Deviant Kings: Claimed by The Four Lycan Kings

Adeline’s pov~

"Thanks," I murmured, letting a fraction of genuine warmth bleed through my voice. "But honestly... I have to admit, the dessert you served was far sweeter than the main course."

Sierra threw her head back and laughed, holding her chin up with a proud grin.

"Thank you, thank you! I do try my absolute best when it comes to putrid trash," Sierra said, her eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction.

"God, her and that pathetic, staged act! Squeezing out those fake crocodile tears, sniffling like a tragic martyr... fucking disgusting bitch. She actually believed that innocent victim routine was going to buy her a free pass in front of the entire academy!"

Sierra continued, "Did she seriously think anyone with even half a brain was buying that desperate, teary-eyed saint show? She wanted an audience, and you... gave her a slaughter."

Then her excited face suddenly changed. Her steps slowed to a crawl, and the bright light in her eyes faded, replaced by a quiet, deep worry that made her forehead crinkle.

"By the way... wait," Sierra said softly, her voice dropping into a low, serious whisper. "How do you actually know them, Adeline? Did they... did they try to hurt you? Did they try to kill you? I mean, it was completely obvious."

Sierra continued, "The very first question out of their mouths was why you weren’t dead. They looked at you like they truly expected you to be rotting in a grave somewhere. Who are they? What did they do to you?"

In an instant, the painful ghosts of that night rushed back into my mind.

I could almost feel the sharp, tear-your-soul-apart sting of the broken bond all over again.

I remembered the freezing stone floor pressing against my cheek, the metallic taste of my own blood pooling in my mouth, and the cold, terrifying silence as they turned their backs and walked away, leaving me to bleed out in the dark.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat, forcing my face to stay completely still and blank.

"They’re just ghosts from my past I buried a long time ago, Sierra," I muttered, my voice sounding flat. "They thought they finished me off. They were dead wrong. That’s all."

But ghosts don’t stay buried.

Before Sierra could dig any deeper into the wounds I kept hidden, we reached the huge archway of the academy’s central Royal dining hall.

The mouth-watering smell of hot, seasoned meats and freshly baked bread floated out into the corridor, making my empty stomach twist in quiet protest.

Sierra stopped dead in her tracks and smacked her palm against her forehead.

"Wait a second... I almost forgot. You haven’t eaten a single thing today, have you?" she asked, pointing a finger at me. "I’ll go get us something to eat!"

I pulled my hood down a little lower over my forehead, hiding my eyes in the shadows. "Sierra, no. Don’t worry about it. I’m really not hungry."

"Shut up, of course you have to eat," Sierra bossed me around, her eyes shining with stubborn care as she began backing away toward the heavy dining hall doors.

"You just stood your ground against a highborn Alpha and drew blood. You need your energy. Now go to the study hall at the end of the east corridor and sit your butt down. I’m going to grab us a massive plate of good food and come find you. Do not vanish on me, Adeline! And especially don’t ghost me."

Before I could say another word to stop her, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the Royal hall.

I let out a soft, breathy sigh, shaking my head as a tiny flick of real warmth touched my cold, guarded heart.

She noticed that I hate crowded areas.

Noisy, chattering, and muttering.

I hate places like that.

Turning away from the sounds of laughter and clinking cutlery, I walked down the long, deserted hallway toward the study archives.

Golden sunlight filtered through the tall, stained-glass windows, filling the room with bright light naturally.

The corridor was completely empty.

The distant hum of other students slowly faded away until there was nothing left but the quiet, rhythmic thud of my sneakers against the stone floor.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the darkness behind me. They weren’t rushed, and they weren’t trying to be quiet.

They were slow, heavy, and completely calm, steadily eating away the distance between us.

I stopped in my tracks.

My right hand tightened deep inside my hoodie pocket, my fingers wrapping tightly around the cold, familiar steel hilt of my hidden silver blade.

I didn’t turn around to look.

I just stood there in the middle of the dark, shadow-draped hallway, waiting for whatever was coming.

The scent hit me. Lycan. One of them.

A massive shadow stretched across the floor, swallowing my own tiny frame completely as a huge, towering body came to a halt mere inches behind my back.

The heat radiating off his broad chest was overwhelming, brushing against the thin fabric of my hoodie like an open flame.

"I really didn’t expect the girl in the oversized black hoodie to be so savage... and so fiercely dangerous," a deep, dark voice purred softly right above my shoulder.

I turned around on my heel, facing him.

Lord Blake.

He stood there with a lazy, dangerous smirk playing on his handsome face. He crossed his massive arms over his chest, his dark, amused eyes scanning me from my hood down to my sneakers, before locking his eyes onto mine.

"Never knew you carried silver blades tucked inside that big hoodie of yours, pretty girl," he murmured, a slow, teasing smile playing on his lips.

"Well, of course I carry them," I said, my tone sharp and even.

"I need to. After all, I’m the one carrying the largest stack of death threats on this campus. And when a Lycan King wants me six feet under, I’d be a complete idiot not to protect myself."

Without waiting for his reply, I turned on my heel and continued walking.

I heard his heavy, unhurried footsteps instantly fall into stride beside me.

I shifted to the left, taking a subtle step away to put some physical boundary between us, but Blake casually closed the gap without missing a beat.

"You’re talking about Zyran," Blake said, his playful, teasing tone vanishing completely.

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