Too Tempting for the Lycan King のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

Ariana’s POVShouting woke me before sunrise and I sat up fast.My heart rang, and I found Kael already standing near the window, he was fully dressed, and his face was carved from stone.“What happened?”“They found it,” he said. “The poison, hidden under a maid’s bed.”My whole body went cold.“Which maid?”“The one who spilled your soup.”I threw off the blanket and stood, my legs still weak from sleep.“I want to see her.”“Ariana…”“I want to see her, Kael.”He studied me for a long moment, then finally nodded.…Guards dragged the maid into a small stone room deep inside the palace, her wrists bound with rope, her face streaked with dried tears. When she saw Kael walk in behind me, she dropped to her knees immediately.“My King, please, I only did what I was told.”Kael crouched in front of her, his voice dangerously calm.“Then tell me who told you.”She shook her head violently, her whole body trembling.“I can’t.”“You will.”“She’ll kill me!”“I will kill you,” Kael said qu

Ariana’s POVThe invitation arrived on a small silver tray, folded neatly and sealed with a wax stamp shaped like a crescent moon.I opened it slowly, my fingers still slightly stiff from sleep.Lady Ariana, please join me for afternoon tea in the east garden. I would love to know you better. …LyraI stared at the words for a long moment, and my stomach twisted into knots.Part of me wanted to refuse, wanted to hide in my room until the invitation disappeared on its own.However another part of me knew refusing would only make things worse. Nobles were already whispering enough about me and I didn’t even need to give them another reason.“I will go,” I whispered to myself, and I folded the letter closed. “It’s just tea.”I almost believed it.…The east garden looked beautiful under the afternoon sun, white flowers climbed along stone arches.And a small table set with delicate cups and a pot of steaming tea resting in the center.Lyra sat waiting, she was dressed in soft pink, and h

Ariana’s POVGuards now stood at nearly every corner of the palace, and Kael made sure at least two of them followed me wherever I went. At first, it felt suffocating, it was like the walls kept closing in tighter each day.But somewhere between the extra guards and the constant checking, something unexpected happened.Kael started staying longer, not just outside my door at night, but also during the day too. He found reasons to walk with me through the gardens, reasons to sit with me during meals, and reasons to simply be near me even when nothing needed protecting.“You don’t have to keep finding excuses,” I told him one afternoon while I watched him pretend to read a scroll while sitting across from me in the small sitting room. “You can just say you want to be here.”He then looked up, caught.“I have important palace matters to attend to,” he said, holding up the scroll like proof.“You have been holding that upside down for the last ten minutes.”His eyes dropped to the par

Damien’s POV“Say that again,” I said and my voice was barely above a whisper.The rogue flinched, and his whole body shaking under the weight of my stare.“She’s alive, Alpha. Living inside the Lycan Kingdom.”I stood so fast my chair crashed backward against the floor.“How long?”“I don’t know exactly.” The rogue’s voice cracked. “Weeks, maybe longer, a powerful man found her the night your guards threw her into rogue territory.”My chest tightened painfully.“What man?”“Nobody knows his name for certain,” the rogue said. “But everyone in the rogue lands whispers about it. A massive black wolf tore through three of our own that night, killed them before they could even scream, and carried her away like she belonged to him.”The room around me blurred slightly, rage and something else, something sharper and more painful, twisted together inside my chest.“Get out,” I said quietly.My Beta hesitated. “Alpha…”“I said get out!”Everyone scrambled from the room, dragging the trembli

Ariana’s POV“Stay inside,” Kael said, his voice sharp with command. “Do you understand me? Whatever happens, you stay inside this palace.”“Kael…”“Ariana.” He gripped my shoulders gently but firmly, and his eyes were burning into mine. “Promise me.”I swallowed hard, my heart already racing at the sound of Damien’s name.“I promise.”He studied my face for a long moment, like he didn’t fully believe me, and then turned and walked quickly toward the palace gates, and guards fell into formation behind him.I stood alone in the hallway, and my whole body trembled.Damien.He was here, after everything, after weeks of silence, after believing I meant nothing to him, he had come.I told myself I wouldn’t go, I told myself I would honor my promise and stay hidden inside like Kael asked.But my feet carried me toward the nearest staircase before my mind could catch up, and it climbed higher and higher until I reached a small balcony overlooking the front gates.I then pressed myself again