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CHAPTER 38
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๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2025-03-15 04:37:10
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The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 39The streets on the outskirts of the West were desolate and deserted. Most of the survivors abandoned their homes and went deeper in. Their properties and their goods lay around in shambles. There were dried bloodstains on the ground, and although there were no bodies, the property damage bore testament to the destruction that had occurred. The state of things looked worse than in the reports. But then again, reports could never hold the weight of their suffering. Reading about it or hearing about it was a lot better than seeing or experiencing it firsthand. I will return your homes and livelihoods, Richard swore. The men Aaron dispatched to the West had arrived, and it was the empty streets and destroyed buildings that welcomed them. So far, there was no proof of life, just the empty, blood-stained streets. โWe need to go further into the territory,โ Richard said to the warriors.After walking for an unknown period, they got closer to pack lands, thank the gods. It was a
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-16The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 40
CHAPTET40If what you say is true, I believe the feral attack was a test for them to see how or if they could control them and was also a diversion to throw us off when they started taking them. It would be a perfect coverup for the missing rogues. The council handled it. Smart. How come nobody tried to find out why all the rogues vanished? The last I heard, there were a lot of rogues. We need to investigate everything that has happened from a few decades back, right from before the incident of the feral wolves to this day. Someone must have been covering up for the incidents. But who? It most definitely was from the inside. We have a traitor in our midst.Getting ferals to work together? How? The biggest question hanging over their heads seemed to have an origin. But how could something like this have been on for several years, and they caught no wind of it? It was happening right under our noses. Our structure for handling things has needed reformation for a long time. โWhere do t
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-16The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 41Aaron had buried himself with work right after his argument with Ophelia. His office had returned to its former glory. Other than the fact that the furniture looked brand new, there was no glass shard, broken table, or shelf in sight. It was as if the mess earlier in the day never happened. The cleaners did an exceptional job. โAny news of Richard?โ Aaron asked Marcus, who came into the office.โNot yet, Your Highness. The last time he contacted me was when he arrived in the West. He will contact us when he concludes with the mission he will contact us,โ Marcus said. โYou have buried yourself with work all day. You normally spend this time of day with Ophelia. So, why are you still here? I am sure she must be waiting for you,โ Marcus said.The air around Aaron grew uncomfortable. He was visibly agitated. โI am probably the last person she wants to see or be around right now,โ Aaron said dejectedly.โHaha, that is impossible,โ Marcus said. He halted his laughter as soon as
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-17The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 42Clutching a sliver dagger, Ophelia matched stealthily up several flights of steps. Taking the two sentries guarding the massive doors that could lead to her freedom off guard, she stabbed them with the silver dagger she held firmly within her grasp. It seems her training was paying off. The last thing she remembered was her argument with Aaron. โThat scoundrel,โ and leaving the place. The next thing she knew, she was tied up like a criminal. How dare they do something like that to her. She was furious and had only one mission. That was to escape wherever the hell she was. As if her captors were aware of the fact that she was awake, they came in and revealed their pathetic selves to her. She was not the least bit surprised by who her assailants were.It was the asshole that did not deem her worthy of being mates with the monarch. He wanted his daughter to be the queen and not her, some weak wolf. And some other unfamiliar faces that left immediately.โGood to see you are a
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-21The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 43Aaron was still conversing with Marcus when a sharp pain assaulted him. โWhat the hell!โ he exclaimed as he was momentarily confused. Where is Ophelia? He asked as he stood up abruptly from his seat.Aaron and Ophelia were still linked, which meant he could feel her pain, and right now, she was in a lot of trouble. What in the world was causing his mate pain?โ He rushed to the Pierce manor with Marcus in tow.โWhere is she?โ Aaron asked as he stormed into the house. โI sent Nick to find her so she could join us for dinner. She has been out all day,โ Olivia, who was setting the table, responded. โIs something wrong?โ She added, noting the look of worry on his fizzog. Where does she often go when she is not home? He queried. โSheโs normally with you when sheโs out,โ Olivia responded. What is going on?โI looked everywhere, and I couldnโt find her. Maybe sheโs with her mate,โ Nick said as he walked into the house.โWe need to find her,โ Aaron snarled as he dashed out of th
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-27The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 44Aaron was worried. Where was Ophelia, and what was happening to her? His mind could not help but replay their last conversation.Who is Irene?โ Maybe I should have just given her a response instead of getting all defensive. That was avoidable. He knew she was in danger as he could feel it. The perk of her connection to him was that he could feel whenever she was in danger. But where the hell was she? His mind inadvertently trailed back to their last fight.โWho is Irene?โ โWhere did you hear that name?โ He queried.Ophelia looked stunned by his line of questioning. โStop deflecting,โ she remarked. โI asked you a question, and you are trying to avoid giving me answers by asking me questions.โI am not deflecting,โ he responded. I am merely asking to get context. You do not just come and ask me about random people and expect to get a response. I am the monarch, and I meet different people, so you have to be specific,โ thinking about it now, he cringed even more, โWas that t
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-28The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 45 No pebble was left unturned in the Cage residence. They searched far and wide, long and hard, high and low, to find Ophelia, but to no avail. It was a fruitless search. There was no scent to trail or marks to track. They had vanished. They searched all night for her and came up with nothing. โWhere are the residents of the Cage family?โ Aaron snarled. โRound them up and bring them to me,โ he said. His defense for not doing anything to the people that posed a threat to his mate was that they had not yet openly erred. Now, they have, and it has cost him his mate. She may still be alive, but she was not beside him. He did not ever think that things could get this way. It was like everything took a turn for the worse. He was careful. He made sure she was guarded by the best warriors so that she would be safe. However, everything came crashing down with an unexpected thud. Did the universe want to mock him? Well, it succeeded. If he did not find Ophelia, heads would roll. He
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-29The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 46Scarlet and Ophelia landed at a clearing in a forest. There was a cabin a few miles ahead. โYou could have easily taken us directly to the cabin,โ Ophelia scowled. The shift had taken a toll on her, and all she wanted to do was rest. Her senses were heightened, and she could pick out various sounds from afar. Her sense of smell sharpened and her sight as well. She was thrilled to be able to finally experience what it was like to be an actual werewolf. However, her muscles felt sore, and she was extremely hungry. Before she had the time to complain, her stomach made a loud rumbling noise that she felt was too loud for her newfound sharp ears. She groaned as Scarlet laughed. โGood thing I prepared something to eat,โ she muttered.โYou said you wanted to tell me something,โ Ophelia queried after their meal. โHow much of your history do you know? Do you know how your kind was created?โ Scarlet asked.โI know we were created to fight the Vrykolakas,โ Ophelia responds thought
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-02
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The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 63The mist was sudden. One moment, Cayla was with the warriors and the next, everything just vanished. There was a mist that came, and it swallowed everything in its path. It was so silent and pale, blending into the floor and the walls around them as though a spectral fog swallowed sounds, light, and sensations and obscured their senses.Now, she was all alone in unfamiliar territory. Dealing with everything the cave had thrown at them as a group was hard, now she had to do it alone. Could she cope? Where was she?Cayla felt a sharp sting in her chest when she coughed. It was as though her innards were being rattled by something. There was a sharp metallic scent that stung her nose assaulting her senses and making her tongue bitter as though she had tasted something foul, bitter.Her limbs felt heavy as her heartbeat slowed. It was like poison was infiltrating her bloodstream and corroding her organs.โGeneral Cade,โ she called, spinning, โRaven? Theo?!โ She was searching fo
The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 62The warriors stood panting, silence wrapped around them like a shroud. The corridor twisted again, the walls closer, and the ceilings lower. If anything were to fall from above this time, they would be unable to dodge in time.The stones beneath their feet felt different. It was like the rough floors in the cave's entrance, not the chambers they were walking in, as stalagmites protruded from underfoot. The floors dipped and buckled beneath them.They reached a new chamber and this time, nobody was willing to move first. They stared at it from a distance with furrowed brows. Unlike the other chambers which had only one direction, this moved in two directions, and they could choose which chamber to enter, Cayla stared contemplatively and suggested, โMaybe we should split up. One half should go to the left and the other to the right.โEmperor Wudivra stared at her with a scowl, โThere will be no splitting up. Weโre not here to explore, we're here to find something, so we stic
The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 61The ground had caved inwards, taking them with it as shrieks of horror filled the air, and the only other sound was the grinding of distant gears.They fell for an unknown period before they finally landed on hard ground. Their figures were caked in dust as they coughed and heaved. Their eyes soon adjusted to their new environment. The lights lit up in this chamber, and they did not need to carry torches.The corridors were wide, and beyond them were bronze statues. Dozens of them, knight figures carved, each holding a weapon. At first, they looked decorative, but Cayla knew better. โTrap statues,โ she whispered, โProbably motion triggered.โ โThatโs not possible. We just left the chamber of physical traps. We have never faced the same thing twice,โ a warrior scoffed.โWe did not leave the chamber of traps. We fell below the chamber we were in, so it is safe to assume that Cayla may be right,โ General Cade interjected. Another warrior scoffed and moved forward, โThey are
The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 60The stone door closed behind them and echoed loudly through the cavern and down their bones. A dull thud reverberated through the cave walls, throwing a dull vibration under their feet. The dust settled like an ancient breath as the torchlight flickered against the stone. Emperor Wudivra stood at the forefront of the group with his torch held high, his silhouette outlined by the golden flames of the fire that blazed in the darkness. The chamber stretched out before them, vast, looming, and silent. This space felt empty without logic, structure, or pattern. It was not like the previous chamber where the warriors had solved puzzles.This room was without markings or engravement on the walls or stone statues. There was a massive boulder ahead that seemed to hold a mechanical tool. It looked like a lever. If they pulled it, they would cross over or at least have a direction in this vast space of nothingness. With that thought in mind, Emperor Wudivra took a step forward, an
The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 59Cave of the Gods: Cryptic Symbols.The heavy air inside the cave seemed to press down on Cayla and her group as they ventured deeper into the cavern. They had just finished with the riddles, and a path opened for them. They were curious about what the cave had in store for them. They had only survived the first round.Their footsteps echoed in the silent hallway as they avoided the stalagmites protruding from below the cave. Their steps were the only sound from the water dripping in soft puddles from the stalactites above. Their torches flickered against the cold stone walls, casting long shadows around them that seemed to stretch and move with life. The cave was vast, its chambers filled with various wonders and dangers. It was clear to Cayla that this place had been untouched for millennia, and they wondered how it looked when the gods were in this plane. The statues seemed ancient, each crack and crevice on the stone walls telling a story from a time past. But it wasnโ
The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 58They stepped forward together, and as they did, the stone plaque illuminated, revealing the first riddle carved into its surface."I cannot talk, but I always reply when spoken to. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have nobody, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?"The emperorโs mind raced. The answer was just beyond his reach, like a word on the tip of his tongue, but it wasnโt coming to him. He glanced at the general, whose gaze was fixed on the inscription, as his fingers tapped against his chin.โI know this one,โ he said, his voice steady. โItโs an *echo*. It speaks without a mouth and hears without ears because it reflects sound. And it comes alive when the wind carries the sound to bounce off surfaces. Just like the waterfall echoes around this cave.โThe emperor nodded, impressed by his swift deduction. The general recalled the words that eluded. โEcho. Thatโs the answer.โThe general stepped forward, placing his hand on the plaque. The stone sh
The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 57THE CAVE OF GODS: RIDDLE OF PASSAGE The entrance to the Cave of the Gods loomed before the emperor and his group. The air had grown heavy with the scent of damp earth and ancient stone. Ahead was a distant echo of dripping water, a waterfall maybe, that was reverberating through the dark cavern. That should be the location of the herb they came searching for.The caveโs jagged mouth appeared like the gaping mouth of an ancient creature or extinct beast. It was too big to be a creature they knew. But that was to be expected. It was the cave of the gods. The cave entrance did not look like it had been a natural formation etched into the mountainside. However, it seemed like it had been molded and half-hidden by thick vines and moss. But over time, it molded perfectly with the scenery.They would call it beautiful if it did not threateningly loom over them. There was an edgy feeling. Beyond the mouth of the cave lay something eerie and dangerous. No one knew what awaited them
The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 56The moon gently bathed the warriors in its ethereal glow as they emerged from the desert and appeared above the foot of the mountain. Itโs gentle light cascading down the canopy of trees.The warriors released ragged breaths they did not realize they were holding. The last few days had been tough, but now, they were tired and weary. They looked around them to confirm if they made it across that treacherous desert. Their armor was battered and worn. They were gaunt and weary from the horrors they had endured, their faces marked by the scars of the horrendous battle they had fought. Their numb arms felt the weight of their weapons. They had endured so much, and yet somehow, they survived.Was this real? Or was this the desert playing tricks on them? Were they really out of the woods, or was this another torture conjured by the gods?They looked around and panicked. There was a hint of fear and trepidation in their expressions. It was safe to say they had been mortified, and
The Lone Wolfย ย ย CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 55 They had finally made it to the caves. The rest of the warriors, whose flesh was turning to sand, gradually became normal. Being on the sand was turning them into sandmen. The weight of the revelation was heavy and unsettling. How could they escape? It was no wonder the leader of the sandman said they would not leave without a toll. Now that their numbers had further reduced, they did not know what would happen next. The apprehension weighed deeply in their chest. Did they want to know what lay further out there? Cayla had expended a lot of energy and needed the reprieve. She found a corner at the corner of the cave and lay down to rest. The silence was hanging in the air as the remaining survivors replayed the day's happenings. Cayla curled up against the cold, damp stone wall of the cave. Trying to quiet her breath for an unknown period. The echoes of the desert battle still rang in her ears, the roar of the sandstorms, the shrill cries of the dying warriors, the
