SECOND CHANCE: CLAIMED BY THE LYCAN KING のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 91 - チャプター 100

HOPE’S POV.By the time we reached the castle, my legs were heavy and aching. My mind was still tangled in everything Hunter had told me—the man who claimed he knew him, the missing memories, the feeling that something was waiting just beneath the surface.We stepped inside together, and the warmth of the castle hit my skin immediately.Too warm.Or maybe that was just me.Hunter slowed beside me as the doors closed behind us. For a moment, he looked like he was about to say something else about the guest—the stranger he needed to question—but I beat him to it.“Go ahead,” I said quickly, adjusting the strap of the satchel still hanging at my side. The smell of the forest and crushed herbs clung to me stubbornly, mixed with sweat and forest air. “You should talk to him now.”Hunter frowned slightly. “You’re coming with me.”I shook my head immediately.“No,” I said. “I need a quick stop first.”His eyes narrowed just a little. “Hope—”“I smell like herbs and sweat,” I interrupted, tr

HOPE’S POV.By the time I stepped into the room, the silence felt almost too loud.The door closed behind me with a soft click, but the sound echoed in my ears longer than it should have. I stood there for a moment, just… breathing.Slowly.Trying to let everything settle.But it didn’t.Seraphina’s words were still there, circling in my head like they had found a place to stay."You won’t be part of it."I exhaled quietly and shook my head.“No,” I murmured under my breath. “That’s not happening.”I moved further into the room, placing my satchel on the table near the bed. The faint smell of herbs still clung to it. It followed me too, mixed with sweat and the damp scent of the forest.I wrinkled my nose slightly.“Yeah… definitely need a bath,” I muttered.My fingers moved to my clothes, taking them off slowly. The fabric felt heavier than usual against my skin, like it had absorbed the weight of the day along with everything else that happened tonight.As I pulled them off and let

HOPE’S POV.I stood there in the middle of the room, the dagger still in my hand, my eyes fixed on the faint trail of mud on the floor.For a moment, everything felt too still.Too quiet.My breathing slowed, but my mind did the opposite. It sharpened. Focused. Every small detail around me suddenly mattered in a way it had not before.Someone had been here.Not hours ago. Not earlier in the day.Recently.While I was in this room.While I was in the bathroom… unaware.A cold feeling slid down my spine.“They weren’t careful enough,” my wolf said quietly in my head. “Or they didn’t think you would notice.”My fingers tightened slightly around the dagger.“Either way,” I whispered under my breath, “they made a mistake.”Because I did notice.And I was not going to ignore it.I took a slow breath, steadying myself.Then I moved.I crouched down near the mud prints, lowering myself carefully so I could get a better look. The marks were faint, but they were there. Uneven, slightly smeared.

HOPE’S POV.The hallway felt longer than usual.Or maybe it was just me. And honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised if that was the case. I wasn't myself right now.Our footsteps echoed softly against the stone floor as we walked. The lights along the walls flickered gently, casting shadows that moved just enough to make my eyes track them without meaning to.I forced myself to keep my expression calm, but inside, my thoughts were anything but.The window.The mud.The feeling of being watched.My wolf stirred uneasily inside me."We should have checked more," she muttered. "Maybe we would have found something. Some actual answers maybe. Or at least more clues.""Not with him there," I replied silently, shaking my head softly. "I couldn’t risk it. We don't even know who is doing this."She didn’t argue.I needed information.But I couldn’t just ask directly. Not yet.Not until I knew who I could trust.I turned slightly toward the guard as we walked.“You’ve been in the castle long?”

HOPE’S POV.I knew something was wrong before the doors even opened.It wasn’t a sound exactly. It was a feeling.Like the air on the other side of those doors was thicker than it should be.I stopped just short of the entrance, my steps slowing without me meaning to. The guard beside me didn’t say anything, but I could feel it too—the tension pressing outward, seeping through the wood like it couldn’t be contained inside.My wolf stirred immediately."Careful," she murmured. "Tension must be high in there by now."“I can feel it,” I replied silently.I drew in a slow breath, straightening slightly. Whatever was happening inside, I was about to walk straight into it.The guard stepped forward and pushed the doors open.I walked in.The first thing I noticed was Hunter.He was standing now, not sitting like I expected. His posture was stiff, controlled, but there was something in the way his shoulders were set that told me everything I needed to know.He was angry.Not loud. Not out of