Lycus's pov

I'd always thought that I was the hard-hearted unbreakable king. That the fortress I had built around my heart after my fake mate to prevent myself from getting hurt again was strong enough. I never thought myself capable of pitiable emotions more than what Nyx had made me feel ever since she stepped into my life but now, I felt different. I knew better.

With Nyx, I had felt everything, the hate knowing whom she was, the acceptance and anger knowing that I couldn't easily get rid of her, the lust when I tried fighting the mate bond, the likeness seeing that there was more than just lust, the pain each time I was on the verge of losing her, the jealousy seeing her with Andros or any other male, the love when I got to know more of my beautiful mate and then the fear knowing that her life was In danger and she could be snatched from me at any moment, it was the fear that kept me from telling her the state of things and letting her know that she was facing hazard. I didn't want her to feel more afraid than she already did. But now, I felt misery, never did I think of this night turning out like this. I had hurt Nyx several times but never had she ever thought of rejecting me or pronounced rejection. I didn't expect this night to be any different but it was different. I had hurt her and she had had enough.

My hand clutched at my heart as her words resounded in my head and the fading mate bond was taking effect but I could still feel her emotions and mindlink her because I hadn't accepted the rejection and it was very hard to severe a bond with the Alpha King.

I felt all her emotions while dealing with mine, while hearing spyro howl in pain. I felt her anxiety when she confronted me, her anger when she lashed out at me, her pain at my words and I couldn't get the sight of her saddening before me out of my head, then I felt heightened fear and then felt numbness.

When she pronounced her words, sending stabbing feels to my heart, I so badly wanted to chase her at the moment, to draw her in my arms and kiss her senseless till she retracted her words and know how much she means to me but I decided otherwise. She was mad, she wouldn't want me to be around her at the moment, she should be in the gardens, the west gardens, where she always went when wanting to cool off. I would give her time and then go after her and thoroughly suffocate her with my presence and pleas till she agreed to take back her words.

I tried getting up to my feet but a sharp pain sent me back to the tiled floor, it was the effect of the rejection, I knew. I tried again, bracing myself up and then finally I was on my feet. I straightened myself and began to walk towards the ball room while rehearsing my pleas to Nyx in my head.

"Your highness!" I saw Willow running towards me before I got to the ball room, she looked frantic like she just received really bad news, "I have something important to tell you." She stopped before me, her heels screeching on the tiled floor with her hand atop her heaving chest.

"Speak up." I commanded stuffing my hands in to the trouser pockets while being slightly irritated at her prolonged silence and visible fuss. I was never a fan of suspense, "Why do you look so worried?" I had to ask regarding her anxious posture with eyes glazed with tears.

"Amara is gone."

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I do not think I had ever run so fast in my life like I did on hearing those three words, I ran like something I feared the most was so close and I needed to get away from it as soon as possible, that was how fast I was when I heard Amara was missing.

"Clear the guests." I commanded the guards as I held my weeping mother close to my chest, "Make sure everyone one is checked on their way out and keep your eyes out for my daughter."

They nodded following my instructions before turning to leave, "Willow." I called out to her halting her in her tracks and she turned around to meet me, "Go and get Nyx please… She is in the west gardens and please tell her to be here immediately but do not let her know that Amara is missing, I cannot have her go through more stress." She obeyed me with a curt nod and went away. I took my mother and led her up to the office while listening to her rant and sob about how it was all her fault.

"It's not your fault mother." I said to her leading her over to the cushion, "Please do not overwork yourself."

"I gave her a piece of cake and then she requested for water which I ran along to get only to come back to meet that she was gone." She cried out crumpling the tissue papers in her hands. I was about to give her a reply but just then the office door busted open and in came all the high rankers after me.

"There was no sign of her." Judas announced deflating my own built up hope, "We have searched everywhere in the castle."

"And no sign of Nyx too." Willow added as she stepped into the office.

I said nothing but silently mindlinked them about waiting a bit as I hoped that Nyx had maybe wandered away for a short walk but after some time the most feared realisation became glaring.

my mate was gone! I fisted the hands trying to control my self at the sudden lost of my self control, And so is her daughter! Something most definitely wasn't right, I felt detached and empty with a hint of anxiousness that bothered me like something was about to happen or already happened but I couldn't quite place a finger on it.

I stood up from my chair and walked over to them, "Are you sure you searched every nook and crany?"

"Yes, your highness." Judas and Willow replied, those were exactly the answers that I expected and I was being agitated not knowing where Nyx and Amara were. I wanted to break things and yell but I couldn't do it. I had no choice than to act civilized.

"Get the troops ready." I said to them as I walked back to my table to pick out my handy weapons, "We are going back to search thoroughly." They nodded at me and then turned to move. I picked out my weapons and cleaned them but my blood thirst only increased no matter how calm I tried to be, I needed to get Nyx and Amara tonight and I would do anything to get them back evening if it meant killing every soul who was involved in their sudden disappearance.

We returned long after midnight after a fruitless search. I could feel myself getting weaker as she was away from me, far far away from me. That was what distance did with the mate bond more or less a half broken one. I walked into my bedroom and crashed down on the bed, fished my phone out and began staring at the pictures. It was me, Nyx and Amara in her room as she played with my hair while Nyx pulled my cheeks. It was my favourite picture I had of us.

Today didn't go as planned and I sure as hell was agitated knowing my mate and her child could be out there facing danger and I couldn't find them. If things hadn't happened this way, we would have been at the trial by now and those leeches would have been sentenced already. I was already drifting into sleep when I received a call which I picked without checking for the ID.

"What is it?" I grunted in annoyance as I rubbed my eyes.

"Something has happened your highness." I could tell that it was one of the guards.

"What is it?"

"The prisoners have escaped."

"What prisoners?" I asked with my heart thundering against it's encase as my brain did the maths, no! It can't be.

"It's the prisoners in the special cells Alpha." He said clearing his throat, "Titan and Laya have escaped."

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