All Chapters of SOLD TO THE RUTHLESS LYCAN KING : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

57 Chapters

The Face Behind The Betrayal

Ariana's POVNobody asked another question.The look on Cassian's face was enough.Whatever he had seen outside...It had frightened even him.Kael joined him at the entrance to the cave and looked down into the valley.I followed a few steps behind.The smoke from the burning forest had begun to clear.Riders were climbing the narrow path that led to the cave.They weren't rushing.They rode in perfect formation, leaving the same distance between each horse.No shouting.No waving of swords.Just quiet confidence.At their head rode a man dressed in black armour.His face was hidden behind an iron mask.Only his eyes could be seen.Cold.Patient.Watching the cave as though he already knew who was inside."Do you know him?" I asked.Cassian didn't answer immediately."I know the mask.""What does that mean?""It means he doesn't want anyone to know his face."Malach let out a bitter laugh."Or perhaps...""...he doesn't have one he can show."The masked rider stopped a short distance

Last Updated : 2026-07-15

The King's Last Gift

Ariana's POVMy eyes moved from Lucien's hand to the ring lying in his palm.It was beautiful, but something about it felt... wrong.Before I could reach for it, Miriam stepped in front of me."Don't touch it."Her voice was so firm that everyone turned to look at her.Lucien slowly lowered his hand."You recognized it.""I recognized the forgery."The air between them changed.Not because they hated each other.Because they both knew the same secret.Miriam walked closer, never taking her eyes off the ring."When King Adrian became ruler, only two royal signet rings were made. One remained with the King, and the other was locked inside the Hall of Ancestors."She looked at Lucien."So tell me... where did you get a third one?"Lucien didn't answer immediately.Instead, he closed his fingers around the ring and let out a quiet sigh."I was hoping we wouldn't have this conversation today.""Answer her," Kael said.Lucien looked at him."Your father gave this to me.""My father?""No."

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

Home Under Siege

Ariana's POVWe left the cave within minutes.No one wasted time arguing.The attack on Shadowcrest had changed everything.The questions about my parents would have to wait.If the capital fell, there might not be a kingdom left to return to.Cassian's men led the way through a narrow mountain path that cut across the valley. It was dangerous, but it was the fastest route back.I rode beside Kael.Neither of us spoke for a while.The wind carried the smell of smoke long before the city came into view.Finally, Kael broke the silence."How's your shoulder?"I rolled it carefully."It still hurts, but I can manage."He glanced at me."You don't have to be strong every second."I smiled faintly."I'm trying to convince myself more than anyone else."That earned a quiet laugh from him."I'm beginning to notice."For the first time in days, the silence between us felt comfortable instead of tense.It didn't last.A scout came racing down the trail on horseback."My King!"He jumped off hi

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

The Palace Has Fallen

Ariana's POVThe warning bell kept ringing.Its deep sound rolled across the city, cutting through the cries of frightened people and the crackling of burning buildings.I had never been to Shadowcrest before.Yet, as I looked down from the ridge, one thought filled my mind.This is home now.And someone was trying to destroy it.Kael pulled his horse around."We ride straight to the palace.""No," Lucien said.Everyone looked at him."If the palace has already been breached, the enemy will expect you to come through the front gate.""They know how I think."Cassian nodded."He's right.""There are too many eyes on the main road."Kael studied the city below. Smoke covered most of the streets, making it difficult to see where the fighting was happening.Then Rowan pointed towards the river."The old mill."Kael followed his finger."It still connects to the western tunnel.""It should.""If it hasn't collapsed."A grin spread across Rowan's face."When has anything ever been easy?"Ka

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

Welcome Home

Ariana's POVNo one breathed.The man was still sitting on Kael's throne, but his eyes were fixed on the narrow opening in the wall.He couldn't possibly have seen us.The room beyond was dark.The stone door had opened only a few inches.Yet he smiled with the confidence of a man who never doubted himself."Come out," he called. "You've travelled too far to hide behind a wall."Kael didn't move.Neither did Rowan.The stranger leaned back in the throne and rested one hand on its carved arm."I've waited twenty years for this meeting."His voice was smooth, almost welcoming."If I wanted you dead, I would have ordered my men to seal that tunnel before you reached the palace."He wasn't shouting.He was speaking as though we were guests he had invited.Kael looked at Rowan."Take Ariana back."I shook my head before Rowan could answer."I'm not leaving.""Ariana.""No."I met Kael's eyes."If he's been waiting for me, he'll keep chasing me. Running won't change that."For a moment, Kae

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

My Answer

Ariana's POVNo one spoke.Every eye in the throne room was on me.The man stood only a few steps away, the second pendant resting in his palm.He looked certain of himself.Certain that I would choose him.I looked at the pendant.Then I looked at Kael.His sword was still in his hand, but he wasn't telling me what to do.He was waiting.Waiting for my decision.The stranger smiled."Well?""You've spent your whole life looking for answers.""I'm offering them to you.""All you have to do is walk away."I took one slow step forward.Kael caught my wrist.His grip wasn't hard.It was almost as if he was asking a question.I looked at him.He didn't say, Don't go.He didn't say, Stay.Instead, he asked quietly,"What do you want?"Not what was best for the kingdom.Not what he wanted.What I wanted.I turned back to the stranger."I do want the truth."His smile returned."But..."I continued,"...not from a man who burns cities to get it."His smile faded."You think I wanted this war

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

My Choice I Couldn't Escape

Ariana's POVThe throne room fell into confusion.Soldiers rushed in and out, shouting orders. Healers knelt beside the wounded. Messengers ran through the broken doors, each carrying worse news than the last.But I heard only one thing.The Lake of Echoes.The name stayed in my head like a bell that refused to stop ringing.Kael turned to the soldier."When did they take her?""Less than an hour ago, Your Majesty.""How many men?""We don't know.""They came through the servants' passage. By the time the guards reached her chambers..." He lowered his eyes. "They were gone."Kael closed his eyes for a brief moment.When he opened them again, he was all business."Seal every gate.""Search every road leading north.""No one leaves Shadowcrest without my order."The soldier bowed and hurried away.I looked down at the map in my hands.The lake was circled in black ink.There was another mark beside it.An old stone tower.Someone had written a single sentence underneath.Come alone.Cas

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

A Killer In The Palace

Ariana's POVThe white raven carved into the knife caught the firelight.It looked almost alive.Cassian turned it over in his hand before passing it to Kael."They're sending us a message."Kael studied the mark ."No.""They're sending us a warning."Rowan folded his arms."What's the difference?""A message asks for your attention."Kael looked at the body on the floor."A warning tells you to stop asking questions."No one argued.The man who had promised answers was dead.Someone had made sure of that.Miriam covered his face with a clean cloth."He deserved a better ending."Lucien stood beside her."So did many good people."His voice was quiet, but there was bitterness behind it.I looked around the throne room.Broken windows.Blood on the marble floor.Soldiers carrying away the wounded.Only yesterday, I had been trying to escape Kael.Now I was standing in his palace, hunting the people who had destroyed my family.Life had changed so quickly that I barely recognised it.A

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

The Chase

Ariana's POV"Don't let her get away!"Rowan's voice rang through the corridor as he sprinted after her.The girl was fast.Too fast for someone who had spent her days carrying water and cleaning rooms.She shoved a serving cart into the hallway.Wood crashed against the floor.Plates shattered.Two guards stumbled trying to get out of the way.She never looked back.Cassian wiped the water from his face and took off after her."She knows the palace!""So do we," Kael replied.He pointed towards the next passage."Cut her off."Three guards broke away at once.I ran after them."Ariana!" Kael called.I pretended not to hear him.If that girl escaped, another secret would disappear with her.She darted through the kitchens.Cooks screamed and jumped aside as boiling pots tipped over.Steam filled the room.The smell of bread and smoke mixed together until I could barely breathe."There!" Rowan shouted.The girl had climbed onto one of the wooden tables.She kicked a basket of apples in

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

A Lie Among Us

Ariana's POVI read the note twice.Then a third time.The words still didn't change.Stop trusting the people standing beside you. One of them has lied to you from the beginning.Rowan looked over my shoulder."She's trying to turn us against each other.""Maybe," Cassian said."But that doesn't mean she's lying."No one answered.We walked back into the palace in silence.This silence felt different.A few minutes ago, we had been chasing the same enemy.Now, every person beside me felt like a question I couldn't answer.The council chamber had survived the attack better than the rest of the palace.The windows were cracked, and one wall was black from smoke, but it was still standing.Kael closed the doors behind us."No one leaves this room."His voice was calm, but everyone understood.This wasn't a request.I sat at the end of the long table.Kael remained standing.Cassian leaned against the fireplace.Lucien folded his arms.Miriam rested both hands on her staff.Rowan paced f

Last Updated : 2026-07-16

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