Home / Werewolf / THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE / Chapter 20: A War Begins

Share

Chapter 20: A War Begins

Author: Steve Mathew
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-16 14:58:33

"You should have run when you had the chance, Cassia."

The voice was unmistakable. Cold. Familiar.

I turned slowly, my pulse roaring in my ears. The rogue stood at the edge of the battlefield, his sword glinting under the blood-red moon. But something was different. His eyes, once filled with silent promises of protection, were hardened now, unreadable.

He wasn’t here to save me. He was here to destroy me.

Lucien stepped forward, his body tense beside mine. "So this is how it is," he murmured, his voice thick with restrained fury.

The rogue tilted his head, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. "I made my choice."

A sharp wind cut through the clearing, carrying the scent of war. The battle had begun, but my fight had just turned personal.

Three Hours Earlier

Lucien’s war tent was dimly lit, the flickering lanterns casting jagged shadows across the map spread before us. We were surrounded by warriors—his most trusted pack members, men who had killed for him, bled for him and wo
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Related chapters

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 21: The Blood Moon’s Deception

    The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of rain and blood. My heart pounded in my chest as I crouched behind the large oak, my breath coming in short, ragged bursts. The clearing before me was bathed in the eerie glow of the Blood Moon, its crimson light turning the world into something out of a nightmare.I had come here expecting war. Instead, I found betrayal.Lucien stood in the middle of the clearing, his posture rigid, his expression unreadable. He wasn’t alone. My stepmother stood beside him, her presence like a dark shadow against the moonlit night. The two of them were speaking in hushed tones, but I caught every word.“I gave you what you asked for, Lucien,” my stepmother said, her voice smooth and dripping with satisfaction. “Now, it’s time for you to uphold your end of the bargain.”Lucien’s fists clenched. “She’s not to be harmed.”My blood turned to ice.She?They were talking about me.I gripped the rough bark of the tree to steady myself, forcing my breat

    Last Updated : 2025-02-17
  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 22: The Silent Bond

    "You shouldn’t have found that," Lucien murmurs, his voice laced with regret.I spin around so fast that the old journal in my hands nearly slips from my grasp. My pulse thunders in my ears as I take in the man before me—the same man who had shattered my trust just hours ago. His face is unreadable, but his eyes hold something dangerous, something I can’t quite name."Shouldn’t have found what?" My voice is sharp, edged with betrayal and something else, something raw. "The truth? The prophecy? Or the fact that you were willing to sell me to that woman?"Lucien exhales, running a hand through his hair. "You don't understand, Cassia—""Then make me understand!" I step forward, my hands trembling. "Make me understand why I just heard you making a deal with my stepmother to trade me for power!"The silence stretches between us like a blade. His jaw tightens, and his shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath, but he doesn’t deny it.I scoff, the sound hollow. "You won’t even lie to me abo

    Last Updated : 2025-02-17
  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 23: The Mark of the Alpha

    “You have no idea what you’re playing with, Cassia,” the rogue’s voice was a low growl in my ear as he pulled me deeper into the shadows of the dense forest. “You think Lucien wants to own you? He’s trying to save you.”I wrenched my arm from his grip, my heart pounding in my chest. The words rattled in my mind, but they made no sense. “Save me?” I spat, my voice laced with disbelief. “From what? Himself? His own cruelty? I don’t need his protection.”The rogue—Kier—stared at me, frustration burning in his dark eyes. He had been the only one within Lucien’s pack who had dared to help me escape in the past. But after what I had discovered in my father’s old journals, after the prophecy, I wasn’t sure who to trust anymore.Kier let out a sharp breath, shaking his head. “It’s not just about you, Cassia. You don’t understand what you are—what’s inside you. If Lucien completes the bond, you won’t just be his mate. You’ll be bound to him in a way that no one—not even the goddess herself—can

    Last Updated : 2025-02-17
  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 24: The Forgotten Pact

    I stormed into Lucien’s chamber, my pulse hammering in my ears. He stood by the massive fireplace, his broad back to me, hands clenched at his sides. The glow of the flames cast long shadows on the stone walls, but I barely noticed.“You knew,” I spat, slamming the heavy door behind me. “You knew what the ritual meant, and you still let it happen!”Lucien turned slowly, his golden eyes dark and unreadable. “Cassia—”“No,” I cut him off, stepping forward. My heart was racing, my hands trembling. “You don’t get to say my name like that. Not after everything you’ve done.”He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his thick, dark hair. “You don’t understand.”“Then make me understand.” My voice wavered, but I stood my ground. “Tell me why I feel this pull to you. Why I can’t hate you as much as I should? Why—” My breath caught as something inside me twisted, a force I couldn’t control surging through my veins. I pressed a hand to my chest. “Why does it feel like my soul is being ripped a

    Last Updated : 2025-02-17
  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 25: The Final Betrayal

    "Love is a dangerous illusion."The rogue's words echoed in my mind as I stood in the clearing, my heart pounding. The night was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, and the full moon cast long shadows across the forest floor. I clenched my fists, staring at the man who had guided me, who had whispered secrets in the dark, who had sworn to help me escape Lucien’s grasp.The rogue—Joren.His emerald eyes glowed under the moonlight, and the smirk he wore sent a chill down my spine."You…" My voice came out as a whisper, thick with betrayal. "It was you all along."Joren tilted his head, watching me like a predator sizing up its prey. "What did you expect, Cassia? That I would be your savior?"I took a step back, my body tense. My instincts screamed at me to run, but something told me it was too late."You helped me," I said, trying to make sense of the twisting knife of betrayal in my chest. "You warned me about Lucien, you gave me information—""I gave you just enough," he inte

    Last Updated : 2025-02-17
  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 26: Lucien’s Gamble

    The scent of burning herbs and dark magic suffocated the chamber. My stepmother stood in front of me, her smirk deepening as the cursed chains tightened around my wrists. My body trembled with the force of the magic binding me, but my rage burned hotter."You were never meant to win," she whispered, her voice laced with triumph.A roar shattered the tension, and suddenly, the doors burst open. Lucien stormed inside, his golden eyes gleaming with fury. The guards lunged toward him, but he cut them down without hesitation, his claws tearing through flesh. The sight of him—powerful, relentless—sent a jolt through me."Let her go," Lucien commanded, his voice dangerously low.My stepmother chuckled. "You're too late, Alpha. She belongs to me now."I struggled against the chains, my magic surging beneath my skin, but the curse held strong. Lucien's gaze flickered toward me, and for the first time, I saw something other than dominance in his eyes—desperation."Then I challenge you," Lucien

    Last Updated : 2025-02-17
  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 27: The Death of a Queen

    Lucien’s body slumped forward, collapsing onto the cold, blood-streaked ground. His breathing was shallow, his once-unbreakable strength slipping away with every second. I barely had time to think before I was on my knees beside him, pressing my hands against his chest, feeling the warmth fade beneath my fingertips.“Lucien,” I whispered, shaking him. “Lucien, open your eyes!”He didn’t respond. His face, usually hard and unreadable, was disturbingly still. A streak of crimson ran down his temple, mixing with the dirt. My heart pounded in my ears.Behind me, my stepmother let out a sharp, wheezing laugh. “Foolish girl,” she spat. “Did you really think this would end with your happiness? You were never meant for anything but pain.”I turned to face her, rage and desperation colliding inside me. She was weak, barely holding herself upright after the battle, but she still dared to smirk. The woman who had stolen my mother’s life tormented me since childhood, and now—now she had cost me t

    Last Updated : 2025-02-17
  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 28: The Price of Power

    "Don’t do this, Cassia."The voice was faint, barely more than a whisper, but I knew it was him. Lucien. The man I had fought against, hated, feared. The man I had begun to understand. And now, the man I was losing.I cradled his lifeless body against me, his blood soaking into my hands. His skin had already lost its warmth. His breath had stilled. His pulse had faded.“No,” I gasped, shaking him. “No, you don’t get to do this. You don’t get to leave me.”The battle had ended, but the war inside me raged on. My stepmother was dead, and her reign of cruelty shattered. But the cost—oh, the cost.Lucien had been the one to land the fatal blow, but her final curse had taken him in return. A cruel exchange, one life for another.I could feel the magic in the air, thick, heavy, waiting. It hadn’t disappeared with her death. It lingered, whispering to me, teasing me with possibility.I closed my eyes, inhaling sharply. The power inside me had been growing, breaking free of its chains. And no

    Last Updated : 2025-02-17

Latest chapter

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 100: The Keeper’s Bargain

    My breath comes out in shaky gasps, my heart racing in my chest. The Keeper looms before us, towering, its presence suffocating in the air. His form is an enigma—shrouded in shadows, like a living void. His eyes, black as the abyss, penetrate me.Lucien stands beside me, his presence is as solid as ever, yet his usual steely composure is replaced with something I haven’t seen before: fear. His jaw tightens, fists clenching at his sides. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t move, as if the air around him is too thick to break.I feel the weight of his hand on my shoulder, a small comfort, but my mind is consumed by the Keeper. This ancient being before us holds the power to alter everything. To change our fate.The Keeper’s voice echoes through the space, as cold as the grave, “I’ve waited for this moment, little wolf. To test the limits of your strength. You think you can save him?”I open my mouth, but the words catch in my throat. My gaze shifts to Lucien, his face a mask of determination, but

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 99: The Prison of Lost Souls

    “Do you hear that?” My voice was barely a whisper, and I strained my senses to catch the faint sound that echoed from the depths of the shadowed realm. We had entered this place not by choice but out of desperation. A world between worlds, a limbo where the lost and forsaken souls were bound, trapped in endless torment. This was the prison where Lucien was trapped, where the essence of those who had fallen from grace lingered, unable to move on.“What is it?” Arawyn, my closest ally, and protector, asked, her voice tight with apprehension. I could feel her unease radiating from her, her normally composed demeanor shaken by the weight of this place. She was a seasoned warrior, but even she had her limits.“I don’t know,” I said, my eyes scanning the landscape ahead. The sky above us flickered with unnatural colors, the swirling hues of violet and crimson casting an eerie glow over the endless expanse. The ground beneath our feet was cracked and jagged as if it had been torn apart by so

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 98: A World Between Worlds

    I stepped forward, feeling the pull of something beyond the veil of reality. The air around me shimmered as if it were made of liquid light. My heart pounded, the rhythm syncing with the pulsing glow that surrounded us. This place, this strange world we had entered, was unlike anything I had ever encountered. It wasn’t just the colors—shifting in shades I couldn’t name—but the very sensation of being here. It felt unreal and yet, at the same time, undeniable. There was weight to it, a heaviness in the atmosphere that weighed down on my soul.I could feel the presence of my companions behind me, their breathing shallow, and uncertain. We had crossed into a realm between realms, a world suspended between life and death, where the laws of nature and time seemed to bend and twist. The ground beneath us was soft, like the deepest sand, yet it didn’t give way beneath our feet. It was as though we were walking on air, hovering just above a surface that shifted with each step.“Is this…real?”

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 97: The Guardian of the Gate

    "Do you believe in fate, Cassia?" His voice echoed in the stillness, sharp and disembodied, yet so real I could feel his breath on my neck. My heart skipped a beat, and I felt a sudden cold sweat trickle down my spine."No," I replied, my voice firm despite the tightening in my chest. "Fate is a lie told to keep us in place."The mist swirling around us seemed to thicken, the shadows elongating into strange, shifting shapes. The portal in front of us flickered, its edges glowing faintly, like the last remnants of a dying star. But just as I thought we might be able to cross into the realm beyond, something changed.A figure stepped forward, so suddenly that I couldn’t even react in time. It was cloaked in shadow, its features hidden beneath the hood. Yet, I knew who it was before it even spoke."You are not welcome," the figure growled its voice a low, gravelly whisper that resonated through my bones.I froze, my blood turning to ice. The Guardian of the Gate had appeared.Lucien had

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 96: The Realm Beyond

    The air was thick with an unnatural chill as we ventured deeper into the forbidden lands. The trees towered over us, their twisted branches like skeletal fingers reaching toward the sky, blocking out what little light remained from the setting sun. The ground beneath our feet was soft, as though the earth itself had grown tired of bearing the weight of time. Every step felt like a warning, a reminder that we were walking on the ground not meant for mortals.I had never been this far from the pack’s territory. The stories of the forbidden lands were whispered in fear, told in hushed voices by the elders to keep us from venturing too far. They spoke of ancient magic, of rifts between worlds, and of dangers beyond our comprehension. But I had no choice. Lucien, my Alpha, my husband—or the man who was once my husband—was lost to me, pulled into a realm beyond the mortal world. And I would stop at nothing to bring him back.The others were close behind me, their eyes scanning the surroundi

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 95: The Beginning of a New Quest

    The air around me buzzed with an energy I couldn’t quite explain. My body hummed, both with the power that I had finally learned to control and the anticipation of what was to come. Every fiber of my being was ready for the next step, but there was a gnawing ache in my chest—a fear that no amount of magic could erase."Are you sure about this?" Caden’s voice was soft, yet firm, as if he too was carrying the weight of this decision. I turned toward him, meeting his brown eyes with a steady gaze.“Lucien is out there. Somewhere. I can’t just walk away from him,” I replied, my voice filled with an emotion I hadn’t let myself feel in so long—hope.Caden gave a small nod, his lips pulling into a tight line. I could tell that he understood the depth of my words, that he knew just how much I had suffered, yet still—somehow—how much I loved the man who had once tormented me. “I’ll go with you,” he said, his tone resolute. "You don’t have to do this alone."“I know. I’ve never been alone. You’

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 94: The Echo of a Hero

    I hadn’t expected this.A hooded figure stood before the palace gates, the fabric of his cloak flowing like shadows in the dim light of dusk. I had been pacing within the palace, the weight of my responsibilities heavy on my shoulders. I had almost convinced myself that Lucien was lost forever—that his absence, his death, had been the final, inevitable end to our tangled story. But then the guards came rushing in, breathless, their eyes wide with shock."The man at the gates," one of them said, his voice trembling. "He claims he has a message. For you, Your Majesty."A message. My heart skipped a beat, but I buried the tremor beneath the surface. "Let him in," I ordered, my voice steady, though my thoughts were anything but. I had not known peace since Lucien’s disappearance. His memory haunted every waking moment of my life. Could this man bring me answers? Or was it just another cruel twist of fate?The hooded figure was escorted into the throne room. I studied him with careful eyes

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 93: A Kingdom Mourns

    I stood at the balcony of the palace, gazing out over the land that Lucien had fought to protect. The sky was a dull gray as if the heavens themselves wept for all we had lost. My fingers traced the edge of the stone railing, cold and firm, much like the reality I had come to accept. He was gone.The war had ended, and the battle was won, but at what cost? I had gained everything, yet the price was unbearable. Lucien, the man I had come to love despite all the darkness that had surrounded him, was lost to me forever.I could still feel his presence in the corners of my mind, in the spaces between my breaths. He had been my tormentor, my savior, and in the end, he had been my love. The contradictions were maddening. But it was those contradictions that had made him who he was. A man who had loved with all the ferocity of his broken past and, in doing so, had given me the strength to rise above my own chains.I didn’t know how to rule without him. We had been a team, his fierce leadersh

  • THE WOLF BRIDE’S ESCAPE    Chapter 92: Love and Loss

    "Lucien," I whispered, barely able to make the words escape my lips, my heart heavy with the weight of everything I knew was about to happen.He stood before me, the air around us crackling with energy. His golden eyes locked with mine, and in that moment, everything I had ever feared and wanted collided. There was a fire in his gaze, a fire that burned for me, for us, for the world we were trying to save—yet it was tinged with sorrow, an almost unbearable sadness."Cassia," he replied, his voice low, almost a growl. "This is the only way. You know that, don't you?"I nodded, my throat tight with the grief I could no longer suppress. My body was trembling—not from fear, but from the deep sorrow of knowing that everything we had fought for, every moment we had shared, was leading up to this. Lucien was about to make the ultimate sacrifice, and there was nothing I could do to stop it."I love you," he whispered fiercely as if trying to etch those words into the very fabric of my soul. "

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status