The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter
Chapter 86: A Family

Chapter 86: A Family

Sebastian~

The second Zane processed what the guard had said, the expression on his face was priceless.

Fox nearly choked on his own laughter. Tiger just blinked like he wasn’t sure if this was actually happening. And me? I let out a low whistle, crossing my arms as I leaned in slightly, enjoying the moment.

"Oh yeah," I said, smirking. "You’ve officially lost your freedom."

Fox grinned, patting Zane’s shoulder with mock sympathy. "Congrats, Mr. Lucky."

Zane shot us a glare so sharp it could’ve cut steel. He turned back to the guards, mouth opening like he had something clever to say—only to realize he had nothing.

His jaw tightened. His lips pressed into a thin line. Then he sighed, looking absolutely done with life.

I almost felt bad for him. Almost.

"You don’t have to bother." Zane had said to the lead guard.

The lead guard, a man with silver-threaded hair and a face so serious it could be carved out of stone, cleared his throat. "The King’s orders are final. We will be escorting you at all times, effective immediately."

Zane took a slow, measured breath, like he was mentally counting to ten. Then he tried again, forcing a polite smile. "Listen, I get it. King’s orders and all that. But I really don’t need guards following me around everywhere. It’s completely unnecessary."

The guard didn’t even blink. "With all due respect, sir, that is not for you to decide."

Zane turned to us, his eyes screaming help me.

Fox just shrugged. Tiger remained impassive.

I grinned. "I think they like you, Mr. Lucky."

Fox snorted. "Can you blame them? He’s adorable."

Zane shot us both a murderous look before turning back to the guards. "Look, I really don’t—"

"Sir." The lead guard’s voice was firm. "The King insists."

Zane exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples like he was fighting the urge to throw a full-blown tantrum. "Fine," he muttered. "Fine."

The guards stepped aside, revealing the sleek black limousine waiting for us. Zane hesitated for a second, like he was debating whether he could outrun them.

"Don’t even think about it," I murmured, stepping up beside him.

His jaw clenched. He let out a long-suffering sigh and reluctantly climbed into the limousine. I slid in next to him, followed by Fox and Tiger. The doors shut with a quiet click, and outside, the guards moved into formation, their cars following us in a tight convoy.

The second we were inside, Zane’s voice rang through my mind.

"I need to get out of this."

I smirked, resting my head against the seat. "Good luck with that."

"I mean it, Sebastian. I have to find a way to escape."

"Escape? I arched a brow. And go where, exactly?"

"Back to Paris. Back to my family."

The word family made something in me go still.

For a moment, I wasn’t in the limousine. I wasn’t hearing Zane’s complaints or feeling the cool leather of the seat beneath me.

I was seven years old again.

Standing in a pool of blood.

********

I had once believed that life—especially an immortal one—was meaningless.

A cruel, endless cycle of pain, betrayal, and survival.

I was born a vampire, not turned. A rarity among our kind. The blood of the First Vampire coursed through my veins—a bloodline so ancient, so powerful, that it was both feared and coveted. They called it Purple Blood, a lineage that set me apart from the rest. But to me, it had always been a curse.

My parents, Elias and Seraphina, were among the few who had defied the natural order, bringing me into a world that was never meant to have a child like me. A natural-born vampire. An abomination in the eyes of some, a divine miracle in the eyes of others. They loved me fiercely, shielding me from the dangers of our world, but even they could not protect me forever.

When I was seven, they were slaughtered. Torn apart by a shadow, a shadow that made the world around me freeze. I didn’t know what it was or if it even was a person, all I know is that, the shadow drained my parents of every drop of blood in their veins but it left me alive. I remember the way my mother screamed my name as it ripped her from my grasp, the way my father fought with everything he had, only to fall at the hands of the dark shadow.

I had been too young to fight, too weak to stop it.

So I ran.

For years, I wandered. Alone. Hunted. Desperate. I scavenged, I hid, I survived—but barely. Hunger gnawed at me, the thirst for blood was unrelenting, and the cold emptiness inside me grew until I could no longer remember what warmth felt like.

Then Alistair found me.

A ruthless, cunning vampire lord who ruled with an iron fist. He took me in, raised me as one of his own—but I was never truly his son. I was a weapon. A threat. A ticking bomb that he kept under careful watch. From the moment I came of age, the whispers followed me.

He is too strong. Too different. Too dangerous.

The coven feared me. Some admired me, their greedy eyes lingering too long, while others prayed for my downfall. And Alistair? He never truly trusted me. He feared what I might become.

So he destroyed me first.

He accused me of treason. A lie so intricate, so masterfully woven, that even the most loyal believed it. He told them I had consorted with hunters, that I had betrayed our kind. A crime punishable by death.

But I was no traitor.

I had merely spoken against him. Dared to question his rule. Dared to ask why we lived as slaves to his whims, bound by blood pacts that drained us more than the sun ever could.

For that, I was sentenced to die.

Sunlight execution.

A slow, agonizing death under the burning rays of the sun. Most vampires lasted an hour at best. My bloodline granted me four. Four hours of searing pain, of my skin blistering and my veins boiling, of my body unraveling bit by bit.

They stripped me of everything—my title, my coven, my so-called family. Shackled in silver chains that burned into my flesh, they dragged me out at dawn to the wastelands and left me there to burn.

I thought that was the end.

But fate—no, Zane—had other plans.

A thirteen-year-old boy. A werewolf. A prince without a kingdom.

He found me. Saved me.

I saw myself in him.

And for the first time in my existence, he gave a reason to live.

He became mine to protect.

But even before Zane, there had been something—or rather, someone—who kept me tethered to this world.

Someone who I desperately wanted to be real.

She came to me in dreams. A woman I had never met, yet whose voice felt like home. I never saw her face, only heard the way she whispered my name, sweet and haunting.

Sebastian. Find me.

She called for me, night after night. I searched for her, desperate to find the woman who existed only in my dreams. I traveled to ancient ruins, questioned seers, even scoured the memories of the oldest vampires.

Nothing.

She was nowhere. No trace of her, no proof that she was real.

And so, I gave up searching.

But the dreams never stopped.

Even now, they haunt me.

A voice in the dark. A promise I cannot understand. A presence I cannot reach.

And though I have found a reason to live in Zane, there is still a part of me that wonders.

Who is she?

And why does she know my name?

Was she my family?

That word again: Family.

Zane had one now.

I still had nothing. I only had Zane.

*********

I clenched my fists, shaking the memories away before they could consume me.

Zane was still rambling through our mind link, oblivious to the ghosts clawing at my thoughts.

"Sebastian? Are you even listening?"

His voice yanked me from my thoughts, and I exhaled sharply, pushing the memories aside.

I forced my voice to stay light. "Oh, I’m listening. And enjoying every second of your suffering."

Zane arms crossed, his sharp blue eyes locked onto mine with a knowing look. He didn’t ask, didn’t push, but I could tell—he knew where my mind had wandered.

"You’re brooding again," he said dryly. "That can’t be healthy."

I smirked. "Says the man with ten newly appointed bodyguards."

Zane let out a groan, running a hand through his hair. "Don’t remind me."

Fox snickered. "I think it’s poetic justice. You’re always a self appointed guard, watching over everyone else, and now, karma has forced others to watch over you."

Tiger gave a small nod. "Balance."

Zane glared at them. "I don’t need a lecture on irony. I need an escape plan."

I chuckled. "Oh, there’s no escaping this. Your father clearly thinks you need protection. And honestly, considering how many enemies you have, I’m inclined to agree."

Zane groaned, throwing his head back. "This is the worst."

Fox grinned. "Nah, this is hilarious."

Tiger smirked. "I give it three days before you start bonding with them."

I chuckled, shaking my head.

Zane shot him a glare. "Don’t you start."

Fox nudged me. "Speaking of starting, tell me, Sebastian—do you think you’ll find your mate soon?"

I stiffened.

The question striking just as hard as it always did even if it was said in a joke.

Zane noticed the shift in my expression and frowned. "Sebastian?"

I forced a smirk, shrugging off the weight of the conversation. "Unlike Zane, I enjoy my freedom. Besides, I doubt the universe is kind enough to gift me a mate."

Fox wiggled his brows. "What if she’s already out there, closer than you think? Maybe she’s been looking for you too."

I scoffed. "Then she’s taking her sweet time."

Tiger smirked. "Maybe the universe is just waiting for the right moment. When you’re least expecting it."

I rolled my eyes. "How philosophical."

Fox grinned. "You love it."

Zane shook his head. "Enough. We have more important matters to deal with."

I raised a brow. "Like what?"

Zane’s face dropped in exhaustion. "Me."

We all laughed, but deep down, I couldn’t shake the weight in my chest.

Zane now had something I had lost a long time ago. And no matter how much I tried to bury it, the ache never truly went away.