"Who are you?" I ask the boy.

"Who are you?" he asks me back with a very confident tone as if he owns this castle. Even when he is lying down with his stomach on the floor under the bed, he exudes so much charisma for a young boy.

His red eyes make him look... weird. I have never heard of anyone having a pair of red eyes. However, his dark hair and his face shape make him look so much like Lyall. Goddess... could it be that...?

My wolf growls again. She doesn't like this boy.

"Are you Lyall's son?" I have to ask.

The boy stares at me unblinkingly. There is something so disturbing about the way he stares at me. Like watching a calm raging storm. But how can a storm be so calm?

He suddenly disappears in a blink of an eye. Just like that, there is nothing under the bed.

Surprised by his disappearance, I drop down and crawl underneath the bed just to make sure yet I find nothing.

Strange.

But then I hear the bed creaking above my head. I quickly crawl out of underneath the bed. And there he is: lying leisurely with his back leaned on the bed frame is the smug little boy.

Magic. It must be. This boy has magic. And it could also be the reason Lyall and I couldn't smell his scent, even though he was hiding under the bed.

He tilts his head as if he is studying me with his big red eyes. His arms are crossed in front of his little body.

Such a bossy pose. My wolf keeps on growling. There's just something about this boy that doesn't seem... right, like something has been misplaced.

And my wolf rarely growls at anyone. So, I keep my guard up. Despite looking like a child, a magic user is not someone we can take lightly, no matter the age.

"What does he see in you?" he mutters.

"What?"

"You're pretty," the boy continues, "But that's it. I bet you have nothing else to offer. No talent. No brain. You're just a pretty flower who happens to have the mate bond with Father–"

He stops right then. But his words have penetrated deep into my chest, raking the mate bond I am currently having with Lyall.

It hurts quite a bit, like an uncomfortable prick to my chest, knowing that Lyall is actually already married. I thought when he said he is around my age, that means he is still single. Because males my age are usually still in their prime years and wouldn't settle down yet. The females, however, sometimes marry as early as fifteen years old because... it's safer to have a mate earlier.

I shrug off the feeling. I remind myself that we just recently discovered the bond, that the love of my life is still Ed, and that lycan king is a job, not a love interest.

But then I remember our kisses... his burning touch on my skin, how he calls me 'werewolf girl,' and how he looks at–

No. Nope. Get those thoughts out of my brain. He and I have an arrangement; a weird one, but an arrangement nonetheless. I am just his... muse? I think that's the right word. The only reason he is keeping me is because I can elicit feelings in his stone heart. And the only reason I want to stay is that he promises me protection.

So... why then did he treat me so preciously...?

No. Look at how he is treating me now! Locking me in his room as if I am his possession... No, I will never fall for this guy even though we have the mate bond. He is too unpredictable for me.

"I knew it," I say, "You are his child." My smile is fake, to cover up the doubts I have in my heart.

"Well, congratulations on figuring that out. It's not like I was hiding it," he hisses. This boy is so snarky... and annoying. Is this really Lyall's child?

"Boy," I point my finger at him. Not caring if he is a lycan prince or Lyall's son, no child will talk me down like that. "You don't talk to anyone like that."

"Why shouldn't I?" The boy sits up, still with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His cheeks bloom red and when he pouts a little, his face looks chubbier. Suddenly, he looks so cute.

"Because, manners, child," I say, and perhaps I do want to give him a jab, "Did your parents never teach you how to be polite and respect anyone?"

But I didn't know that my jab would make the boy look so crestfallen. His fiery eyes dim instantly, becoming a pair of cold embers. Something seems even more wrong now.

Lyall says he is void of emotion for years... I pity the boy but am wary at the same time.

"Where is your mother, Brat?" My wolf wails when I ask about his mother. She doesn't like the idea of finding out about our mate's wife.

"None of your business!" the boy cries out. He is standing on the floor now. His height only reaches my chest, so I am guessing he is eleven or twelve.

What surprises me, however, is his angry look. Both of his fists are curled on his sides, his eyebrows curve in two angry lines, and his nose flares. He is blaming me for something. And I think I know what it is.

Instead of being annoyed, I relax my position. More than ever, I pity this boy. Knowing the thoughts running through my mind, my wolf also starts to feel bad for the boy that she stops growling.

For a moment, I just stare at the boy with a gentle look. I can't stay annoyed with him. At this obviously, angry and hurt child.

"I'm sorry." I mean it. I think compassion goes a long way than pride. It's not necessary for me to put him in his place, I just want him to know that I can understand his anger first.

He freezes with my words. His angry lines subside, and his eyes widen again.

"She's dead," he whispers. Looking down, he bites her lips. "And Father never loves me..."

I am not sure if this boy knows of Lyall's curse. No matter. I don't think it's my place to say anything. It sure makes me sympathize more with Lyall now. Maybe the real reason he wants me to make him fall in love with me is so that he can start loving his child, too.

It's sad to think that someone is unable to give the love they want to give...

"I know how it feels," I say to the boy.

"You know nothing–"

I cut him off right then. "Put away your judgment for a while, boy. I lost my mother at a young age too and my father never loved me because I am a girl."

That shuts him up alright. The boy closes his mouth and looks at me with furrowed brows. "Just because of your gender?" He asks, and I find it weird that out of anything he would ask that. But I shrug it off.

"Yes." I turn to walk to the long table near the window. There is some bread and other finger food that I did not notice until I see them. The smell of delicious delicacy wafts to my nostrils.

Even my wolf is drooling at the sight of the food, followed by a grumbling stomach. I need sustenance. Not eating properly for a few days would be detrimental to my baby. So I sit at the table.

Lyall must have ordered them while we were bathing. I blush when I remember our moments in the bathroom again.

"Have you eaten?" I ask the boy. "Would you care to join me?"

He seems quite shocked that I asked him. But isn't it a normal and friendly thing to do? I nod to the chair across from me for him to sit. "If you have eaten, you can just have some snacks."

My hands are already moving to grab some bread, cheese, and jam. I almost forget the boy's presence if he doesn't pull a chair for him to sit. But he is not eating. His red eyes are only staring at me intently. And I couldn't care less because I am that hungry.

"Did Father starve you?" the boy asks out of the blue.

It takes a few big gulps to clear my mouth and throat before I can say anything. "No."

He stays perfectly silent until I finish eating. Actually, I want to eat more, but I hold back because I know I might get an upset stomach if I eat too much at one time. So, I am taking a break.

While sucking my fingers for the smeared jam and oil, I ask the boy, "What's your name?"

He looks even more shocked that I ask his name. It's strange behavior.

"I don't have one," he whispers, which shocks me. Is he that unloved that Lyall wouldn't give him a name?

"Why?" I ask.

He is avoiding my eyes. Looking at his neat clothes, however, I had assumed he was well taken care of. "Where are you staying, by the way? Do you have someone taking care of you?"

"I have Albus," he answers. "No one wants me here... except Albus. But he is only taking care of me because of his loyalty to my mother."

I don't know what to say to that. It's so sad to see a child being unloved. When I was a child, I would have scolded myself to live with it and get used to not expecting others' love. But then I met Ed. He showed me that everyone deserves to be loved.

Now I want to shower this boy with love.

"Are you replacing my mother?" he asks with a drooping pair of eyes.

"No," I whisper, "I may have a bond with your father. But um... we made an agreement with each other and I am here to fulfill my end."

"Oh, what agreement?" Why does it feel like this boy is gathering information from me?

Somehow, I am reluctant to share that information with the boy. So, instead, I ask him if he wants to play chess. I have spotted this amazing chessboard that Lyall has on his coffee table. He says he doesn't know how but would like to learn.

The rest of the day, in a bizarre turn of events, I teach Lyall's unloved son how to play chess. We play several times, only stopping when maids come to the door, saying that lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner are ready.

I thought it could be an opportunity for me to run... but Goddess damn it, because these maids have magic and they can teleport the food to the table. So, the door stays unlocked.

"Tell Lyall he is an ass!" I cry out to the maids delivering afternoon tea and dinner.

The weird thing is, the boy would hide whenever he hears the maids approaching. And seeing him hiding makes me reluctant to tell the maids that the prince is in my room. I quickly realize that this boy is in my room even though, for whatever reason, he is not supposed to.

"Boy," I call him after advancing my knight on the chessboard. The boy has gotten better at playing chess now. He thinks of his next moves, but he does the thinking really slowly. "Why did you come to my room? Because it seems like you are actually not allowed to visit me."

"I am not allowed to visit you," the boy calmly says. He moves one of his pawns. "Father will kill me if he finds out I am visiting his mate."

"No," the words just spill out of my mouth, "He wouldn't kill his own son just like that. You're exaggerating."

He looks at me straight in the eye. I know then that he is not joking.

"Father never loves me, so why wouldn't he?" I can't believe that the question just flows out of his mouth like it is the most normal thing ever. No child should ever feel this unloved.

"Your move," he reminds me.

But just as I am still processing his words, we hear a familiar set of footsteps. I look at the boy. We both are shocked because we just realize that we forgot about time. It's already the dead of the night and of course... Lyall would be back in his room.

As soon as the clinking sound of the door is heard, the boy disappears in front of me in a blink of an eye. It surprises me a bit. I hope he is okay. It also saddens me because... it is just wrong for a boy to hide from his own father.

Before I can regain my composure, however, the door creaks open and then closes again. That musk scent flies to my nostrils. My wolf whimpers in pleasure at the smell of our mate.

The lycan king just stands there, in front of the door. I can feel his burning eyes on my back because I am sitting against the door.

Both of us seem to turn into stone right at that moment.

–to be continued–