My King // Arthur Curry

10

After finally confessing their love for one another, Arthur and Alexis's relationship grows even stronger. You'd usually never see one without the other; they were almost inseparable. Surprisingly, another relationship was slowly blooming between Michael and a confident, fiery red-haired woman. Since Michael protected and bandaged Mera, she couldn't stop thinking about him. The youngest twin brother was always on the red-haired woman's mind, and she was very curious about why she felt sparks when Michael touched her. It soon reached the point where she visited him in the middle of the night and demanded answers. And once she got her answers, the red-haired woman decided it was time to get over Arthur and move on.

Not only did Mera stop pursuing Arthur, but she also gave Michael a chance, and now they are both dating. When Allen found out about her being his son's mate, he was truly happy for Michael. Despite some of his negative feelings toward Mera, Allen decided to give her a second chance. The only one who still hasn't found their mate is Bryan, and although he's happy that his siblings have found their mates, he envies his twin brother and little sister. For years, he had searched for his mate, but he never saw her. There were times when he started to believe that his mate had either died or didn't exist, but a small voice in the back of his mind told him not to give up. The only person who knew about how he felt was his twin brother. Ever since they were children, they've always been able to feel what the other one was feeling because of the twin bond that they shared.

Second chances and twin bonds, none of those things could compare to a heat cycle. Whenever a female Ice Wolf meets their mate, they go into heat, and the only downside is that it affects their mates, human males, unmated Lycans, Ice wolves, and werewolves. The female's pheromones are so potent that it'll make the males want to jump them on the spot. Alexis was carrying a tray of beers to the bar's usual customers when she suddenly felt her body burning. 'Not now!' She thought, handing the men their beers before she started walking away. As she was leaving, a drunk pulled her into his lap and said, "Why don't you come home with me so I can show you the best night of your life." The man squeezed her hip and rubbed her thigh; his eyes glazed with lust.

Raising her foot, Alexis stomped on the man's foot as hard as she could, causing him to let her go. "You little bitch!" He yelled, backhanding her, but the hit never came. David held the man's wrist in a tight hold."You're no longer welcome here. Don't ever come back!" He said, letting go of the other man's wrist. David watched him stumble out of the bar, then looked at Alexis. "Are you alright?" He asked her, but then a mouthwatering aroma soon hit him, and his eyes quickly flashed from blue to gold, then back to blue. 'I need to get her out of here before the customers jump her, or worse, me.' David thought as he said, "Why don't you take the rest of the day off, Alexis? I'll handle the rest of the customers."

Sending her boss a grateful look, she turns around and enters the break room to retrieve her bag before leaving. Once she had left, David let out a sigh of relief. If Alexis had stayed any longer, he would've lost control, and the last thing that he needed was another war between his species and the Ice wolves again. Quietly sitting in the back of the bar, drinking a beer, was Allen, who had seen what had happened. 'It's been a long time since I've seen a Lycan.' Allen thought, taking a drink. 'Not only a lycan but the prince no less. This day keeps getting better and better.' After leaving the bar, Alexis drove her brother's truck to the running grounds. Once she arrived, she reached into the backseat to grab a sleeping bag, pillow, and overnight bag. Walking to her secret sanctuary, Alexis soon set her stuff down on the ground once she was inside.

Unrolling the big sleeping bag, Alexis grabbed her pillow from her overnight bag and laid down. Quickly taking off her coat and shoes, she threw them aside. Sweat started falling from the side of her forehead while her body began to burn. She curls into a ball and cries.'Arthur.' Alexis thought tears started falling on her cheeks as every part of her body burned. The heat was unbearable; Alexis wanted it to end. Not being able to take it anymore, she passes out.

Swimming up to the surface at an incredible speed was Arthur, who had just returned from visiting Vulko. The only person on his mind while he was away was his girlfriend, Alexis. Arthur couldn't wait to see her. As soon as he resurfaced, he got out of the water and put on his coat. 'At least the trip wasn't long this time. She's going to be so happy to see me.' Arthur grinned. Wanting to surprise his girlfriend, he walked to the bar. He went inside and looked for Alexis. When he didn't find her, Arthur wondered where she was. "If you are looking for Alexis, I sent her home early," David said, drying a shot glass. "And word of advice, if I were you, I'd find her now before anyone else does." He motions to the men sitting at the table, drinking their beers.

Arthur started to ponder on what his friend said. 'What does he mean? Find her now before anyone else.' Those words kept replaying until he heard David sigh and say, "The guys were more touchy with Alexis today. It reminded me of this animal show that I saw five days ago. The bucks were searching for a doe in heat." For some reason, what David said didn't sit well with Arthur. He had a bad feeling that there was something wrong with Alexis, so he left the bar and went to look for her. Arthur ran to Alexis's house and knocked on the front door, hoping she'd answer. Sadly, the person who had opened the door wasn't who Arthur had expected."Hey, Arthur. What's up?" Michael said as Mera stood beside him.

"Have you seen your sister?" Arthur asked, trying not to show how worried he was, but his eyes gave him away. "I haven't seen Lexi since this morning. Why? Did something happen to my sister?" The younger twin questioned, concern flashing in his eyes. Arthur starts to explain what David had told him in the bar. After he finished, Michael's eyes widened in fear, and he quickly said, "We have to find her now. She's in heat." Michael tries to dart past him, but the burly man quickly grabs his arm. "What do you mean?" Arthur asked, but the other man frustratedly growled. "We're running out of time. We have to find her now. I'll answer your questions along the way." Michael told Arthur, yanking his arm out of his hold.

Thirty-five minutes later, Michael, Bryan, Arthur, and Mera were all riding in Bryan's truck."Alright, start talking." Arthur said gruffly; his patience was hanging on by a thread. Rubbing his chin, Michael sighed and said, "Where do I even begin? Well, a female Ice wolf goes into heat four months after they have met their mate." Arthur quietly listened to his explanation. "And once the female goes into heat, their pheromones will attract every male within the area." Michael continued until Mera suddenly cut him off, saying, "So what you're saying is that all of the males want to screw my girlfriend? Is it just human men?" Shaking his head, the youngest twin crossed his arms. "Human males, Werewolves, unmated Ice wolves, Lycans, etc." Michael listed off. Arthur started shifting uncomfortably in the front passenger seat while Mera began to feel sorry for all of the female Ice wolves.

"That's why we need to find Lexi before something happens to her," Bryan said, anger rolling off him. "I swear that if some random asshole touches my sister, I'll tear them apart." His eyes darkened from the rage that he was feeling. The oldest twin wasn't the only one angry; Michael and Arthur were just as angry. If someone touched the woman that he loved, Arthur wouldn't hesitate to beat them within an inch of their life. Thoughts on whether Alexis was safe had raced through his mind; Arthur wouldn't rest until he had Alexis safely back in his arms where she belonged. The only thing that he could do now was hope that she was safe.

Back in the cave, Alexis was still lying on her side without her coat, shirt, and jeans on, sweating. The air was chilly enough to make anyone cold, but the only thing that she felt was the unbearable heat. She hoped that it'd be over soon. Sadly, her hope was crushed when she heard monstrous howls from 15 miles away. "Arthur," Alexis said his name while forcing herself to get dressed despite the constant pain. She would rather go down fighting than let another man touch her."They'll be here soon. And I'm not sure if I can fight them all by myself. But I'd rather die than let them take me." Alexis said quietly, sitting down and looking up at the ceiling while waiting for her enemies to come. The bone-chilling howls got louder and louder; they were getting very close. It wouldn't be long until they reached the cave that she was in. Alexis quickly shifted and raised her hackles; they had arrived.

Standing outside of the cave were six Lycans; they were being led by a big Lycan with three jagged scars across his face and a missing eye. To his left stood a smaller one; his sharp teeth were yellow, and his eyes were fully dilated. On the right side of the leader was a normal-sized lycan who had numerous scars on his body that made him look wild. "The bitch is mine. Guard the entrance." Growled the leader; he sent them a challenging look, daring them to object. As the other Lycans watched their leader go into the cave, the scarred Lycan quietly thought, 'That one-eyed bastard's gonna fuck her to death as he did her.' He quickly made a decision; he refused to let it happen again, and little did he know that his life would change forever.