All Chapters of Tempted By my Evil Lycan Stepbrother: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Riley’s POVThe grand banquet hall was suffused with blinding golden light and noisy laughter, but to me, it felt like a bloody execution chamber.Tonight was the eve of the public executions. King Soren had gathered all the noble pack leaders, high officials, and military generals for a massive feast—a dual celebration for my mother’s pregnancy and a terrifying show of power to intimidate anyone thinking of rebelling.I stood near the main banquet table, dressed in a suffocating silver silk gown. My mother had dragged me down here early, forcing me to play the part of the dutiful, perfect royal daughter."Smile, Riley," Everly whispered through her teeth, her hand lightly resting on her slightly swollen stomach as she waved at a passing Alpha couple. "Everyone is watching us tonight. You look like you're attending a funeral."That's because I am, I thought bitterly, my eyes darting nervously to the grand grandfather clock ticking against the marble wall.8:45 PM.In just fifteen minu

Riley’s POVAxel watched my frozen expression, his smirk softening into something almost persuasive."Come with us to the rogue territories, Riley," he said, his tone turning surprisingly quiet and gentle. "There are thousands of people in the outer lands who know the name Veilwalker. They revere you. You could build clinics that no king could ever shut down, saving lives without having to hide in the dark."He took a step closer, gesturing toward the shadowy pine forest behind him."Your grandmother understood it," he added smoothly. "She knew the royal family and this Full Moon Pack were rotten to the core. She supported our cause because she saw what Soren’s world does to people like us. Out there, we don't care about noble bloodlines or royal status. We take care of our own."My head was spinning, my brain fighting against the quiet logic in his words. For a fraction of a second, the image of a life away from the palace's toxic politics and fake smiles felt like air to a drowning

Riley’s POVMy breath locked in my throat. The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet, the air instantly turning to liquid ice.I stared at Viola in pure, paralyzed horror. Every muscle in my body went numb as the secret I had guarded with my life crumbled into dust right before my eyes.Viola collapsed forward onto her hands and knees, tears streaming down her pale, dirt-smeared cheeks as she sobbed hysterically."I was so terrified, Ezra!" she cried out, her voice raw and shaking. "When the rogues blasted into the hall, two of them dragged me out through the rear garden! They were so rough with me... they shoved me into a dark van... but then I saw her! She wasn't tied up like a prisoner! She was standing right next to Axel!"She lifted her head, pointing a trembling, blood-stained finger at me, her eyes wild with venom. "I heard Axel laughing with her! I heard him thank her for the security maps! They were so close, Ezra... so intimate! I swear on my life, she isn't just their informa

Riley’s POVI had imagined a hundred different ways my secret identity might end.I thought about being expelled. I thought about standing on a high wooden scaffold, looking up at the sky one last time before a blade took my life.But I had never, ever imagined this.I was buried alive in a windowless stone box deep inside the palace walls. There was no day, no night, no passage of time—only the thick, suffocating darkness and the sound of my own shallow breathing.3 days passed in absolute silence.I sat on the edge of the narrow cot, staring into the blackness, and realized Ezra wasn't going to change his mind.He wasn't going to let me go, and he wasn't going to kill me. He was going to keep me locked in this dark cell forever, a hidden prisoner kept alive only to satisfy his broken, territorial heart.If this is what my life is going to be, I don't want it.I stopped eating.When the metal slot at the bottom of the door slid open and a tray of food was pushed inside, I didn't move

Riley’s POV"Riley... oh God, look at you," Silas whispered. His voice was shaking as he looked through the iron bars at me.I stared back at him, trembling. A dull, painful feeling slowly filled my chest. It felt like a lifetime ago when we were just students at the academy. We had entered the hunting season together, fought side by side, and all I wanted back then was to become a great healer.Now, I was sitting in a filthy cage, wrapped in rusty chains.How fate played us."I'm fine, Silas," I rasped out, but the tears spilled down my cheeks anyway. “No sorry…that’s a lie. I’m far from fine. Thanks for coming and see me. This might be our last chance of seeing each other.”Silas reached his arm through the cold bars and used his thumb to wipe the tears from my face. "Don't cry. Listen to me, Riley, we don't have much time. But I have a way to save you."“No Silas, you don’t understand, King Soren gave a direct order—”“Fuck the King,” he rasped.I was so shocked that I froze. He le