Filed To Story: Traded To The Lycan King Novel (Colette & Merikh) by MG Wattsons
I cry out in pain as the branches tighten over my ankle and hand, my fingers snapping as my muscles quiver and I try to fight the tears. This is why I hate the Fae. All of them are so high and mighty thinking since they live so long, they have a better understanding of life.
“No,” Hayes mutters, pushing back onto his knees, his eyes finding me, but he isn’t in the present. I can see the ache in him, the way he is locked in the past, in a memory of what has happened. Hayes is having a mental breakdown, a trauma response.
“You need to let me down,” I whisper, watching the pain in his eyes turn to murder as he slowly rises to his feet.
Hayes is not there as his lycan takes over, his body creaking and cracking with violent force as he lowers his chin and growls at her. I watch the fear in her eyes as her mouth falls open. Fae are strong with magic, but like us, they grow tired from overuse, growing weaker with each time they do too much. And she has done too much.
“Let us down now, or he will kill you.” I hiss as she takes a step back.
Hayes lunges forward, letting out a feral howl as she drops to the ground, her hands sinking into the dirt as roots rise and twist around her, creating a barrier just as Hayes tears into her. He snaps his teeth, his claws striking all over, bark flying and green fresh roots exposed.
Ever so gently, I am released along with Teiran. The moment my feet touch the ground, I rush to Hayes in order to stop him. As much of an ill- informed brat as this fae is, she will be useful in trying to locate Ezrah. Or even in immobilizing him.
“Kyra, don’t.” Teiran whispers, his eyes filled with concern as he sits on the ground gripping his bleeding shoulder.
“Hayes,” I whisper, clutching my injured hand to my stomach as I reach out to him.
I hesitate for a moment as fear comes over me. What if he doesn’t recognize me? What if he thinks I am the enemy, or he is in such a rage he can’t be controlled? Just as I reach out again, my fingers shaking, someone grabs me from behind and pulls me away.
“Hayes will kill you. He is out of his mind,” Teiran growls, his eyes dark as he looks down at me, something undistinguishable in them as he holds onto me.
“He won’t,” I say, exhaling. “Just trust me, okay?”
“It isn’t trust in you I lack.” He says, taking us a few steps back as Hayes rears his head back and roars, his hand breaking through the roots as the woman shrieks in fear. “He is not in his right mind. Hell, I don’t even think he is in our year at the moment.”
“His mate was murdered this way.” I whisper. “He couldn’t save her, so I have to save him from this memory,”
“Let me try. I can hold him down until he comes back to us. In my dragon form—”
“He is my mate, Teiran,” I grit out. “Okay? We are second chance mates, so I am the only one who can help him.”
He frowns and shakes his head. “Or the only one who can make it worse.”
But I step away from him, determined to stop this. It has nothing to do with the Fae at this point. Right now, I need to rescue Hayes from the place in his mind. He seems to be trapped. No one should have to live through what he did, let alone twice. Even if it hurts me, I have to at least try to release him from the hell he must be currently living in.
I rush up to him, shoving at his side hard, pain burning up my arm from the force as he stumbles and shakes his head. He looks at me, his muzzle bloody and splintered as his chest heaves up and down.
“Come back to me, Hayes.” I whisper, taking a cautious step toward him. He snorts, shaking his enormous head from side to side, stepping back. “It’s just a memory, okay?”
He blinks, tilting his head as he looks at me before he charges me. My eyes fall closed as I brace for the impact, but he doesn’t touch me. I can feel his heated breath on my face as he grunts and snorts like an angry bull.
The air around me swirls with his scent and I lift my hand, blindly feeling for his chest as I press my palm to it, feeling his erratic heartbeat.
“It’s okay, I’m here,” I whisper and I feel his muscles move beneath my hand, his body coming down to regular size as I open my eyes and look at him.
“I’m sorry,” he says in a hoarse voice. “I’m sorry I let you die…”
My heart breaks, my hand reaching up for his cheek as my breathing stutters and my eyes water.
“It wasn’t your fault. It never was.” I breathe.
“Leandra,” he murmurs, yanking me in for a hug, those sparks overwhelming me as I gasp in shock.
Hayes clutches to me, his body shaking as his hand drifts up to my hair, cupping the back of my head and tucking me to his shoulder. Teiran moves toward the ball of roots, rearing back his fist as he roars in anger and hammers through it.
Wood splinters, green and brown, showering down on him as he heaves and reaches through, grabbing the fae by her neck. She dangles, scratching his hand as she feebly tries to escape.
“Let go!” She grits out, small whimsy branches trying to reach out to help her, but she is out of strength and energy.
“Teiran,” I say, trying to move toward him, wanting to warn him not to kill the annoying woman, but Hayes tightens his already bone breaking grip. I squirm, pushing him back with great effort as he blinks and looks at me. His brows pull together and he tilts his head.
“Kyra?” His voice breaks as he comes back to reality, the look in his eyes killing me. I can see how disappointed he is in seeing my red hair and freckled face as he stumbles back, creating more space between us. I don’t have time to watch him break my heart by accident as I rush over to Teiran.
“What do you want me to do with her?” He asks, still holding her up as she dangles, weak and helpless. Her defiant eyes meet mine as I press my lips together in thought.
“Knock her out and bring her along,” I sigh, reaching up and rubbing my temple, trying to force all the emotions of what just happened away. I need a logical mind, not an emotional one.
“I won’t help-” she says as Teiran grins, slamming his fist into her face. He drops her to the ground, then turns to look at me and Hayes.
“You going to deal with that now or later?” he asks. His words sound harsh, but his face tells me he is concerned. I get the feeling Teiran has had his own kind of heartbreak, even if they don’t have mates like we do. Or at least not in the same way.
“I don’t need to be dealt in one way or another.” Hayes snaps, swinging his head in Teiran’s direction. He looks drained, his back rising and falling as if he has been struggling in water for too long. And I suppose, in a sense, he has been drowning.
“Do we need to rest here?” I ask him, and he scoffs before he breaks into a sardonic laugh.
“That feels like a yes,” Teiran mutters, then he bends down, grabs the fae by her ankle, and drags her toward me. He releases her limp body at my feet and juts his chin to the denser forest behind me. “Guess I’ll grab some wood.”
As he walks away, he reaches into the bag over his shoulder and pulls out a pair of shorts, pressing them into Hayes’ hands before he pats him on the shoulder and disappears. Hayes looks down at them before he silently slips them on and stands awkwardly where he is.
“So you had a breakdown,” I shrug, walking closer to him. “It happens.”
He shakes his head and clears his throat.
“Not to me, not to lycans like me,” He whispers, lifting his hand as if his hands are dirt as he observes them.
“And what makes you so special that you don’t get to show emotions or have trauma?” I ask him, lifting a brow as I inch closer, trying to make my movements small and unnoticeable, but he notices. Lately, it seems, he is always noticing everything.
“I am trained to be mentally strong, to fight the mind a-and just deal with shit better.” He snaps, reaching up as he drags his hands through his hair.
I exhale, my head falling to the side as I watch him try to understand that he is no different than anyone else. Training or no training, Hayes is just as human as the rest of us. He has always been transparent, easy to speak to and the person with wise and aged advice. And yet here he is after falling apart and he isn’t sure how to put himself back together because he can’t admit it even happened.
“The problem is you refusing to deal with it at all, Hayes.” I say gently.
He nods, his hands finding his waist as he exhales deeply and drops his head back, looking at the tops of the trees and the daylight that seems to fade.
“It was easier,” He murmurs before he clears his throat, “Well, I mean ‘is’ easier.”