Sold to the Demon Lycan Prince のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

"While you're here. Is there anything you need? Anything that would make your time in Morath more... bearable?"I stared at him. It was such an unexpected question, so earnest and awkward, that I almost didn't know how to respond. He was a prince. He'd bought me and he imprisoned me. And now he was asking what he could do to make me happy.I thought long and hard. I had everything I needed here. Everything already. He was providing me shelter, food and even fancy clothes. With the promise of money and my freedom afterwards. What could I possibly need? "Gold," I said finally. "Not for me. For my friend. Rooney. I reckon she's still at the orphanage. If there was a way you could send her money, enough to get her out, to find work..." Azriel nodded before I finished. "I'll arrange it. How much?""Whatever you can spare, at least a hundred coins. She's not greedy. She just needs enough to survive.""I'll send enough to keep her comfortable for the rest of her life." His amber eyes met m

I woke to sunlight streaming through the enchanted windows and the weight of Fatima's words pressing on my chest. Not only did I have to deal with the curse and everything that came with it. But ghosts! I had to deal with ghosts now!Eighteen. The thought hit me before I was fully awake, before I'd even opened my eyes. Eighteen years old. I'd made it. Against all odds, against Rusk and the beatings and the hunger and the cold, I'd survived to see another year. Not that anyone here knew. Not that anyone would care that the human had turned a year older. I sat up slowly, the silk sheets pooling around my waist. The room was quiet, the fire burned low, and the mirror on the wall showed nothing but my own reflection, I was still skinny and pale, but I could see the rosy color of my cheeks. I guess sleeping on silk sheets and good food would do that to you.Fatima's words echoed in my mind. The secret stairway. The forest. The human kingdom on the outskirts, where I could disappear and ne

"Nothing you didn't agree to." She smiled, and it was the smile of a predator. "We made a bet. You'll honor it. We all will."She turned and swept out of the courtyard, her laughter still echoing behind her.I looked down at the rune on my arm. It was still glowing, the lines etched into my skin like a brand. I saw Azriel running towards me, he looked worried."What is this?! I made a mistake," I whispered."Yes," Azriel said, his voice grim. "You did."I looked at him, and for the first time, I saw something like fear in his eyes."Fae bets are binding," he said. "Magic itself enforces them. Alina will claim whatever she wants, even if it's your life. And she always collects."I stared at the rune on my arm, the symbol of my own recklessness. I had been so focused on Rooney, on the promise of seeing her again, that I had forgotten the most important rule of dealing with the fae. Never make a bet with one of them."Can I undo it?" I asked."No." Azriel's voice was heavy. "The only wa

I thought of the rune on my arm, of the bet I'd made with Alina. And the other girls who had come before me. I wasn't confident. I wasn't brave. I wasn't any of the things a hero was supposed to be.I was just a thief with a quick mouth and an inconvenient conscience. And I didn't think I could save anyone, not Azriel, not his kingdom, not even myself.But I could leave. I could do that much.-———————————I found Lord Fenrir in the corridor outside my room. He was leaning against the wall, his scarred face twisted into something that might have been a smile. His yellow eyes tracked me as I walked past, and I felt the weight of his gaze like a physical thing."Off to see the prince?" he asked, his voice lazy. "Or are you running away already?"I didn't stop walking. "None of your business.""Everything in this palace is my business." He pushed off the wall, falling into step beside me. "Especially now that half the court is betting on your little wager with Lady Alina."I faltered. "H

The wolves circled around the tree close to me. I pressed myself harder against the fallen tree, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my fingers digging into the earth. There were three of them, they were massive, black-furred and their yellow eyes gleaming with hunger and malice. One of them stepped closer, its snout twitching as it scented the air.And then a shadow moved between us. My mind told me it was Azriel. He appeared from nowhere, his body was a blur of motion. He didn't have a weapon, not like he needed one. His hands had already shifted, claws extending and his eyes blazing gold."Get away from her," he growled.The wolves snarled. One of them lunged at him.Azriel met it mid-air, his claws raking across its flank. The wolf yelped, tumbling to the ground, but the other two were already moving. One went for his legs, the other for his throat.I watched in horror as Azriel fought. He was fast, impossibly fast but he was in his human form and he was outnumbered. And when the th