All Chapters of The Dark Forest: The Lycan King’s Fated Mate: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Amara POV Hours pass. I know that because the torches have burned down and been replaced. Twice. The room smells different now. Less copper and more like ash and oil. The bodies are gone. No drag marks and no stains left behind. The stone has been scrubbed so clean it almost feels like a typical room you’d keep cooking materials and ingredients in. Only the blood on me remains. It dries in stages. Tightens on my skin and pulls when I move. My hair stiffens where it’s matted at the nape of my neck, each shift of my head sending a dull ache down my spine. No one comes for a long time. No guards. No voices. Nothing and no one. When the door finally opens, it isn’t with urgency. It never is. But this time.. it’s different. Four figures enter. Not like the ones who tried to chain me before. They move differently. Controlled. Careful. One carries a tray. Linen. A vial that smells faintly herbal even from here. Another holds a length of chain threaded through a l

Sebastian’s POV 2 hours before entering portal Braden stood in front of me, posture perfect, expression polished into that smooth, unreadable calm he wore like a second skin. I’d seen men try and fail to read him. They left the encounters feeling as if they’d shaken hands with a smile that had teeth. “You intend to leave,” he said. Not a question. He already knows the answer to that. “To walk into vampire territory and abandon your kingdom because of some wolf you hardly know.” I leaned back into my throne. The one sitting right next to her smaller, empty throne. The crown’s weight burned like frost against my skull. “She’s not just some wolf. She’s your queen. My queen. My goddess given mate. I don’t abandon what’s mine.” Braden’s lip curved. “Your kingdom is yours. Your throne is yours. Your people are yours. Or have you forgotten?” He didn’t care about the people. Only that they bowed. “She isn’t dead.” The words scraped out from somewhere deep, thick with the bond’

Sebastian’s POV “Don’t listen to it. Whatever it is, it’s not real.” Sybil placed a hand on my shoulder. “You don’t get to have her voice,” I whispered to the trees as I closed my eyes. The branches shivered. A root snapped out of the soil and wrapped around Luther’s boot. He swore, jerking free. Another curled toward Aven’s ankle before retreating, as if curious. Sybil’s voice was low. “It will probe. It will tempt. It will divide. It will find your worst fears and use them against you. It wants you ready for death.” “Then it will fail,” I said. The path bent again, subtle as a lie. Ahead, the air seemed darker, denser, as if layered with breath that wasn’t ours. Sybil pulled us forward, angling us toward that darkness. Toward the artifact. We kept walking. And slowly, behind us, the way out disappeared, swallowed by trees that leaned together like conspirators, sealing us in. The forest had accepted us. But not as guests. As offeri

Amara pov The tension in the room shifted as the focus turned to Braden and Lola standing like statues at the altar. Lola wore a hot pink gown, typical for her, while Braden’s attire was a mix of dark blue leather and fine silk, the insignia of Blackwood Pack embroidered over his heart. The crowd fell into silence, the only sounds being the soft rustle of fabric and faint strum of music. The elder began the ceremony in a voice that made everyone but Sebastian and me tremble in their seats. “We gather today not only to witness the union of two powerful families but to honor the bond that will tie the fates of Lady Lola and Alpha Braden together as the Alpha and Luna of Blackwood Pack.” Lady Lola’s smile was anything but radiant, her eyes looking at everything but Braden. Braden stood rigid in front of her, his hold on her hands anything but gentle. From here, I could nearly see the tick in his jaw with every second that passed. It is obvious neither

Amara POV “You’ve got to be joking.” I shook my head as I leaned away from the edge. How in the gods did this happen? How did he manage to create a portal within the palace in the first place? Goddess, I’m so full of unanswered questions and it’s making me nothing but anxious. I scream furiously at the sky, my nails digging so deeply into my palms that they created crescent-shaped cuts, deep enough to draw pools of blood. How could this have happened to me? I can’t help the tears that escape my eyes. This can’t be my life. It just can’t. My entire life has been nothing short of easy. So why can’t I have one thing go right? It’s not fair. Nothing is fair. I close my eyes and take a breath. I don’t even know who I am anymore. “I see you’ve found there’s no easy escape, little queen.” Tomas’ voice startled me and I jumped, kicking my foot out and knocking him to the ground. Something I’m sure was surprising to him. “Ahh f*ck!” Tomas grumbled as he rubbed hi