The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation romance Capítulo 30

VALERIA

After making the boldest agreement of my life, Aldric left and asked the innkeeper to prepare a hot bath.

I appreciated the gesture and sank into the soothing water up to my neck, alone in the room, sighing in relief.

I didn’t want to think about anything, but as I raised the hand where I had been burned by that strange stone, I realized it was almost fully healed. I touched my neck too—no pain.

All my wounds and bruises were healing fast, faster than ever before, except for the most serious and old scars.

It was the power of the Lycan, I knew it well.

I also remembered all the strange things I had experienced. My memories of the specter attack were hazy, but one thing was certain—I faced it, and I even think it feared me.

What am I, really?

No one can ever know about this. Absolutely no one.

Everyone connected with those creatures and vampires is executed without question.

That order had been given by none other than the King himself. And I am right by his side.

Aldric can never discover my oddities.

I rose from the bathtub and grabbed the towel from the screen along with my clothes, ready to change.

The moment I stepped out, drying my hair, there was a sudden knock at the door. I answered confidently, thinking it was the innkeeper coming to empty the tub.

I froze when I saw Guardian Quinn standing there.

“Y-Your Excellency? What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised, then realized my rudeness.

“Why? Am I interrupting something between you and the King?” he asked bluntly, stepping inside without waiting for an apology, his sharp gaze immediately scanning the bed and my clothes.

I felt judged.

His tone was cold, nothing like the sunny Lycan he usually was.

“Of course not, Your Majesty has gone out,” I replied respectfully, lowering my gaze but matching his coldness.

After a few tense seconds, he sighed.

“I apologize, Valeria. I'm frustrated by other matters and took it out on you. I’m here because the King called me,” he explained, and I nodded without holding a grudge.

“His Majesty is likely handling pack business. You can find him at the Alpha's house,” I informed him.

“No, I'm more interested in the Goddess’s Altar he mentioned in his message. I want to inspect it. Would you take me there?”

I saw no reason to refuse. Honestly, I wanted to see it again too.

A few minutes later, I came down the stairs, meeting him in the inn’s reception area.

“If my roommate returns, please tell him I went to the old temple,” I instructed the innkeeper, who nodded.

Quinn and I walked through the pack’s streets toward the forest.

“You share a room with the King? Why sleep so uncomfortably?” he asked along the way, so I explained the issue with the limited rooms.

He fell silent and didn’t press further, which I appreciated.

When we finally reached the ancient temple, Quinn immediately approached the stone, inspecting the carvings closely.

I climbed the worn steps as well, standing nearby, listening to him mutter.

“Can you read it?” I asked, surprised.

This entire tragedy had unfolded because no one seemed capable of deciphering the writing.

“More or less. It's an ancient language, lost to time. Only fragments remain, and I've studied them out of fascination. That’s why His Majesty called me,” he explained, and the doubts in my mind grew.

Then how on earth can I understand it all?

I watched him scribble notes in a small notebook, clearly misunderstanding many parts.

He had no clue what he was reading.

“I swear, I have no connection to the Vampire Kingdom! I… I just understand what’s written here.”

It was the truth. But I was still trembling, gnawing on my lower lip, ready to bolt.

“Calm down, Valeria. Breathe,” he finally released me.

“Don’t be scared. I won’t expose you. Your secret is safe with me—but you must keep this from the King. He hates the Dark Kingdom more than anyone.”

“Why would you keep a secret that could be considered treason? You're a Guardian…” I stepped back, still unsure.

“Because I like you, Valeria. I’ve liked you from the start. I have no intention of harming you. If you keep quiet, no one will ever hear about this from me.

“Besides… it’s good to have someone who shares my passion for this language and can help me decipher it.”

I nodded slowly, watching him closely.

I wasn’t sure if he was being truthful—but I had already put the noose around my neck.

“Thank you, Guardian Quinn,” I whispered, genuinely grateful.

He didn’t seem like a bad man. But I’ve been wrong before.

“If you're truly grateful, help me figure this out. It's incredibly complex. This altar seems to be from when the kingdoms were still united,” he requested.

And since I was already in this mess… I had no choice but to dive in.

I knelt beside him and began helping him decode the stone's tale.

“Why does the King hate them so much?” I finally blurted out.

Quinn hesitated.

“Because… vampires slaughtered his newborn pups in their cradle. He walked in on them. In his rage, he lost control of his Lycan form, slaughtering the vampires—but someone else also entered the room during his frenzy"

“His mate. The mother of his children. And she died… under his claws.”