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#Chapter 74: Stand Together
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2023-02-21 17:56:55Related chapters
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 75: Edith’s Ultimatum
RubyEdith is sitting in the armchair by my fireplace when I enter my room.“Well well,” she says, uncrossing her legs. She stands and saunters toward me with her arms folded across her chest. “Look who came home.”“Oh, piss off, Edith,” I growl, tossing my boots down on the floor. “I’m not in the mood.”“Aw, but you sure were in the mood to sneak out of the castle against your mate’s wishes, weren’t you?” she says. She crosses over to my vanity, picking up my tube of lipstick and turning it over in her hand, then smirks and pockets it.“Yeah, I was,” I say, brushing past her and heading into the bathroom to take my makeup off. “And I’m glad that I went, because a friend needed me,” I say.It feels strange to call Beck my friend, but I mean it. If I hadn’t been there at the party to stop Earl from going further and revealing his disgusting behavior to the entire school, who knows how many more girls he would have hurt in the future.“Well, let’s just say this,” Edith says condescendin
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 76: One Side of the Story
RubyWhen I get back to the castle, I quickly grab a few slices of toast from the kitchen before retreating to my room to read the letters.Thankfully, the letters are still stashed safely away underneath my mattress. As I sit down on my bed and take a bite of my breakfast before untying the bundle of letters, I’m glad that Edith didn’t find them last night when she was in my room.The letters are old and yellowed, some wrinkled with water damage; but they’re still readable.I unfold the first letter and begin to read.“To M:I’ve fallen ill. The doctor doesn’t understand my symptoms. I’ve lost contact with my wolf, and I feel weak and vulnerable. Every day my fever grows worse, and my body aches. I can barely hold my pen as I write this…I don’t think this is any ordinary sickness. The Queen warned me of a curse last night. Could this be the curse that befell the Lycan King’s wife during the final summit when she ate the berries?Please let me know if you have any information that pe
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 77: Who Poisoned the Princess?
RubyFollowing my strange interaction with Atwood, I scurry back to my room with the letter still in my pocket and lock the door behind me, letting out a sigh of relief and leaning my weight against the door once I’m safely inside.There are a million things running through my head right now. Who poisoned Vivian? Was it the Queen, Alice, or even Atwood? And why did they poison her? My heart aches for poor Vivian, who had to take a special tincture from the witch to end her suffering.That leads me to my next thought: who killed Marisa Elder, and why did they steal her body and burn her house down? I find it hard to believe that it was simply the Bears who did all of this; sure, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if they killed her and burned her house, but why steal the body? Why release the birds that were caged in her hut?None of it makes sense.My hands are shaking as I pull out my phone. It’s well past midnight, but I have to call Nancy and tell her what’s happening. Right now, sh
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 78: The Toxic Herbalist
RubyNancy’s eyes widen as I tell her my theory.“You really think she has something to do with it?” she says. “But she’s so nice!”“I know,” I answer, glancing over my shoulder at the herbalist’s shop. “Lately, I’m learning that the nicest people can sometimes be the ones we should worry about.”Nancy sticks her hands in her pocket and chews her lip. “So what should we do?” she asks. “It’s not like she’s gonna give us any information, and she already kicked us out.”“There has to be a back entrance to her shop,” I reply thoughtfully, twisting a strand of my long, white hair around my finger.. It’s officially grown to its original length before I cut it, thanks to the hormones that have been coursing through my body since my wolf emerged. I’d forgotten how much I missed my long hair.Suddenly, my stomach starts to growl, making me realize just how hungry I am.“Let’s get something to eat first,” I say, grabbing Nancy’s hand and pulling her toward the cafe. “I can’t eat anything at the
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 79: Breaking and Entering
Ruby“Come on out,” the herbalist says, suddenly looking far more sinister than the woman we met in the shop earlier as she brandishes a gardening trowel in her free hand. “Give me the phone.”I want to tell her to buzz off, but she’s got my friend, so I comply and slide the phone across the floor to her. She catches it under her foot and crouches to pick it up, yanking poor Nancy along with her, then stands and opens it.“Password,” she says.“Um… 9286,” I answer, gulping as I watch her open the phone. She taps on the screen a few times, likely deleting the picture, then pockets the phone.“The police are already on their way,” she growls, gesturing for me to come away from the door. “If either of you says anything about that room, just know this: I could mix up a poison with that plant that would kill you instantly.” She shoves Nancy over toward the corner and lets go of her collar, leaving her whimpering there as she marches over to the hidden door and shuts it, then shoves the tab
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 80: A Snake in the Castle
While the pain of Ruby not trusting me is terrible, the pain that I feel for not being open with her hurts even more. I know that I should have talked to her about all of this ages ago. I should’ve been open and up front with everything from the start, so that we could work together to figure this out… But I was afraid that if she knew about the curse, she wouldn’t want to mark me.It seems, however, that her love for me is far greater than I imagined, because she marked me even when she knew about the curse. And by herself, with no help from me, she learned far more about it than I ever did.I can’t even be angry that she went against my wishes and went into Vivian’s room, because I am simply so impressed by my mate’s incredible intelligence and ability to persevere. I know now that I need to follow Vivian’s instructions from the time that I spent in the void, because she was right. I do need to trust Ruby, and no one else.Someone killed my Vivian, and if I don’t act fast, they’ll k
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 81: Planning Confrontation
Ruby“I’ll never doubt you again,” Atwood says as he holds my face in his hands. A soft smile plays on my lips as I lean my cheek against his palm.For the first time, I feel confident that Atwood is on my side. Now that I know that there is no curse and that Atwood will protect me from being poisoned, I feel as though I can finally rest easily.On the way back to the castle, I realize how exhausted I am from everything that has happened recently and fall asleep on Atwood’s shoulder, the taste of his kiss still lingering on my lips.I’m awoken back at the castle by a gentle kiss on my forehead.“We’re here,” Atwood says softly as I open my eyes. “Do you want me to carry you to bed?”I nod, still exhausted from the stress of the past few days and the pancakes in my belly. Once all of the turmoil is finally over and I get my happily-ever-after, I imagine that I’ll probably just want to do nothing but sleep for a week straight.Atwood slides his arms under me and scoops me up to carry me
Last Updated : 2023-02-21The Lycan's Runaway Bride ##Chapter 82: The Swan Artifact
“I know what you’re thinking,” Atwood says as he finishes his glass of wine and pours another for both of us. “I know you’re scared. But I’ll protect you. You know that.”His words make me blush, which is only heightened by the alcohol.By the time we finish our second glasses of wine, we’re both tipsy and decide to have another. Before I know it, both of us are completely drunk, laughing and joking with each other like old friends. Normally it would feel strange to be so open and jovial with Atwood, but the alcohol has given me courage.It has also given me enough courage to ask him this question: “Will you stay with me tonight?”A small smile plays on Atwood’s lips at my question. He doesn’t answer; just nods and stands, holding out his hand for me, and leads me to my room.When we get to my room, I gently push him down on the bed and start unbuttoning his shirt. He pulls it off when I’m finished, revealing his sculpted upper body, then I move to his pants next. My hands shake a bit
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
