All Chapters of The Lycan King’s Pawn: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The guards caught me before I even reached the castle gates.Four giant men in dark leather armor surrounded me, their silver swords flashing in the pale sunlight. I didn't try to fight them. My leg was throbbing too hard, and my body was completely out of energy. I dropped my small hunting knife into the snow and held my hands up.Ten minutes later, two of the guards dragged me down a long, dark hallway and shoved me into a massive stone hall.The air in the room was so cold I could see my breath rising in tiny white clouds. Heavy black banners hung from the high ceiling, and a massive fireplace crackled on the far wall, doing almost nothing to warm the place up.Sitting on a dark stone throne at the far end of the room was King Kaelen.He was even more terrifying in person than the stories said. He had broad shoulders, a sharp jaw, and eyes as cold and blue as glacier ice. His dark aura filled the room, heavy enough to make the air feel thick and hard to breathe. He looked down at m

Kaelen turned back to me, his cold mask firmly back in place, though his eyes still burned with a dark, dangerous heat. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me up off the icy floor."Stay behind me and keep your mouth shut," he ordered, his voice low and firm."I can fight my own battles," I muttered, yanking my wrist free from his grip. "Marcus thinks I'm a helpless Omega. Let him keep thinking that until I rip his throat out."A faint smirk crossed Kaelen’s lips for a split second. "Suit yourself, rogue."We walked out of the dark fortress and up onto the high stone wall above the main courtyard. Below us, Marcus stood near the heavy iron gates, flanked by twenty of his top fighters. He looked clean, well-fed, and arrogant in his black leather jacket and heavy fur cloak.When Marcus looked up and saw me standing right beside the King, his jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth click from fifty feet away."King Kaelen!" Marcus yelled, his loud voice echoing off the frozen walls. "Thank

"Arrest?" I repeated, stepping away from the soup tray. "I haven't even left this room!""Lady Lyra was found collapsed in her chambers five minutes ago, coughing up blood," the lead guard said, his hand resting on the hilt of his heavy silver sword. "Her maid said you offered her a poisoned bowl in the dining hall. The elders want you in the dungeon."I clenched my fists. Lyra was clever. She knew I had exposed her poisoned soup in front of the whole court. So, she took a tiny sip of her own non-lethal poison to make it look like I had retaliated. It was a classic high-born scheme, and these guards were taking the bait."I didn't poison anyone," I said, keeping my voice dead calm. "Look at the tray on my table right now. It’s laced with sweet-root. Why would I poison her when someone is actively trying to paralyze me?""Tell that to the council," the guard barked. He stepped forward, grabbing my arm tightly to drag me out of the room.Before he could pull me into the hallway, a dark,

My heart dropped into my stomach as I stared at my hands. They were soaked in dark, thick blood. At my feet, the old Alpha’s eyes stared back at me, blank and lifeless."You killed him, Valeria," Marcus's voice echoed through the dark trees, dripping with poison. "You sliced his throat while he slept, and now you're pretending to be a victim."Panic squeezed my throat. My breathing went fast and shallow. I wanted to drop my knife, scream, and scrub my hands clean in the dirt.No, I forced myself to think, closing my eyes tight. This isn't real. Kaelen warned me. The forest uses illusion magic to force you to face your worst fear.I took a deep, shaking breath, smelling the pine and cold air beneath the rot."I didn't kill him," I whispered aloud, my voice trembling at first.I opened my eyes and looked straight at the bloody body on the ground. "You killed him, Marcus. I watched you wipe your blade on his bedsheets. I was there."The moment I spoke the truth, the body dissolved into a

The explosion rocked the mountainside, sending a wave of icy wind and stone dust over the clearing. The high glass windows of the West Wing were completely gone, replaced by thick, rolling purple smoke."Kaelen!" I screamed, turning toward the platform.The elders and Lady Lyra were screaming, scattering in chaos as debris rained down on the courtyard. But Kaelen didn't run. He stood at the edge of the stone wall, looking up at his burning fortress. His face was pure rage, his icy blue eyes practically glowing in the dark smoke."Drag her to the horses!" Marcus ordered his guards, grinning like a madman. "The Northern kingdom falls today!"Two heavy guards grabbed my arms, dragging me backward into the thick forest. The silver handcuffs burned into my skin like hot iron, making my head spin and my legs feel weak.I can't let them take me, I thought frantically, fighting against the guards' grip. If I leave now, Kaelen dies, and Marcus wins everything.I looked at my burning silver cuf