The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter
Chapter 71: The Trap

Chapter 71: The Trap

Zane~

"Care to share?"

Sebastian’s smirk deepened, his dark eyes gleaming with unrestrained amusement. He leaned in slightly, tapping a single finger against his chin in a gesture that, for anyone else, would have been casual. But I knew Sebastian. That mind of his was already spinning something twisted, something cruel.

Sebastian’s grin turned sharp, dangerous. "Ever heard of the Bone Prison?"

The name alone sent a slow ripple of intrigue through me. I’d seen what vampires were capable of—how their venom twisted and burned. But Sebastian was different. He wasn’t just any vampire. He was ruthless when it came to revenge, and whatever he had planned would be nothing short of a masterpiece.

"I’m listening," I said, voice even.

Sebastian crossed one leg over the other, reclining against the couch as if he were about to tell a bedtime story. "First, I bite them," he said lazily, examining his nails. "Not enough to turn them, no. That would be too merciful. Just enough venom to keep their bodies in a constant state of suffering."

I nodded slowly, considering the implications. "And then?"

"Then," he continued, his smirk widening, "we coat their bones in liquid silver."

The words hung in the air between us, heavy, dark, intoxicating.

I raised an eyebrow. "You want to embed silver into their very skeletons?"

"Precisely," he said smoothly. "You know how you werewolves heal—quick, efficient, a marvel of nature, really. But silver? Silver is like poison. It interrupts everything. Imagine their own bones rejecting them, every movement burning. Over time, their bodies will start tearing themselves apart from the inside out, but—" He held up a single finger, eyes twinkling. "Not quickly. Oh no. This will be slow. Agonizing."

A slow, dark smile stretched across my lips. "Poetic."

Sebastian let out a mock gasp. "Zane, was that a compliment? Be still my unbeating heart."

I rolled my eyes. "I’ll send them my location."

Sebastian stretched his arms out with a lazy grin. "Perfect. I’ll go get things ready. Call me when our dear guests arrive." With that, he disappeared into the shadows, his presence vanishing like smoke.

I pulled out my phone and sent a message with my address. Nora’s reply was instant.

We’ll be there in an hour. Can’t wait to see you.

Lies.

I leaned back, exhaling through my nose. It was strange how the very thought of Nora no longer twisted my heart the way it once had. She had played her games, spun her web of deception, and for a while, I had been caught. Not anymore.

This time, I was the spider.

*********

An hour later, there was a knock at the door. The knock was soft, almost hesitant, as if the person on the other side wasn’t sure they wanted to be here.

I didn’t move right away.

Instead, I let the silence stretch, let the weight of anticipation coil in my chest like a serpent tightening around its prey. I had imagined this moment countless times—how it would feel to face them again, to hear their excuses, their justifications. But now that they were here, now that I could practically feel their presence bleeding through the door, all I felt was... nothing.

No anger. No longing. Just a cold, quiet resolve.

With an exhale, I pushed myself up, rolling my shoulders back as I made my way to the door. My face was a perfect mask, betraying nothing. Then, with a controlled slowness, I pulled the door open.

And there they were.

Nora and Charlie.

Nora’s breath hitched the moment she saw me. Her eyes—glassy with unshed tears—scanned my face like she was searching for the son she once knew, the boy she had shaped, manipulated. Before I could react, she surged forward, arms locking around me in a crushing embrace.

"Zane," she whispered, her voice trembling, thick with emotions I refused to believe were real. "Oh, my Goddess. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you."

I clenched my jaw, forcing my body to stay still, to resist the instinct to shove her away. Her scent, once familiar, was now invasive, cloying, like a perfume worn too thick in a suffocating room. The warmth of her body pressing into mine felt like chains slithering around my wrists, dragging me backward into a past I had no intention of reliving.

But I played the part.

I returned the hug—just enough to keep up the illusion. Just enough to let her think, even for a second, that she still had some kind of hold over me.

"You’ve been gone too long," she murmured, pulling back slightly to cup my face, her thumb brushing over my cheek like she had the right. "How could you leave us like that?"

I forced a small, tight-lipped smile. "Been busy."

Charlie, ever the composed one, stepped forward and clapped me on the back, his grip firm, almost too firm. A fatherly gesture—or at least the attempt at one.

"You really had us worried, son," he said, his voice a careful balance between relief and reproach. "Disappearing like that? Taking Alex? Not a word? What the hell were you thinking?"

There it was.

The guilt trip. The veiled accusations wrapped up in concern, laced with just enough disappointment to sting.

I barely resisted the urge to scoff.

"What can I say?" I shrugged, stepping aside to let them in. "I’m sorry guys, I had a business to expand."

They walked inside, their eyes scanning the room, as if searching for clues, evidence of the time I had spent away from them. We exchanged pleasantries—well, they spoke, and I let their words wash over me, each one more calculated than the last.

Then came the real attack.

"Did you even stop to think about what you put us through?" Nora asked, turning to face me fully now, hands on her hips, her eyes burning with something between hurt and accusation.

"We searched everywhere for you," Charlie added, his voice lower, rougher. "Days. Weeks. We thought something had happened to you. We thought we lost you."

"And then we find out you chose not to return—" Nora’s voice broke, but whether it was genuine emotion or carefully placed theatrics, I couldn’t tell. "That you took Alex and just—what? Walked away? Like we were nothing? Like we weren’t your parents?"

I inhaled slowly, schooling my expression into something neutral but I simply couldn’t take the hypocrisy anymore. "I never asked you to look for me."

Nora flinched like I had slapped her.

"So that’s it, then?" she whispered. "You don’t even consider us your parents anymore?"

I tilted my head, letting the question hang in the air. The old me—the boy they had raised, controlled—would have stumbled over his words, would have tried to soften the blow, to ease their wounded egos.

But I wasn’t him anymore.

"You made it very clear what kind of family we were," I said evenly. "And I made my choice."

Silence followed.

Charlie exhaled sharply through his nose, rubbing a hand over his jaw. He looked tired, like he had prepared for a fight but found himself losing ground instead.

"What are you talking about, son," he said after a beat. "You can’t run from family. No matter how far you go, we’re still your family."

"family doesn’t mean loyalty." My voice was quiet but firm.

Nora let out a shaky breath, stepping forward again, reaching for me, "Zane, what are you talking about? We—"

And then, right in the middle of their performance, Sebastian struck.

Like a phantom materializing from the shadows, he appeared behind Charlie in a blur of movement. Before the man could even react, Sebastian’s fangs sank deep into his neck.

Charlie barely had time to gasp before his entire body seized up, veins darkening instantly as the venom spread.

"W-What—" Nora’s voice faltered as she stumbled back, eyes widening in sheer horror.

Sebastian turned on her next, his grin wicked, his fangs gleaming under the dim lighting.

"Boo."

Nora didn’t even have time to scream before his teeth found her throat.

It was brutal. Effortless. A hunter bringing down its prey.

She choked on a strangled cry, her body writhing as the venom took hold, burning through her system like wildfire. She collapsed to the ground, clutching at her throat, eyes wild with terror and betrayal, that it would have been almost pitiful.

Almost.

Sebastian withdrew, licking the blood from his lips as he stepped back, eyes gleaming. "Now," he murmured, tilting his head as he watched them collapse onto the floor, writhing in pain. "that, was fun."

Nora gasped, clutching at her neck, her face twisted in agony. "W-What—what did you—"

"Oh, sweetheart," Sebastian crooned, crouching beside her. "Did you really think this was going to be a reunion? That I’d just let you waltz back into his life without consequences?" He tsked. "Poor thing. So delusional."

Charlie was shaking, his skin already paling. "What did you do to us?"

Sebastian smiled, slow and cruel. "A little venom. Nothing lethal, mind you. But enough to ensure your bodies will never be the same again." He rose to his feet, dusting off his sleeves. "And soon, we’ll be moving on to the next step. Let’s just say... silver has such interesting effects on werewolves."

Nora’s wide, pain-stricken eyes lifted to meet mine. There was no more pretense, no more soft words or fake tears. Just raw, unfiltered fear.

"Zane," she rasped. "Please."

I tilted my head, studying her. Once upon a time, I might have felt something. Pity. Regret. Even a flicker of guilt.

But now?

Now, I just smiled.

"Welcome to hell."

And with that, the real fun began.