CHAPTER 394: I’LL BE RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT OFF

[KOSTA]

Life never came with manuals.

Kosta had always known that, but as he fell to his knees, while the love of his life stood in the near distance hugging the king, he knew there and then that there was never going to be a right or wrong between him and Tamiko.

The Lycan Chief had not known what to expect, and now he didn’t know how to feel about this. Not when he could smell Tamiko’s lavender scent suddenly like it was meant to soothe him and make him feel safe.

It was a scent that had been kept from him for weeks, and it felt like he was suddenly breathing fresh air again. He didn’t know what to say to that, and out of fear that he would ruin the moment, Kosta didn’t say anything.

Instead, he masked his scent.

But Tamiko knew him.

Tamiko had learned him.

Tamiko loved him, so it wasn’t that hard for the mad prince’s eyes to find Kosta in the crowd of cheering Lycans. Or even miss the eyes that had always made him feel safe.

The craziest part of all of this was that those same eyes, which had made him feel safe and still left, were the eyes that told him things that words couldn’t even speak anymore.

Those eyes conveyed a love so strong that Kosta could feel his knees buckle again despite the fact that he was already on the ground. It was a sight that scared him to the core, because Tamiko was looking at him like they had never broken up.

Like he was telling Kosta that he didn’t need a mate bond to love Kosta. And it was scary, given everything that had happened, but what the fuck was Kosta supposed to say to that?

So Kosta held Tamiko’s gaze.

Tamiko’s eyes on him would make anyone think that this was the first time they fell in love with each other. It was crazy how they had gotten there, but it was even more unhinged how they had gotten to survived the chaos that had been thrust their way.

"I hung the body at the Kawai main gates, to remind anyone who walks in of what awaits them if they try to betray us again," Tamiko said when he pulled back from the hug.

His father stared at the head at his feet, asking silent questions like he needed to compose himself for this. It was crazy how this shit had become for them, yet as time went by, it felt like there wasn’t much that anyone could do.

Perhaps that was why the Lycan crowd took their celebration outside, to go and see what had happened to the rest of the body. It was nothing new to the Kawai environment, but they had to admit that this was new for the prince.

They hadn’t expected shots from him, though, as they left the palace, they all had the same feeling.

The Lycan prince was not done yet.

He was not done with what he was doing, and that was a lot of horror that was pending for everyone. Maybe for the Lycans with the borders of their home. Maybe for the enemies of Kawai.

There was no telling, but until that day came for them to know whether this was the doomed fate or if they were blessed to be on the right side of the lacuna prince, they would wait and see.

So, they chose to celebrate.

After all, there wasn’t much in the schedule for the day.

"Take the head and hang it in the public square for everyone to see too. Then take it to the Grealor gates at dusk," the king ordered.

Floki stepped up to pick the one head that he had never thought he would ever have the pleasure or the displeasure of carrying, or rather, dragging like that. It was scary, but perhaps it was a deserved fate.

It was something that they all had to agree may have been barbaric as hell, but it was what was needed to let everyone understand that their hells were here now.

"Yes, sire," Floki responded before he left with the head.

Soon enough, the hallways were empty, and the only people left were the royals of house Hinata and Igor Konstantin, who was still on his knees on the floor. He looked shocked. Way too shocked to say a word.

He looked like he had so many questions, but he didn’t know what to ask because he was worried that Tamiko wouldn’t talk to him again. So, he just watched like this was new to him.

And perhaps it was the best decision he made, because he didn’t know what else he could do or say right then.

"So, Zula, huh?" Danny spoke, asking the question that had been lingering in Kosta’s mind for a while now.

Zula Hinata was the king’s sister.

She was Tamiko’s aunt.

Zula Hinata was a powerful Hinata just like the others.

She was not someone to be murdered just like that, yet Tamiko had come back with that head. And it wasn’t something fake or an enchantment that he had cast. The face had so many bruises and had been too chapped for this to be an accident.

It was evident that the woman had suffered at the hands of Tamko in the past weeks, and there was no telling how much just yet. But it had to be so long, because even the blade that had chapped the head seemed rough as hell.

It was almost like the prince had used a blunt blade to cut off his aunt’s head. This was an unforgiving flame, a curse that no one had detected, and yet Tamiko had done it. He had made sure that the woman was gone.

"She dared to touch what was mine. If Papa hadn’t found Kosta back then, who knows what she would have done to my omega? I promised I would never let anyone hurt him, and I intend on keeping that promise until my last breath," Tamiko said simply.

It was like he was talking about the weather.

His eyes had left Kosta’s even as he spoke, and the Lycan chief stared at him helplessly. He looked lost, and he didn’t know how to react to that. His heart was full, but it was broken too.

This wasn’t what their riding was supposed to be, yet they had gotten here.

They had been ripped from each other, and Kosta felt the hate he had for Yilena grow tenfold. His guardian had fucked up the best relationship that he had, and now he couldn’t even run into Tamiko’s arms for comfort without being considered a cheater.

"But he—" Dany asked, confused.

"I know. He belongs to Sanji. But he will always be mine. Always," Tamiko said with pride before he walked away from the hallways and toward his chambers, not even reaching out to comfort Kosta.

"What the hell just happened?" Danny asked as he stared at the place Tamiko had been standing and then at the Lycan Chief, who was still on the ground now. He had never been this confused, and it was driving him nuts.

"That’s the most Hinata thing to happen. You’ll get used to it," Lord Sadako said before he walked away, too, with the king and Danny following suit. Once they were gone, Kosta was left in the hallways alone...

Kosta let himself cry.

From relief or sadness...

Even he didn’t know.