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#Chapter 49: Unrequited Love
Last Updated:
2023-02-21 16:38:02
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The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 50: A Friend’s Promise
RubyThe image of Edith holding Atwood on the floor of his study gives me so much pain that I’m unable to sleep all night. I spend the night tossing and turning, and by morning my lips are all chewed up from nervously biting them.I wish I could just not care about Atwood so that these things don’t pain me as much. I want to be able to run away with Cayden and not think about Atwood anymore, but now I’m not so sure if it’s even possible.If only I had someone to talk to.The sun is still rising when I get out of bed and shower to make myself feel better. My body is sore from the sleepless night of tossing and turning, but the warm water helps.“What should I do?” I ask my wolf as the hot water runs over my body.“I say to hell with the curse,” she replies instantly. “Let me mark Atwood. He’ll never look at another woman again once I mark him.”I shake my head with a sigh.Clearly, my wolf is too preoccupied with the thought of marking Atwood to be a good voice of reason.Nancy would k
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 51: Black Magic
RubyAs I get ready for my lesson with Robert, the image of Atwood looking so weak doesn’t leave my mind. Why is he so weak? Is it something to do with the curse? My wolf doesn’t seem to have any answers either; she only knows that there is some kind of sickness in him, but she doesn’t know what it is exactly or why it’s plaguing him so.Perhaps whatever this sickness is would explain his cruel behavior and sickly appearance. Even though I still plan to escape on my birthday, it makes me curious nonetheless.I change out of my damp clothes from earlier and into something warm and comfortable: a tight-fitting shirt, a black cardigan, and a pair of warm trousers. As I dress, the snow picks up again outside. The sky darkens and the wind howls against the sides of the castle. Under other circumstances I would be thrilled to be warm and cozy inside during this type of weather, having always enjoyed snowstorms, but now I’m just afraid that Bears will show up.Robert is already in the librar
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 52: The King Weakens
AtwoodBeing near Ruby helps to ease the symptoms of my condition. I wish I could just be around her for a few more minutes; it seems as though she enjoys my touch at first, but it fades quickly when she becomes tense again and steps away from me.I drop my hand, which was just cupping her soft, pale cheek, back to my side with a frown.Inside of me, my wolf rages. He smells her wolf. For the past several days, ever since she shifted in the woods and killed that Bear, all my wolf does is whine about wanting to be marked. I can feel him growing restless too from my condition. Before long, he’ll take over and go feral, destroying any shred of humanity that I have left. I can’t let it get to that point.Ruby backs away from me cautiously, looking up at me with her round red eyes. I love their color, the way her hips and breasts have grown, the way her hair is down past her shoulders now. She looks like a woman, no longer a little girl. The thought of taking her right here in the corridor
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 53: Macbeth
RubyAs if I wasn’t already confused enough before, my date with Atwood only made it worse. For the first time in ages, we actually spent the evening together and it was… really nice. Over the course of the night, he gradually started to look less gaunt and haggard, and actually started to look like himself again.My wolf was practically in a daze throughout the entire date just from being around Atwood. I know that she wants to mark him more than anything, and admittedly I almost let her, but the fear of the curse still sticks in the back of my head constantly. If I mark Atwood and die, I’ll be leaving Tamara behind. I don’t know what Alice and the Queen will do to my sister if I’m not around to stop them, and if Atwood shifts into his wolf form for an extended period of time out of grief like he did with Vivian then he won’t be around to protect her, either.Furthermore, there’s something else that I just can’t shake. The thought of Atwood with another woman before me… It doesn’t si
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 54: The Witch’s Hut
RubySomehow, I do manage to finish my paper on Macbeth and hand it in to Alice the next morning at the beginning of our lesson. She doesn’t even look at it! She throws it into the fire right in front of me, which angers me greatly after I spent so much time on it, but I decide not to say anything.We spend the entire lesson reading Macbeth once again. By the end of the lesson I’ve already finished the play. Alice takes the book from me and absentmindedly waves me away, dismissing me without a word.Alice’s dismissive attitude would normally bother me, but it seems that she’s acting this way because she’s distracted; this is perfect for me because it means that I’ll be able to sneak away and find Marisa Elder.I run back to my room and change into warmer clothes to brave the cold weather, then bound down the stairs and out the back door before anyone notices. The new snow falling should cover my tracks, allowing me to make it to Nancy’s house without anyone being able to find me.“Nan
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 55: Preparations
RubyAtwood drives Nancy and I back to the castle and sends us off to my room so Nancy can get comfortable.Unfortunately, the image of the dead witch on the floor of her hut plagues us, which puts on a damper on what would have otherwise been a fun sleepover right before my birthday.However, making plans for my escape does help us to get those horrors out of our minds. Now that Marisa is dead, the trail that was leading me to get to the bottom of the situation with this curse has run cold. No matter how hard I think, I can’t possibly come up with any solutions other than to get Tamara and I out of here before anything horrible happens.Someone clearly knew that we were going to talk to Marisa. The ivory handle on the dagger that was sticking out of her chest was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It looked old and valuable. Whoever wielded that dagger was no Rogue or Bear.I fear that whoever killed Marisa might do the same to me, Tamara, or even Nancy if I don’t escape on my bi
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 56: Brother Paine
AtwoodI know that Ruby was up to something when I found her at Nancy’s house, but my brain feels too foggy with my condition and the upcoming attack from the Bears to pay it much mind. All that matters right now is making her happy for her birthday so that hopefully she’ll want to mark me.Her birthday is tomorrow, and despite the Bears’ attack, I’ve arranged for the most exciting eighteenth birthday that any girl could dream of. I hired the kingdom’s most talented seamstress to make her a stunning dress, the best chefs in the kingdom to provide a beautiful spread of food and desserts, and I’ve invited all of Ruby’s classmates (aside from Donna and Ethan, of course).I’m confident that the Bears won’t make it to the castle, too. We’ve got men stationed all around the perimeter of the castle grounds prepared to fight; two men in wolf form for every man in human form, and the men in human form all have shotguns fully loaded with silver bullets and freshly sharpened steel swords. It’s t
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 57: The Party
Ruby“What was that about?” Nancy says as she and the seamstress come back in. I hold the book out to her and she takes it while the seamstress starts working on pinning my dress again. I watch in the mirror as Nancy sits on the bed, thumbing through the pages.“This is so cool!” she says. “I didn’t know that you were into history. Is it an early birthday gift?” She gestures to the wrapping paper on the chair.“Yeah,” I answer somewhat solemnly. My heart is still fluttering from my interaction and it almost feels as though I can still feel Atwood’s kiss on the top of my head, but then I remember that I’m going to be leaving him tomorrow and it makes my heart ache.The seamstress finishes her work and takes the dress off of me, leaving the room to finish the alterations on her sewing machine.I spend the rest of the night sitting with Nancy, reading the book together. Pretty soon, we both fall asleep with the book open on our laps.I wake up the next morning to Nancy jumping on me and
Last Updated : 2023-02-21
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The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 100: What’s in Store
RubyThe feast goes on for some time longer, well into the night. Some of the guests begin to go home, leaving gifts for Atwood and I, while many others stay and continue to party.“Feasts are always like this,” Atwood says, swirling his champagne around in his glass with one hand and poking at his cake with his fork with his other hand. “On a few different occasions, we’ve had to escort partygoers out of the castle because they simply wanted to party all night.”“It’s refreshing,” I respond, taking a bite of cake. The cake is moist and not too sweet, with buttercream frosting. It practically melts in my mouth. “I’m happy to see people dancing and having fun, especially after what happened at my birthday party.”Admittedly, however, I’m starting to get tired -- and Atwood can tell.“Come on,” he says, standing from his chair and holding his hand out for me. “Let’s sneak out the back here. Everyone is too drunk to notice. I’m getting tired of all the noise.”I nod and take his hand. We
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 99: The Royal Wedding
RubyBefore I know it, I’m standing behind the church doors, waiting to walk down the aisle.The morning feels like a blur. As I stand here now, my heart racing with butterflies in my stomach, everything else feels so small and insignificant. All that matters is right now; the flowers in my hand, the veil on my head, the sweat on my palms.It’s just like my vision.I know that when those doors open, Atwood will be standing at the end of the aisle. Nancy and the other bridesmaids -- Beck is one of them, surprisingly enough -- will be standing off to one side, while Atwood’s groomsmen stand on the other side. The priest will be smiling at me, his robes a vibrant combination of red and gold.Tamara will walk ahead of me, tossing flower petals down at my feet while the wedding guests look at their new Princess in awe.And at the back of the room, the shadow figure will be there. It’s always there, watching, lurking.I will ignore it.I will marry Atwood and pretend that the shadow figure
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 98: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
RubyAtwood says I was sleepwalking last night.I think it was something else.All I remember is waking up in his arms on the forest floor, but my body feels… strange. Like there’s a bit of me missing inside.After I woke up in Atwood’s arms last night, he insisted that we return to the castle in case I start sleepwalking again. I obliged and let him carry me back. He took me straight to my room and didn’t leave my side for the rest of the night, which would normally make me happy, but it only solidified my suspicions that something else happened in the woods.I can’t explain it, nor can I understand it, and I don’t want to try right now. The wedding is today and I just want to focus on that, focus on joy. Perhaps it is just my nerves and it will dissipate after the wedding. Regardless, I’ll take Nancy’s advice and see a therapist. Maybe that will help.Polly comes and wakes me up in the morning. I’m surprised to see that Atwood is already gone, no doubt preparing for the wedding and
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 97: Sleepwalker
AtwoodThe last time I slept in the forest, I was just a pup.It was a warm summer night. Lawrence, Freya, Paul, Kayne, and I had spent the day playing and hunting in the woods where it was cooler beneath the shade of the trees. Eventually, we became so exhausted from our day of playing “grown ups” that we all flopped down in a big pile beneath the pine trees, still in our wolf forms, and fell asleep right then and there.I remember that I had felt so much bliss that night. It was as though sleeping outside was in my nature. Even when my mother punished me the next morning for not coming home that night and forbade me from ever sleeping in the woods like a “scoundrel” again, I never regretted it.Now, as Ruby suggests that we sleep in the woods tonight after our hunt and our animalistic sex, I feel the same bliss that I felt that summer night all those years ago.And my mother isn’t here to tell me I’m not allowed.Ruby and I shift back into our wolf forms and find a good spot beneath
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 96: A Guilty Conscience
RubyLater in the evening, after we’ve spent a few hours just walking around the castle grounds and enjoying the nice weather, Nancy goes home.Even though it’s much warmer outside than it has been in a while, my face and hands are freezing from spending the day outside so I decide to head in to warm up. I can still hear a bit of commotion in the ballroom as the wedding reception is still being set up when I get inside.My stomach starts to growl and I realize I haven’t eaten all day, so I head toward the kitchen to find something to eat.When I enter the kitchen, Atwood is already there. He’s sitting at the counter with two plates of food.“Perfect timing,” he says with a smile, gesturing to the other plate. “I figured you’d be hungry after trekking around the castle grounds with Nancy all day.”I can’t help but smile at Atwood’s kindness as I take a seat at the kitchen island. The food is still steaming, fresh off the stove. It’s a simple plate of vegetables, chicken, and rice, but
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 95: The Bear Hostage
Ruby’s POV“I’ll always protect you, no matter what.”Atwood’s words stick with me, even after he leaves me to go back to the wedding preparations.I know that he’ll always protect me, but how can he protect me against something that may not even exist? How can he protect me against something that has manifested in my own mind; a token of my own guilt and fear?When Atwood leaves me to go back to the ballroom, I still feel as though there are eyes staring at the back of my head. When I turn around, however, there is nothing there.Just then, the sun comes out from behind a cloud and shines through the small stained glass window in the alcove. It casts deep red and purples on the castle floor, and for a moment, I don’t feel so afraid.Maybe I just need to go outside. Maybe some fresh air will help.I run back up the stairs, taking two at a time, and head back to my room to get changed. I send a quick text to Nancy to ask her to meet up at the castle, to which she immediately replies wi
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 94: Wedding Preparations
RubyAfter we finished cleaning up Vivian’s room last night, Atwood told me that he had a lot of work to do for preparations since the wedding is almost here, so I decided to sleep on my own. My bed felt cold and empty without him there, but I knew that it would only be forty-eight hours until we’re officially married and will share a bed every night.I’m awoken this morning by Polly knocking on my door. She has a sweet smile on her round face; a massive improvement from Alice’s mean mug waking me up every morning.“Good morning, Princess,” she says with a curtsy, entering my room and opening the curtains to let the morning sun in. “I hope you don’t mind, but Lycan Atwood has asked me to wake you early this morning.”“What for?” I ask groggily, sitting up in bed and rubbing my eyes.“Your wedding dress fitting, of course!”My eyes widen and my heart begins to flutter. It hasn’t fully hit me yet that our wedding will be so soon, but hearing that my wedding dress will be fitted today fi
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 93: Acceptance
RubyWhen I was first whisked away from my home to live in the castle and be Atwood’s bride, I thought I would hate it. And truthfully, I did hate it for a long time.But now, as I wake up in the warmth of his hidden bedroom, with his scent filling my senses and the feeling of his lips on my skin, I’m glad that I’m here. Fate has a strange way of making things happen.“Good morning, little bird,” Atwood whispers in between gentle kisses on my chest and neck.Last night, we made love for the first time. I thought that we would follow tradition and wait until marriage, but like so many other things that have happened over the past few months, the outcome was different from my expectations.For the first time in months, I feel peace. Alice, Edith, and the Queen are gone; I’ll be marrying Atwood in just a couple of days; and I’ll return to school in a few weeks as the Princess of the Lycan Kingdom.While the whereabouts of the Queen and her minions are still unknown and there is always th
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 92: The Room
AtwoodAs soon as Ruby says that she experienced the void, memories of my time there come rushing back. More than anything else, memories of what Vivian said to me there flood back into my mind.“Visit my room more... Turn on the lights and light the fire... Let both yourself and Ruby enjoy the room, rather than shutting it off from the world. Most importantly, uncover my painting; I like to watch from there.”Her words ring in my head as though she’s speaking them to me in this moment, but I know that’s not the case. Vivian has finally crossed over to an eternity of peace. From now on, she only exists in the snow that falls from the sky.I’m okay with that. I think Ruby is, too.I stand up and start getting dressed.“Get dressed,” I tell Ruby. “I want to show you something.She throws on her robe and follows me out of my hidden room, taking my hand as we exit the study into the cold, dark corridor. Everyone else in the castle, aside from the guards who are watching the entrances lik
