Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 126: Familiar Voice

"It has already begun," Naveen murmured, her voice trembling with shock. "The queen is clever. She cast a separation spell on the princess. The farther she gets from the palace, the stronger the spell’s effects become."

Rhaegar’s eyebrows shot up in confusion. The witch’s explanation defied his expectations. "But she was meant to move to the northern border anyway. Why would the queen put such a spell on her?"

Naveen sighed, shaking her head as if trying to piece together a puzzle with missing pieces. "Perhaps the spell was placed recently—to stop her from escaping or... to prevent her from being taken."

The king’s face darkened, his expression a storm of cold fury and frustration. Althea had accounted for everything, while he had been caught unprepared. The realization sent his anger simmering, his blood threatening to boil over.

"What can we do?" Rhaegar demanded, his voice edged with desperation. "There must be something to counteract the separation spell!"

Naveen hesitated, her heart twisting painfully at the raw emotion in his voice. Then, in a quieter tone, she asked, "Did you plan to marry her in the Beast Kingdom?"

Rhaegar gave a firm nod. "The mating ceremony must be official. Only then can we establish a mind link and be recognized as mates by the rest of the beasts. I intended to perform the ceremony on my kingdom’s lands so that any interference would escalate into an international matter."

"Very well," the witch replied, her tone calm but edged with a hint of gravity. "There is something we can do to divert the queen’s attention for now. However, it will be painful for the princess at first, and you’ll need to do it every single day without fail."

"What is it?" Rhaegar asked, his voice almost desperate. "I will do anything."

"Your blood," Naveen replied. "You’re resistant to all kinds of magic. Your blood can help temporarily suppress the spells already cast on her."

Rhaegar was ready to give her anything she needed. Offering his blood was the least he could do, and he would have given her even more if necessary. If it would end her suffering, he would have willingly sacrificed every last piece of himself.

"It’s fine," he said, his voice firm. "Do whatever needs to be done."

"Very well." Naveen retrieved another glass bottle from the wide belt at her waist and threw its cork onto the carriage floor. "Before we begin, her body must be prepared for the change. Here," she handed him the opened bottle, which contained a dark green liquid. "She needs to drink this first. It will make it easier for her body to accept your blood."

The princess was too weak to drink it herself, so Rhaegar gently poured the liquid into his mouth and kissed her, allowing it to trickle slowly into her mouth. Her limp body stiffened slightly in response. Once the liquid was gone, he opened her lips to ensure she had swallowed it.

Without hesitation, he bit into his finger, breaking the skin as blood began to flow. He then slipped his bleeding fingers into Lorelai’s small mouth, rubbing his blood onto her tongue and making her swallow it.

The princess’s half-closed eyes fluttered. She shook her head, desperately trying to push the king’s fingers from her mouth. When that didn’t work, she bit down hard, but Rhaegar didn’t relent. Instead, he pressed his fingers deeper, refusing to pull away. Tears began to fill her eyes, the pain overwhelming.

"Ahhh!!" Her scream pierced the air, a raw cry of agony. Her small body shuddered violently, almost convulsing. Rhaegar held her tightly, his arms a vice as she writhed in excruciating pain, biting and scratching at him desperately.

"Let me go! I don’t want it! Let me go––it hurts!"

"It’s alright, Lorelai. It’s fine," Rhaegar murmured, his voice gentle but firm.

He tried to calm her, his words soft and comforting as he pampered her in the only way he knew. He rubbed his face against her tear-streaked cheek, whispering sweet, soothing things that only he could say in that moment.

Rhaegar appeared fragile, holding the princess in his arms, his words barely audible, his face close to hers. Naveen’s gaze flickered as she watched, a tremor passing through her as she lowered her head in quiet contemplation.

Fascinating... What an incredibly strong attachment...

Naveen knew this attachment wasn’t superficial. No, Rhaegar’s feelings were far more intense than she had initially imagined. Among the beasts, the wolf tribe was renowned for giving their whole hearts when choosing a mate. But Naveen hadn’t expected the King of Beasts to act in such a way—so vulnerable, so deeply invested. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

The King of the Beasts has never been defeated, Naveen thought, but perhaps he is beginning to understand what it means to be helpless... because of a human princess.

***

Lorelai heard the coachman yell something unintelligible to his horses, and just a moment later, the carriage jerked, pulling her away.

Now, it was truly time to leave.

Hot tears streamed down her face as she turned to her right, not caring if her dress crumpled in the process, and gazed out of the window. The royal palace was rapidly fading from her view, and she knew, deep in her heart, that she would never see it again.

It had been her only home, the place that was meant to be hers by right, even though she had never truly belonged there. Oddly, though, she felt no regret, no sorrow—only a strange emptiness.

Once the palace was no longer visible, Lorelai sank back against the soft, padded seat of the coach, closing her heavy eyelids, the weight of her thoughts pressing down on her.

The poison had already begun to take effect. She prayed quietly, wishing she would be long gone—dead—before the carriage ever reached its destination.

Lost in her prayer and lulled by the steady rhythm of the horses’ hooves as they clattered against the cobblestone road, Lorelai didn’t notice that their entourage had already left the Capital. They were now passing through a vast sunflower field, the bright yellow heads of the flowers swaying gently in the breeze.

Lorelai glanced out the window once more, and an unpleasant heaviness settled in her chest, spreading through her body like a weight she couldn’t shake.

The skies had darkened, thick black clouds rolling in, and the once-hopeful sunflowers now drooped low, their large, bright heads bowing to the earth as if they, too, were mirroring her own state of mind.

’How ominous... and yet so fitting.’

She wished time would pass quickly so that her boring and useless life would end sooner.

With nothing else to do, Lorelai closed her eyes again and leaned back in her seat, struggling to find a somewhat comfortable position. The corset of her wedding dress was suffocating enough, but it was the growing effect of the poison that made her feel so restless.

She was beginning to feel sleepy while every single muscle in her body was starting to ache.

’I just need to wait a little more. Soon, this all will no longer be felt.’

Suddenly, Lorelai flinched as she heard the loud sound of a horse’s neigh, followed by a blunt thud of something heavy hitting the road.

The same sequence of noises seemed to repeat itself several times before the princess finally understood what was happening.

They were being ambushed.

’Bandits?’

She tried to move and look out of the window again but her body was already too heavy and even the slightest movement made her shiver from pain.

Her mind was cloudy and distorted; the noises outside the coach all mixed together and seemed to be distant and faint, but she knew that the knights assigned to escort her were fighting.

Lorelai felt lucky. Even if they were ambushed by bandits, it did not matter anymore. She was dying; she was almost gone.

A somewhat sly smile tugged at the corners of her pale lips as she thought about the man she was to marry. How unfortunate for him. How deserving.

Her body was giving up.

Feeling incredibly heavy, cold, and sleepy, Lorelai closed her but opened them again right away as someone’s large, incredibly warm hand reached out to her through the open door of the carriage, gently grabbing her by her tiny waist.

"Lorelai?"

She recognized that voice now, and it continued to repeat her name.

"Lorelai? Can you hear me? Open your eyes!"

’A man...’

The familiar low voice unmistakably belonged to a man—strong, yet unbelievably warm. His large arms wrapped around her, holding her close to his solid body, his hot fingers brushing gently against the cold skin of her cheek.

Struggling, the princess tried to lift her heavy eyelids once more, but her vision remained too blurry for her to make sense of anything.

The only thing she could discern clearly was a pair of bright amber eyes, gleaming like burning coals.

"Lorelai... I think it’s time for you to wake up."

Lorelai’s heart clenched with a sharp, painful thud—the man’s voice was so bitterly sweet, each word pressing her cold, lifeless body tighter against his broad chest.

He continued to call her name—softly, affectionately, every syllable filled with an undeniable love that seemed to seep into her very soul.

Lorelai.

If it were possible, she would want to hear her name spoken like that forever, carried by the warmth and tenderness of his voice, a sound that felt like a lifeline.