The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter

Chapter 282: Wolf Spirit’s Lament

Jacob~

I gripped the steering wheel so tightly, it creaked beneath my fingers. Not that it mattered – this car was just an object, like everything else in this mortal world. Alexander’s energy pulsed like a frantic beacon somewhere beyond the veil, vibrating along the invisible threads connecting us. My entire being and powers trembled with rage and urgency.

The cold bite of winter air drifted in through the half-open window, carrying scents of leather and pine. But none of it mattered. All I could think about was Natalie. My little sister. My little moon. My everything.

"Hold on, Alex," I growled low in my chest, my voice echoing with power beyond human understanding. "Uncle Jacob’s coming."

Silver mist rippled from my skin, curling around the car interior like sentient fog, humming with ancient energy. The dashboard lights flickered under its glow. Closing my eyes, I let my senses reach beyond this realm, piercing through the walls of reality itself. The threads of existence stretched out before me, each vibrating with its own rhythm... until I felt it. noveldrama

There.

Kalmia’s realm pulsed in the distance like a dying star. Without hesitation, I infused my car with my essence, merging it into my power. Reality bent and twisted, silver light enveloping me and the vehicle as I teleported.

In an instant, I landed.

The car’s tires screeched against black stone slick with blood, the metallic scent sharp in the choking, sulfur-tainted air. Heat slammed into me, not with pain – for I do not feel physical hurt – but with a suffocating heaviness that pressed down on my immortal mind. My boots touched the realm’s ground as I stepped out, feeling its ancient, corrupted energy vibrating beneath me.

The shadows whispered in shrill, trembling voices, slithering along the edges of my vision. Molten stone dripped in the distance, its echo rolling across the cavernous darkness.

I had arrived.

And nothing – not gods, spirits, or realms themselves – would keep me from saving Alexander and Natalie.

I quickly got down form my car. But before I could take another breath, I froze.

Because there she was.

Natalie.

Bathed in searing moonlight, her red beautiful hair had turned white, whipping around her like a living flame, her skin glowing so bright it hurt my eyes. And crumpled at her feet was Kalmia, the demon bitch herself, bleeding from her mouth and clutching her ribs with trembling fingers. The cavern walls shook with every ragged sob that tore from her throat.

And there was Alexander... safe in Natalie’s arms, his small cheek pressed against her chest as he slept, completely unaware of the nightmare swirling around him.

For a moment, all I could do was stare. My chest burned like someone had taken a brand to my heart and pressed down hard. Because as relief poured through me, so did something far darker, far more painful.

She didn’t need me.

Again.

I came here ready to burn this entire realm to ashes for her. Ready to tear through every twisted demon that dared stand in my way, just to bring back what was stolen from her. I was brimming with rage, power thrumming through my veins like wildfire, already planning exactly how I’d carve Kalmia apart piece by piece.

But Natalie... my fierce, unstoppable little sister... she didn’t need saving.

There she was, standing over Kalmia’s broken body like a radiant queen, not a single scratch marring her glowing skin. She’d beaten that ancient creature half to death all on her own and had Alexander cradled protectively at her side, her chin raised with that unbreakable fire in her eyes.

I swallowed the bitterness coating my tongue and forced myself to smile as her eyes widened in shock.

"Jacob?" she whispered, her voice cracking with relief. "You’re here?"

"Always," I managed to say, my voice sounding steadier than I felt.

She looked at me, her eyes shimmering with love, gratitude, pride. It should have made me feel better. But instead... it hollowed something out inside me.

I turned my gaze to Kalmia, who was still gasping like a dying fish. Her crimson eyes locked on mine, widening with terror as I stepped forward. My powers surged under my skin, snarling with a hunger I hadn’t felt in centuries.

"Jacob..." Natalie’s voice came soft, warning. She knew exactly what I was about to do.

I crouched in front of Kalmia, grabbing her chin with icy fingers. Her skin was slick with blood and tears, and her sharp demon scent coiled around my nose like poison ivy.

"You’ve lived too long," I growled, my voice dropping into that deep, ancient rumble that made even the strongest alphas whimper. "It’s time you paid for every life you’ve ever stolen."

Kalmia whimpered, her lips trembling as she tried to pull away from my grip.

But Natalie stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. Even with her touch as light as a falling feather, I felt the power thrumming in her veins. Jasmine, was practically singing with righteous fury.

"Not here," Natalie said softly.

I turned to look at her, frowning. "Why?"

"Because," she said, her eyes flickering with a dangerous glow, "I want the entire kingdom to watch her die. I want Sebastian. Cassandra. Zane. Her accomplice, Nathan. Everyone who’s ever thought they could touch what belongs to me or my family. Kalmia’s death will be a lesson."

Her words sent chills through me, even though my insides purred with savage approval. I let go of Kalmia’s chin and rose to my feet, towering over Natalie as her glow dimmed enough for me to see her flushed cheeks and trembling lips.

"You’ve grown strong," I whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "I had to, Jacob. For Alex. For everyone."

For a split second, my heart clenched so tight I thought it might splinter apart. Because as proud as I was of her... I also felt something else.

Useless.

Unwanted.

She didn’t say so. She never would. But it was there, in the way she carried herself now. Confident. Unbreakable. She didn’t need her big brother to protect her anymore.

I forced myself to look away from her luminous eyes, focusing on the task at hand. My chest felt like it was caving in, but I pushed it down, burying it beneath centuries of discipline.

I raised my hands, whispering the ancient incantation under my breath. Silvery mist coiled from my fingertips, weaving through the sulfurous air, thickening until a cage of glowing rune-carved bars materialized around Kalmia. She screamed and scrambled back, but the cage shrank until she was forced to crouch on her knees, trembling like a feral rat.

Natalie nodded at me, eyes gleaming. "Thank you, Jacob."

"Anything for you," I said, my voice breaking just slightly at the end.

She didn’t notice. Or maybe she did, but she was too focused on the task ahead to care. And why should she care? I was just Jacob. Mist. The Wolf Spirit. The man who’d been there to protect her when she was small and fragile.

But now... she wasn’t small. Or fragile.

She was a queen.

I clenched my jaw as guilt roared through me like wildfire. Easter’s face flashed in my mind—those wide, emerald eyes brimming with confusion as I’d left her lying on the couch earlier.

I left.

Left her there, trembling and confused and sad, watching me with those broken eyes as I vanished without a word of explanation.

And now, standing here in this hellscape, watching my sister cradle Alexander like the warrior queen she’d become... I felt like the biggest idiot alive.

Because she hadn’t needed me. Not really.

She was handling her problems just fine without her ancient brother swooping in to save the day.

I forced myself to straighten, letting the magic hum through my veins as I lifted the cage effortlessly with a flick of my wrist. Kalmia screamed, clutching the bars as they seared her skin with glowing runes, her cries echoing through the cavern like distant thunder.

Natalie gave me a small smile, her eyes softening as she reached up to press her free hand to my cheek.

"Let’s go home," she whispered.

I swallowed hard, nodding stiffly. "Yeah."

And with that, I let the mist rise around us, curling through the shadows, thick and silver and alive. The cavern walls dissolved into smoke and fire, replaced with moonlight and cold marble floors as we reappeared in the palace courtyard. The sudden shift in temperature made Natalie shiver, but she tightened her grip on Alexander, pressing her lips to his forehead.

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. Because the only thing echoing in my mind was Easter’s broken voice from earlier:

"Jacob... please wait!"

But I had gone. Because I thought my sister needed me.

Now... I wasn’t sure anyone did.

So I stood there, silent and empty, as Natalie turned to face the gathering crowd with Kalmia writhing in her glowing cage.

I was Mist. The Wolf Spirit. Father of all werewolves.

But at that moment, all I felt like was a man who’d lost his place in the world.

And it hurt.

Gosh, it hurt.