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##Chapter 82: The Swan Artifact
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The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 83: The Mystery Buyer
RubyThe rest of the week goes by all too slowly now that I’m done with school and the mystery of the curse has been solved. Most days, I just read in the library or walk around the castle grounds. Atwood walks with me sometimes, but he’s also been busy with the herbalist.Apparently, the person who bought the toxic ashroot came back after Atwood had the herbalist destroy all of the plants. We were right in assuming it was Alice; there’s no doubt in my mind that the Queen conspired with her as well.We’ll find out tomorrow, because tomorrow is Christmas.Now that it’s Christmas Eve, it’s time for the auction. I decided not to tell Atwood about the brooch after all since he’s been so busy that I don’t want to bother him with such silly things, but I did tell him that I’ll be going to the auction.“Sure,” he says to my request to go to the auction. He’s sitting at his desk, holding a packet of papers in his hand. From afar I can see lots of handwritten notes, with photographs of various
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 84: The Confession
Ruby“Wake up, Ruby! Wake up! It’s Christmas!”I’m awoken by Tamara, who is jumping excitedly on my bed. When she sees my eyes open, she falls down to her knees next to me, giggling.“Merry Christmas, little rabbit,” I say, reaching out and pinching her cheek.The sun has just barely begun to rise, but Tamara is already wide awake, excited to see what gifts Santa Claus has left for us. Soon, I think she’ll stop believing in Santa, although admittedly I dread those days. Seeing the magic in my little sister’s eyes every Christmas, even when we were living in poverty and I could barely afford a single gift, has been what has made me still love Christmas even after our parents died.My mind flickers briefly to the brooch and the oddly familiar mystery buyer from last night, but I decide not to let it bother me. It’s just a brooch; sure, it was a valuable artifact, but it’s okay. I know that my mother wouldn’t have been upset with me for selling it like I did. I know that she would unders
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 85: Christmas Morning
Ruby Although the confrontation with the Queen and Edith put a bit of a damper on the morning, Atwood, Tamara and I decide not to let it bother us for the rest of the day.“Go on,” Atwood says, taking a seat on the sofa with a fresh cup of coffee. “Tamara, I think Santa left you quite a few presents last night.”Tamara’s little face lights up with the prospect of opening presents. She looks at me questioningly first, then starts to dig in when I give her an approving nod.While Tamara opens her presents happily, I pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down on the sofa next to Atwood. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and gives me a little squeeze.“I’m sorry it had to be on Christmas,” he says to me through our mindlink.“It’s alright,” I respond. “I just hope that they don’t try to do anything horrible later on.”Atwood squeezes my shoulder again apologetically and leans over to me, planting a kiss on the top of my head. As I nuzzle down into his chest, I feel very small and safe in
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 86: Where is My Wolf?
RubyI have some trouble falling asleep due to the anxiety from everything, but when I finally do eventually drift off, I find myself in a peaceful dream.In my dream, the castle is quiet and bright. I’m walking through the corridors wearing a white dress that flows behind me; is this my wedding dress?Ahead of me, there is a familiar figure. It’s Atwood, dressed in a tuxedo with his hair down, turned away from me. As I approach, he turns around.“You look beautiful,” he says with a gentle smile, and holds his hand out. When I take his hand, he pulls me close. Suddenly we’re dancing again, just like we did at my birthday party, spinning around the corridor as he leads me like I’m a feather in his hands. At the end, he dips me and leans in for a kiss.I close my eyes to kiss him, parting my lips slightly as I await his kiss, but it never comes. When I open my eyes, the castle is dark and empty. Atwood is gone.“Atwood?” I call out.There is no answer. I start to panic as I realize that
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 87: Ambushed
AtwoodI’m awoken in the morning by the sound of screaming.“Lycan Atwood! Lycan Atwood!”The young maid, Polly, bursts into my study. I fell asleep sometime in the early morning on the couch after a sleepless night caused by worrying about the situation with my mother and wondering where Alice is.“Lycan Atwood!” Polly pants as I groggily sit up, rubbing my eyes. “I’m so sorry to wake you…”“It’s alright, Polly,” I respond. The mousey brown-haired young maid looks completely frazzled as though she just saw a ghost. “What’s wrong?” I ask.“It’s Miss Ruby,” she says breathlessly, pointing in the direction of Ruby’s room. “She’s fallen ill.”My mind suddenly begins to race with a million things. Did Alice return in the night? What did she do to my Ruby?I abruptly stand to go to Ruby, but am stopped by a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness. My brain feels foggy, as though I’m in a waking dream. Am I still asleep?“Sir?” Polly’s voice fades in and out of reality, her usual sweet and chip
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 88: Help From the Other Side
RubyI feel like a prisoner in my own body.Is this how Vivian felt?Alone, helpless, and weak?No matter how hard I look for my wolf, she’s not there. It’s as though she never existed. Without her, I feel even weaker than I did before she emerged. The Bears will kill me and I won’t be able to stand a chance, not without my wolf.I want to kick and scream and claw and bite when the Bear rips me out of Atwood’s arms, but I can’t. My limbs feel like rope, as though all of the muscles have fallen limp and useless.I know what the Bear is going to do to me. I can see the glint of the blade in his hand, the droplets of red on the tip where he cut his finger. The snow falls on the blood, turning it from a bright red to a muddy pink color.He’s going to drive the blade into my heart. The pink blood drips on my chin as he holds the knife above me.“No!”Atwood’s screams echo through the blizzard like the distant howling of the wind. He’s close; I can still smell him. Using what little strengt
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 89: Wings
RubyIt all happens so fast. Time has continued moving; the wind has begun to blow again, the snow is falling, and the sound of Atwood’s screaming echoes in my ears like a siren. It all feels too quick now after spending what felt like an eternity in a state of limbo.The Bear brings his knife down, but misses my heart. The blade slices in between my lower ribs with a searing pain, but I feel stronger now. My wolf has returned, but something else is there, too. Something new.I kick the Bear off of me, taking him by surprise as he’s launched backwards. The other Bear simply looks on in astonishment as he stands over Atwood, still holding him down.“Get her!” screams the first Bear, scrambling back to his feet as I slowly stand and pull the knife out of my side.“Ruby, Run!” Atwood calls.The two Bears advance on me, shifting from their human forms into their Bear forms. I feel small beside them in my human form, but something in me tells me not to shift yet. Instead, I take Atwood’s a
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 90: Vengeance
Atwood“It’s the Queen and the others,” the guard says. “Sometime during the night, they escaped. They’re nowhere to be found.”Of course they did.“What happened to the guards posted at their doors?” I ask.“They were injected with some sort of sleeping potion,” he replies. “They were found sleeping on the floor when the new guards went to relieve them this morning.”My head throbs a bit at this information. Clearly, Alice was going around with all sorts of potions last night. I had always thought that she was loyal to the crown; just not my crown, I suppose.“So be it,” I respond, tightening my grip on Ruby’s small hand. “Send out a search party once the blizzard clears. For now, just make sure that they can’t get into the castle. If they’re found, arrest them immediately.“Yes, sir,” the guard replies with a bow.With a sigh, I open the parlor door and pull Ruby inside.Polly has already lit the fire and set up the blankets and hot drinks for us, so all Ruby and I have to do is sin
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