Dangerous Lycan: Claim Betrayed Luna’s Second Chance Mate

A lump formed in my throat, and I fought back the urge to lash out. I didn’t like that he had mentioned Katherine because suddenly, it felt awkward. It was bad enough that I was left out of their conversations and now this? It was always Kathrine. How could I ever compete with a ghost? What was I thinking? This isn’t even real. But my emotions had somehow began to feel real.

Just then, Kieran turned to me.

“Actually, Clara paints too. Quite well, actually.”

I didn’t expect that. I don’t refer mentioning that to him. How could he know that? Isabella turned towards me.

“Really?” she asked, “What kind of art?”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“Mostly landscapes,” I said hesitantly. “Watercolors mostly.”

“Watercolors,” she scoffed. “How… precious.”

My chest felt hot again it seems she wasn’t the kind type.

“Her work is beautiful, Isa. You should see some of her paintings sometime.”

I cannot remember the last time I had held a brush. That was weeks before my parents and I were kicked out of our home by Raymond. The thought of how Kieran still knew this marveled me.

His voice held an edge that surprised me. And Isabella felt it too as she flushed slightly. And everywhere went silent again. Bit it wasn’t as awkward for me as before but I couldn’t say for the rest. I looked at Kieran. His jaw was clenched, and his gaze was fixed on his plate.

For the rest of the evening, the atmosphere remained as it was, a bit strained. After diner, Kieran saw them out the door while I sat back. Kieran’s words echoed in my mind. I still couldn’t believe that he stood up for me. Did he really care about me? The thought was a bit hopeful and terrifying at the same time.

The night was unusually cold. And I folded my body underneath the duvet but it still didn’t feel enough. Kieran came up behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist. I stiffened, surprised by the sudden touch. But in a bit, I was warm.

“Are you alright?” he murmured behind my ear.

“I’m fine,” I said.

He sighed, pulling me closer.

“They can be a bit much, sometimes,” he said.

“A bit much?” I scoffed. “That’s putting it mildly.”

He chuckled, “I know,” he said. “But they’re cool. You just have to get to know them.”

“They were you exes friend and besides, this isn’t real.”

He was silent for a moment, then he turned me around to face him. His gaze held mine, his eyes searched for mine.

“Clara,” he began, “you’re amazing. Talented, funny, and kind. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”

My heart skipped. Was this really happening? Kieran was defending me and now he was praising me. Maybe its him just being nice. He probably just pitied me for having to deal with his arrogant friends.

“Thanks, I forced a smile, pushing away whatever feeling that grew in my chest.

“That’s sweet of you to say, Kieran. But I can handle myself.”

He frowned, “I know you can,” he said gently. “But I meant it. They were just… out of touch with what truly matters.”

I didn’t say anything. I just couldn’t. I simply nodded and turned back to face the wall.

“You should let go now,” I said.

“You are cold let me hold you a bit longer. It’s just holding you to keep you warm nothing more.”

I didn’t protest.

“Kieran,” I called out.

“Yes,” he responded.

“How did you know that I paint.”

He chuckled and then I turned to face him again.

“I stopped painting a very long time ago. And most of the people that knows that I paint literally doesn’t exist in my life again.”

“I’m King Clara, I have my way of knowing things.”

“I thought you have found my parents.”

“Oh no I haven’t. Speaking of which, I think I need to find them after all this is over.”

“That’ll be a good plan. So you paint landscapes, huh?” he asked.

I glanced at him, “Yeah,” I said.

“Can I see some of your work sometime?”

I didn’t see that coming, I hesitated, unsure how to respond.

“Sure,” I finally said, “If you want,” I added.

I watched as a slow smile spread across his face. It wrinkled the corners of his eyes. I couldn’t imagine that I would ever feel warm again in his arms. Looking at him in that dim light. His eyes flickering. It was indeed a beautiful sight. My breath stopped for a few seconds. And I smiled too but it didn’t last long as it occurred to me. In that moment, I realized what trouble I was getting myself into. Something serious and big. It was clear that the more time I spent with Kieran, the more I felt myself falling for him. But this thing called love. It was dangerous to me. Especially when it was with someone who still carried the memories of his past relationship like it just happened. I knew that I had to protect myself, even if it meant pushing him away.

I had never missed a day of practice and Kieran’s dedication to train me, had made it a lot easier for me. Although, some days still felt tough. The next day, Kieran woke me with a cup of coffee and my training gear.

“Suit up, we have work to do,” he said. In about an hour, we were both at the training hall.

Sweat ran into my eyes as I landed a roundhouse kick which landed with a satisfying thud against the kicking bag. My muscles were stronger. I’d been training with Kieran for months now, and I could feel the difference. I was stronger, faster, more confident.

Kieran chuckled as I doubled over, catching my breath. “Good one, Clara. You’re getting really good at that kick,” he chuckled. I turned over trying to catch my breath.

I straightened up and wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my palm.

“Thanks,” I grinned. “Though, I still haven’t quite mastered that perfect pivot you always do.”

“Practice makes perfect, so just keep practicing. You’ll get there,” he said, his eyes twinkled.

He moved to the center of the mat.

“Alright, ready to learn that new elbow strike I mentioned?”

I smirked. Kieran was constantly challenging me with new techniques which made the training sessions very much exciting.

“Absolutely,” said, stepping forward.

He demonstrated the move slowly, breaking it down into different steps. I mimicked his movements, focusing on the proper form of it as he repeated it again.

I tried it and tripped on my step. Kieran showed me his hands and I took it lifting off the ground.

“Try it again. And this time do away with the clumsiness. Be firm.”

I nodded and did it again and again. Each repetition gave way for a more powerful and precise elbow strike. And then finally, I went for it again and the strike was even more powerful.

“There you go, See? You’re a natural,” Kieran said.

A warm flush spread across my cheeks.

“I don’t know about that. But it is fun learning new things.”

He grinned. “Fun, and effective. That’s the goal, remember?”