a pause, he cleared his throat. “Tonight, we will begin your return. You’ll be introduced to the court at the gathering. Guests are arriving now, newly mated pairs, pack leaders, allies. I want them to see you.”

I blinked. “Tonight?”

“You belong here,” he said, voice leaving no room for doubt. “They’ll see that.”

I nodded, slow and unsure. “All right.”

He turned to a maid waiting nearby. “Take the Princess to the east wing. Prepare her for court. Bathe her, dress her, see that she is presented in full regalia.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the woman said with a bow. She turned to me and offered a gentle smile. “This way, Princess.”