Found by the Lycan King by Natalie Winter

Chapter 16

Zenovia

To say that I was shocked was an understatement. I was a nobody. My pack had disowned me and labeled me a traitor and a

rogue.

I think Callahan believed that as well. So how would a nobody like me ever be strong enough to save him? And why was he dying?

A lot of confusing questions popped in my head, but I did not know which one to ask first. Meanwhile, there was a soft knock on the door and a maid politely bowed to us.

“Miss Drusilla, Miss Zenovia, lunch is ready to be served.”

Drusilla simply grabbed my head and ushered me outside. “We can talk later. Food is more important.”

For once, I could not disagree with her and let her drag me to the dining area. Maybe she was just being overly dramatic with King Callahan's health. He looked perfectly fine to me.

In fact, he had the most ripped physique and looked like he was made of iron and steel. He had single- handedly killed over a dozen rogues. What could possibly kill him?

Thus, I set my worries aside and decided to focus on the food.

The dining area was as big as the alpha residence.

I was beginning to think I would need some sort of vehicle to travel through the mansion. The grandeur of the mansion was visible in every single detail, from the silverware to the chandelier hanging above the table and the butlers and maids who were wearing uniforms and looked more decent than me.

I was still in my pajamas and felt oddly out of place. They all smiled at me as Drusilla dragged me to the table and plopped me on a chair. The chair had velvety soft cushions, and I felt my butt sink in the table as the delicious aroma of food wafted towards me.

I was suddenly ravenous, and as the maids began serving the food, I became increasingly impatient. There was so much food that it would have filled the stomachs of my entire class back in school. Maria stepped forward and explained, “I have prepared a three course meal for the ladies to indulge in. As this is our guest's first meal here, I wanted it to be special. So for entrée, we have fresh oysters on the half shell with mignonette sauce, and a caprese salad, for the main course we have herb roasted whole chicken just as Miss Zenovia asked and for the sides we have creamy mashed potatoes, and a mixed green salad.”

I only blinked at her.

What the hell was a mignonette sauce or a caprese salad?

I had no idea, but it was not as if I cared. They served us the food, and I gorged on it as if I had never tasted food before.

The meat was so tender that it melted on my tongue the moment I put it in my mouth. My mouth watered at all the food. displayed in front of me and I greedily took a bite of everything offered.

When I could not eat anymore because I had stuffed my mouth to the brim, I looked at Drusilla.

“Is the Lycan King not going to have lunch? It is already quite late”

She delicately carved a piece of chicken and put the fork in her mouth and replied, “No, he told me he had some meetings to attend. Apparently, after the rogue attack, everybody is quite shaken, so Matt thinks it is a good idea to throw some kind of party to liven up the atmosphere.

I listened intently to her as Maria came forward and asked, “Would you like to have the dessert now, Miss Zenovia?"

I rubbed my hand over my belly that was full and wiped the back of my mouth like a grizzly bear. Surely, I could make some room for the dessert.

I nodded, and a maid served something chocolatey and fruity that she called “tiramisu layered cake. I ignored the name and took a bite as the sweet melted in my mouth.

It was heavenly.

And just as I was gorging on the sweet dish, Drusilla chirped, “And if rumors are to be believed, King Callahan might allow them to have a mate ball as well

The spoon I was holding in my hand clattered against the dish, startling her as she looked at me in surprise.

“Are you okay?" I nodded my head vigorously. Though I felt anything but okay.

There had not been a mating ball in the past few years as Callahan had denied permission to holding the event after some fiasco.

Chapter to

“Has he agreed to it?" I asked, and she gave it a thought. “Not yet, but Elijalt is trying hard to make him agree.”

“Elijah?” I asked in confusion and she replied, “Oh, you have not met him yet, have you? He is the gamma and was sent to some pack in the north by Callahan. He has returned from his trip and is currently eating Cals head.”

I gave her a simile as she switched her attention to her dessert.

She took a bite and casually added, “Callahan has avoided it like a plague, but I hope he goes there this time. He needs to find

a mate soon.”

The Lycan King was known to be cunning and ruthless and here she was talking about him as if he was a saint.

But more than that, I realized a small seed of jealousy appeared in my head when she talked about him finding a mate.

I added carefully. “But did you not say the witch cursed him to never find one?”

Drusilla took the paper napkin and dabbed her lips before answering me, “Oh yes, he is cursed to never find his fated mate, the one chosen by the Moon Goddess, but he can always pick someone on his own. It is not that uncommon. Think of it as an arranged marriage.

I could not help but wonder what this could mean for me. If he was going to have a chosen mate, why keep me around?

To be his mistress while he took his time finding an appropriate mate for himself and to be his queen? Dread and a spark of jealousy rose in my chest. The memory of our first kiss returned to me with a ferocious intensity. Had he only kissed me to see if I was good enough to satisfy him? His heated gaze at the hospital and the way he had taken the knife in his hand....it made me shiver both with fear and anticipation.

I shook my head. What was I thinking?

Hell no. 1 was not going to be his mistress or breeder. I looked at Drusilla, who was simply observing me.

A thousand doubts were swirling in my head, but I kept quiet. She was his best friend. I had to be careful around her, even if she was being nice to me.

And a plan began to form in my head.

The mating ball or party, whatever they might hold, it would be my chance to sneak out when all of them are busy.

And I had to know everything about the event if I wanted to find the perfect opportunity to sneak out. Sitting in my room and blindly trying to run away from here, only to get caught by either of the staff, would only make Callahan more angry.

No, I had to take this one chance and run away undetected.

“Did you say the mating ball? I would very much like to be involved in the preparations,” I said to her while finishing my

dessert.

She gave me a bright smile, “Oh, sure, I can...” but then trailed off.

Drusilla bit her lower lip nervously, so I asked, “What is the matter?”

“I...I do not know if King Callahan would like making you work. He has told everybody to take good care of you and let you

recover”

Lignored the warm feeling blossoming in my heart at the thought of him worrying about my well— being.

All of this was a farce. It had to be. I had seen enough fake people in my life.

I reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Do not worry. I will tell him it was my idea. That way, nobody is forcing me to do anything.”

Drusilla clapped her hands excitedly, “Great! We have not had any nice event here in forever. King Callahan hates parties and balls, so it will be nice that we get a chance to mingle with everyone.

I nodded in agreement. “Sure, when do you and beta Matteo want the ball to be held?"

I asked, and she thought over it for a while. "How about this weekend?”

I was going to let myself heal while working on the event and flee while everybody was busy partying. I smiled at her. Freedom was just a few days away from me.

Chapter 17

Zenovia