Share

63. Bloodied Knuckles

Author: Priyal Dessai
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56
[ELARA]

We’re both frozen, caught by each other unexpectedly. Momentarily, the corridors and every other thought fade away, leaving only Magnus and the inexplicable pull he has over me.

He tears his golden gaze away... in shame? But not quickly enough. His eyes have already captured me, making me lose a bit of myself. They seem to stare straight into my soul, unraveling all my fears and desires. I wonder, is he also reminded of the last time we were this close to each other?

His broad shoulders seem like they could bear the weight of the world, and I think of how it’ll feel to have them wrapped around me.

‘Get a hold of yourself!’ Lila exclaims, and I just close my eyes in defeat.

When I open my eyes, promising myself to not act stupid, I find Magnus struggling to choose his words. He could simply walk away, avoiding the conversation altogether, but he remains rooted to the spot. His mouth opens and closes, and his lips catch my eyes. Instinctively, I lick mine. And that gesture moves
Priyal Dessai

Thanks for reading! If you're liking the story, consider voting with gems or dropping a comment.

| Like
Locked Chapter
Continue to read this book on the APP

Related chapters

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   64. The Replacement

    [ELARA]“Go away,” I mumble weakly before I remember what my husband did to hers, failing to stop tears from coming out of my eyes. “Please.”Although Lady Brook flinches at the hoarseness of my tone, she doesn’t leave. Her eyes dart between my knuckles and the patches of blood on the polished floor. “You’re hurt,” she observes softly. “Your wounds must be tended to.”“There’s no need,” I tell her, rising abruptly to my feet and hastily wiping my cheeks. “I have wolf blood. They’ll heal.”Lady Brook frowns. “The floor? And your gown?” “Talisa will take care of the floor. This gown I shall burn,” I tell her in a cold voice. She lets out a gasp, her eyes flickering to the hearth. “Oh, heavens! Did you do that?” she asks, hurrying to watch the burning clothes in the hearth. “You couldn’t. Who did that?”“Why does it matter?” I ask her, forcing myself to take another glance at the burnt painting. “They’re ruined.”She protests, “You can’t let this be seen by anyone, Princess Elara. Not e

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   65. The Broken Tank

    [MAGNUS]The dilapidated entrance to the prison dungeon looms before me, watching with disappointment. Its stones, worn and crumbling from decades of neglect, seem to whisper ancient curses as I approach. The stone stairs crumble beneath my weight, forcing me to leap and catch the edge before the entire structure collapses into the void below.Gladly, prior to her disappearance, Morgana was cunning enough to craft a concealed entrance, imbued with dark magic. Now with her amulet, I can use it to open and close the entrance.‘She still lives,’ Creed resounds in my mind. ‘Right under your nose.’Morgana is not someone who will let anyone discover her. She will appear again when she wishes to. And so I don’t want to waste my precious time chasing away leads that she can smartly get rid of. Let her play her game. She will come to me when she’s bored. I’d had the prisoners moved to an isolated holding on the outskirts of Norhall, because somehow, a part of me had known I’d be needing the s

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   66. To Lull A Monster

    [CREED]The water that escapes out of the broken clear wall gushes around the many stones, and splashes against Creed’s black fur. But he’s quick and instantly alerts himself. It’s his eyes that see when the being in the water with a scaly tail lashes at him, and at the man his human likes to keep close, igniting his fury. He pounces at an instant between the man and the being, immersing himself into the water as it closes around him in an attempt at distraction. Creed succeeds, only to hear a rattling hiss echo through the water, erupting from the being’s neck. Its human-like arms try to clasp at his fur, its sharp mouth widening to take a bite, but he gracefully slides through the water. While the being is confused, Creed reaches its back and—despite the desperate denial of his human—closes his jaw around its scaly tail, biting it off his body.Warm, black blood spills out, mixing with the splashing water that has now escaped through crevices, getting a level lower. Letting out an

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   67. The Flute

    [ELARA]It’s in the middle of the night and most of the palace is asleep. Magnus leads me through the quiet corridors, guarded by sleepy humans. I follow him, half dazed from my disturbing sleep and half concerned about what I’m about to see. When I asked him to explain himself, he just turned away, lowering his eyes in defeat. Of course, she is dead, I think to myself as our footsteps echo through the high walls. It can’t be worse than that. Magnus walks to a part of the palace that I’ve never seen before. This part is different. Abandoned. No guards stand here. And then I find myself watching over his shoulder to an area of a wall that… shimmers. It ripples as if a stone has been cast across the surface of a lake. With a gasp, I watch Magnus pass through the wall and disappear. One careful, but fearful step puts me across too. And then it all dawns on me in horror. The dungeons. The place where Alec had been held behind silver bars in a cell. Where I’d heard screams of prisone

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   68. The Merilure

    [ELARA]But it’s not possible. We made sure no one followed us. We heard no human heartbeats near the lair.Lila enlightens me, ‘A vampire’s heart doesn’t beat.’Instinctively, I move closer to Magnus, my hand latching to his arm in fear. His golden eyes flicker to me, momentarily softening, losing the anger with which he regarded Valen. I let go, wondering how embarrassing it must look. So this vampire has been watching us all this while and we didn’t have a clue. Since when has he been around here? The fear of what else he might know is overwhelming. Does he know of the passageway? Of the poison vial Zander handed over to me? My breathing is loud, much audible in the quiet dark dungeon until Magnus' voice cuts through the place, “I don’t trust you, Lord Valen. Your kind doesn’t have a reputation of being loyal.”Valen lets out an amused laugh, snapping the book shut. “You need my loyalty, Prince Magnus? I’m flattered. But all I can really give you right now is my curiosity. And

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   69. No Secrets

    [ELARA]The journey back is a quiet one, save for the occasional hoot of an owl and the night breeze blowing about. Magnus remains silent as we walk, his steps heavy with unspoken thoughts. When we finally reach my chamber, he stops, his eyes refusing to meet mine. "Goodnight, Elara," he says simply, his voice devoid of its usual warmth.I hesitate, a frown forming as I find my voice. "Mag—"But he's already turning away, his back to me, a wall I can't breach.Alistair’s eyes linger on me for a moment, a silent question in their depths, before he bows and decides to follow his alpha. I swallow the disappointment that rises within me, forcing myself to walk away too. Maybe this is his retaliation for how I avoided having a conversation with him earlier in the corridors. But that was different. It was about us. What I wish to say now is about so much more.The door to my chamber closes behind me with a soft click, sealing me in the oppressive silence. I shiver with fear, walking into the

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   70. Weaknesses

    [ELARA]“Alright,” I say, shrugging. “We can pretend and forget that ever happened. It was a moment of weakness and well, you and I are both young. We’re bound to… our bodies are bound to want… things. B-But it was dangerous anyway. And stupid.”Lady Brook’s words usher into my thoughts. The King proposes to wed Princess Daphne to Prince Magnus. This marriage gives him the kingdom of Wyvern, because Daphne is the heir to the throne.Magnus' eyes darken. His lips form a frown that says he doesn’t agree. But his words don’t. “Valen will be difficult to handle. But Rasmus has sworn an oath to keep this a secret. He only wishes to play a scientist and delve into experimentation,” he says, completely diverging from the topic in discussion, but then it's for the best. “I always thought Prince Rasmus was more rational. Turns out he was just upset that I happened to be the first to get my hands on a mutated hydralith.”“What about Alina?” I ask, arguably, the most pressing question. “Are we to

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   71. A Mother's Despair

    [ELARA]As I quietly make my way to the guest quarters, every step fills me with dread, slowing my pace. My arms shiver, and it is not just from the cold of the place being built underneath carved ground.How do I break it to a mother that her only daughter has turned into a rogue? The worst fate that can be cast upon a werewolf? And that I feel partially responsible for it?I had some hope in me this morning when my eyes opened beside the sleeping figure of Magnus. We visited Alina in her locked cell, passing through the concealed entrance, and found her transitioned. I knew it was coming, and I refused to believe it until I saw those bloodshot eyes and rabid fangs.She growled furiously the moment we approached, rattling the silver bars, without a care that they were searing the skin of her hands. Magnus had to drag me out of the dungeons because I couldn’t move or speak.It was terrifying, somehow even more than when I saw Alec. I loved him, and I falsely believed a part of him was

Latest chapter

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   96. The First Collapse

    [MAGNUS]Zander’s fear is obvious as I step closer. Even here, in Morgana’s lair with its strange, flickering candlelight despite the absence of wind, his wide eyes and stiff shoulders give him away. He knows I’m not a friend. We’ve never pretended otherwise. Betrayal, rivalry, disdain — we’ve shared all these openly, and now, as he sits on the bench looking healthier than he has in days, I can see the question in his eyes. Why would I save him? Why a friendly smile?I don’t think he even considers that him being brought here has anything to do with Elara. To him, she is nothing. Just someone he can discard and torment to his pleasure. Someone he can threaten to poison another just so her father could be safe. “Alpha Zander,” I call out again, forcing my voice to sound calm, friendly. “Or should I call you former Alpha?”His shoulders twitch, a reflex he can’t hide. Good. I need him on edge, need him angry and distracted. That’s when people are easiest to control.He doesn’t reply, hi

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   95. Through the Cave

    Content Warning: Gore. [MAGNUS]The little time that Zander has spent locked up in the Torturer’s Cave has done enough damage. When I find his cell, he’s frail — appearing half his weight, still screaming although his voice has become croaked. The runes glow a fiery red etched along the silver bars of the cell — doing their job of tormenting the prisoner within. I’ve heard it makes you relive your worst memories on repeat. With a hope that every time the outcomes will be different — a loved one might be saved, a crime might not be committed, but it all ends the same. With utmost misery. Zander doesn’t seem to hear our footsteps as we approach. Doesn’t even hear the conversation I have with the guard who refuses to unlock the cell. Doesn’t notice how the guard suddenly complies when Morgana meets his eyes, taken by a trance. And how the other guard tries to stop him, until he too is enchanted. The Alpha of Mistral Hollow. Let me correct myself: the former Alpha of Mistral Hollow is b

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   94. The Prince's Desperation

    [MAGNUS]“Stay with me.”It’s a plea more than anything. I can’t bear the thought of losing Elara. The thought of her dying because I began to care for her. There’s no way to draw out the silver faster. It can take days… weeks.Silver. The most potent weapon to kill our kind. An silver tipped arrow lodged into her chest, just inches away from her heart. She could’ve been dead. But she isn’t. There has to be some purpose to this, right? Another cruel fate woven by the Moon Goddess?The healers know nothing. Rather, they know little of this. Their abilities are limited to what is approved by nature. What is permitted to be done within the confines of Caelondor. But Morgana? She can dive into alchemy, drawn upon dark magic — magic that saved Elara from becoming a rogue. She can take my blood again. Goddess, she can take my life if it means saving Elara’s.I’m about to go looking for Morgana when she appears at the edge of the bed. Not as herself, but as Talisa. But the glimmer of red in

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   93. Irises that Wither

    [MAGNUS]“To the Royal Annoyance (my beloved brother), Magnus,Summer in Qaiven is brutal. I don’t know why I thought coming here was a good idea… Hold on, I’m only jesting! I have almost made up my mind to never leave. This place is wonderful just as you described from your varied visits for the Grand Conclave. And no, I’m not talking of the observatories of alchemists, or the quiet art galleries you love! The port of Vynov is certainly the grandest — the one in Caelondor pales shamefully in comparison. The streets are filled with people from all over the continent! Can you believe, I’ve already made friends with a High Lady who runs a brothel? Oh, Magnus. Unsaddle your horse. Of course, that is a jest, too. Your goons are keeping me perfectly safe from any danger that could be lurking. Frankly, the idea of never coming back to Caelondor is tempting. But so is the urge to bring you a barrel of blueberries only to see you scowl. Can you please start liking them? They’re the loveliest

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   92. In The Court of Wolves

    [MAGNUS]Every single pair of eyes in the council room is fixed on me. This isn’t the first time I’ve been a subject of their collective gazes, but this is clearly the first time I’ve cowered under it. I keep my head bowed low, projecting the emotion I feel — heartbreak for Ruelle’s betrayal and disappointment in my inability to find her. But this won’t support my claim — the claim I’ve put forward in front of the council. “They were attacked in the woods, and Ruelle was taken away.”I should be angry, aggravated, thrashing anything and everything in my way. I should be making statements of how I’ll make those who took her suffer. Anything to make my words more believable. Anything for Eldric to believe that Ruelle didn’t run away to escape her marriage. But I fail. I fail to grasp control of my own actions, of my movements. The mate bond pulls strongly at me, and I grit my teeth, holding back the pain Elara is suffering that I now experience too. The questions that trickle into m

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   91. Scarlet Eyes

    [MAGNUS]Everything happens in a haze. One moment I’m standing too confused on all fours wondering what odd twist of fate has occurred and how I find myself with a mate once again — the mate being Elara, of all people. And the next, all the air has been emptied from my lungs as I watch the arrow hiss through the air and lodge into her wolf form’s neck. As she collapses to the ground, her body shifts back into her human form. When I reach her, I’m human once again — not even realizing when the command reverberated through my mind. Blood trickles down her skin, pooling at her collarbone, as I hold her up in my lap. Creed howls at the pain his mate is experiencing but I’m too shocked, too numb to do anything. “Elara,” her name finally escapes my lips in a choked whisper. “Elara, please…”My hand hovers over the wound, but I’m not even sure what to do. She’s dying, I think as I press down gently, desperate to stop the flow, but it only seeps through my fingers.I try to breathe, but th

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   90. Fate's Second Chance

    [LILA]Lila races through the dense forest, her paws striking the earth with relentless speed. The world around her is a blur, the scents of moss and bark barely registering as she focuses solely on the chase. Ahead, the blue-eyed wolf’s scent grows fainter, but Lila pushes herself harder, determined to close the distance. Her instincts scream at her to catch up, to protect, to keep the young wolf within her reach.The beat of the wolf’s paws pounds through the earth, faint yet distinct, and Lila’s muscles tense with every stride. She tries reaching out to the wolf through the mind-link, calling her despite not knowing her name, but the distance makes it impossible to connect. Her human’s panic flickers through their shared consciousness, tightening in her mind, urging Lila not to slow, not to give up. But Lila’s resolve is unwavering. She won’t fail.Suddenly, her pace falters. She skids to a stop, frozen mid-stride, as something strange washes over her — a powerful, magnetic pull tha

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   89. Call of the Moon

    [MAGNUS]As I add the final strokes to the canvas, Alistair steps forward, his voice cutting through the quiet air of the gallery. “Lady Celia has arrived,” he informs me in his usual calm tone.I pause, setting the brush down with care. I step back, my gaze fixed on the painting in front of me, trying to soak in what I’ve just done. It feels strange — almost foreign — to stand here and look at something I’ve created with my own hands after all these years. A heavy sigh escapes me as I take in the finished piece. It is perfect, almost a replica.I can already picture Elara’s reaction. She will be pleased. She’ll smile — a smile I’ve rarely seen directed toward me, but one I’ve longed for more than I care to admit. And the thought of that smile, of seeing her light up with joy, stirs something inside me that I’ve kept buried for far too long.Happiness.It’s been so long since I’ve dared to pursue it. But now… now it feels like something I’m ready to bet on. Something I’m willing to ri

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   88. A Shift of Destiny

    [ELARA]Ruelle insists on taking the horses instead of a palanquin, much to the distaste of Lady Celia. Despite all of her mother’s efforts to persuade her, Ruelle remains stubbornly set on her wish to ride into the forest, claiming, “I’ve grown up now, and I can make my own choices!”Lady Celia passes her a glare, but it dissolves as soon as Ruelle wraps her in an embrace. “You must let me make decisions now, mother. But that’s not to say my love or respect for you has diminished in any way. I will always love you and hold you in the highest regard.”For a moment, I hold my breath, expecting my mother-in-law to break out into tears. Her lower lip twitches and then she swallows hard, easing into the hug for a brief moment before letting go. “You’ll always be my little girl, Rue,” she manages to speak in a thick voice before clearing her throat and regaining the sharp edge in her tone. “Don’t flatter me now. It’s your night. Do what you wish.” As Ruelle hops onto the horse that the gua

DMCA.com Protection Status