Deviant Kings: Claimed by The Four Lycan Kings

Adeline’s pov~

Blake’s smile didn’t fade; it widened, turning into a sharp, mocking grin.

"And even you don’t have anything to do with her anymore, Lord Protector," Blake said smoothly, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, triumphant light.

Raven’s brows knit together in a subtle, dangerous confusion. I stood there frozen between them, my mind spinning into complete, bewildered chaos.

What does Blake mean by that? What does he mean by ’anymore’?

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Blake?" Raven asked, his gravelly voice dropping into a lethal, deadpan whine.

Blake’s gaze flicked away from Raven, dropping down to me for a fraction of a second, scanning my face, my unblemished lip, and the smooth line of my throat, before snapping right back to Raven.

"It means that from here on out, you don’t have a personal reason to hover over her," Blake said, his tone dripping with mock sympathy. "You just have to protect her for one single, professional reason... and that’s because your grandmother, the Dowager Luna, commanded you to look after the little scentless defect."

A cold, heavy rock dropped straight into the pit of my stomach.

My breath caught in my throat. I stared at the side of Raven’s face, my mind racing as Blake’s words echoed inside my head like a cruel, deafening bell.

One single reason to protect me from now on? Isn’t that the only reason to protect me from the beginning? The Dowager Luna. Personal reason to protect me? What does that even mean? He had some other motives to protect me? Did he have some other reasons? What can he possibly have any?

"What do you mean, Blake?" Raven asked again, but his voice was no longer just angry. It had turned rough, lethal, and dead serious.

His grip on my wrist tightened violently, not enough to snap bone, but enough to crush the soft tissue against his iron palm.

Blake smiled, leaning forward slightly as if delivering a long-awaited punchline. He looked directly at Raven, his eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction.

"She didn’t throw up your blood," Blake revealed, his voice dangerously light. "Her body accepted your blood. And look at her, Raven—she’s completely healed. Her bruises are gone. Her body accepted your royal crimson."

The moment those words left Blake’s mouth, something inside Raven visibly shattered.

An explosive wave of volatile, raw Lycan energy erupted from Raven. His chest heaved in a sharp, ragged breath, his jaw locking so hard his teeth clicked together.

A sudden, terrifying flare of pure, unadulterated fury flashed across his dark eyes, not at Blake, but at the absolute, impossible reality of what Blake had just said.

His fingers squeezed my wrist with an intense, involuntary, reflexive pressure, crushing my skin under the sudden spike of his emotional turmoil.

"Ow! Raven, it hurts!" I hissed, a sharp tear of pain burning the corner of my eye as I tried to wrench my hand back. "Let go!"

The sound of my voice seemed to snap him out of his violent trance.

Raven turned his head toward me abruptly. The feral, pitch-black vacuum in his eyes softened in an instant, his furious expression relaxing into a look of sudden, raw alarm.

He immediately loosened his lethal grip, easing the pressure until his long, calloused fingers were merely resting gently against my skin, but he didn’t pull his hand away. He refused to let me go.

Raven didn’t look back at Blake right away.

His dark, pitch-black eyes stayed locked onto my face, scanning my completely healed cheekbone and smooth lip, as if searching for proof of the impossible.

I stood there, my mind spinning into complete, bewildered chaos. What the hell is going on? Why are they acting like my body accepting his blood changes everything?

Finally, Raven lifted his head, turning his gaze back to Blake.

"I don’t give a fuck about that, Blake," Raven said, his gravelly voice dropping into a dark, low rumble that vibrated through the stone floorboards.

"If you think that’s the only reason for me to protect her from now on, you’re dead wrong. I can create my own reasons as well. New ones."

A slow, razor-sharp smirk tugged at the corner of Raven’s lips.

In an instant, the mocking, insufferable smile vanished from Blake’s face. He froze, his broad shoulders tensing as he stared at Raven in utter disbelief.

"You’re not serious, are you?" Blake asked, his voice dropping all trace of its earlier playfulness, turning dead serious.

"Do I look like I’m kidding?" Raven countered, stepping closer to me, his shadow completely devouring mine. "I am goddamn dead serious, Blake. I will create reasons by myself."

Before Blake could utter another word, Raven’s calloused fingers tightened around my wrist, and he yanked me forward, pulling me along as he strode away toward the main courtyard exit.

My head reeled as my sneakers dragged against the stone. What are they talking about? I knew Raven had been keeping an eye on me because the Dowager Luna had asked him to look after a scentless defect. But what other reasons could there possibly be? Create new reasons? What the hell does that even mean?!

"Let go!" I snapped, using every ounce of my newly restored strength to pull my hand forcefully out of his grip.

Raven stopped in his tracks, turning his head to look down at me with an unreadable, pitch-black gaze.

"What is your problem, Raven?!" I yelled, my voice cracking with pure exhaustion and frustration.

"Let’s go get you some food," Raven replied, his tone unnervingly calm, completely ignoring my outburst. He tilted his head, his sharp jaw flexing. "And by the way... stay away from Blake, Keiran, and Zyran."

A bitter, humourless scoff broke from my throat as I glared straight into his dark eyes.

"Include your name on that list too!" I spat, my chest heaving as I crossed my arms defensively over my chest. "I don’t want your pity, I don’t want your blood, and I damn sure don’t want your protection anymore, Raven!"

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