Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 150: The Choice

Rhaegar whipped around toward the carriage, his eyes widening in disbelief as Lorelai burst out as though it were on fire.

Naveen, startled by her queen’s abrupt awakening and the chaotic frenzy that followed, hurried after her. But Lorelai sprinted toward Daro as if an invisible, unyielding force was pulling her to him.

"Lorelai, no!" Rhaegar shouted, bolting after her. Yet, something in her wide, terror-stricken eyes made him freeze mid-step.

Her face, usually so serene and radiant, was now twisted in an expression of raw terror and frustration, warping her beauty into something almost unrecognizable.

She moved like a wounded animal, wild and desperate, trying to protect itself even as it ran toward danger. Her bare feet, already bloodied from the sharp blades of grass, seemed to ignore the pain in their frantic flight.

Something was terribly wrong, and Rhaegar couldn’t piece together why.

"Everyone, halt!" he commanded his men, who had started forward, ready to intercept the queen. His voice rang with authority, though his heart hammered with unease. He turned toward Naveen, his expression desperate for answers.

But the witch simply shook her head, her face pale with resignation. "No," she mouthed silently, closing her eyes as if surrendering to an inevitable truth.

In that moment, Rhaegar understood. Althea had succeeded.

"Your Highness!" Daro’s cheerful voice rang out, slicing through the tension like a blade. The sound jarred Rhaegar, rattling his composure as if the ground beneath him had shifted.

"You’re safe now, don’t worry!" Daro called out, his grin wide, his tone mockingly protective. "I’m here to protect you!"

He opened his arms as if he were an old friend, a wide, mocking grin playing upon his lips.

It was a disheartening display.

Terrified and disoriented, Lorelai’s wide green eyes darted frantically in every direction, as if she feared everything and everyone around her. But then, when her gaze finally landed on Daro’s smiling face, and his forcefully kind, syrupy voice reached her ears, something shifted. Relief washed over her features like a wave, her tense expression softening. Her tear-filled eyes glistened as she rushed toward him.

The moment he wrapped his strong arms around her trembling shoulders, her knees gave out beneath her.

"Sir Daro, thank goodness!" Lorelai cried, her voice quivering as her body shook. Tears of joy streamed down her face, replacing the terror that had consumed her moments ago. "You saved me! You’ve come to rescue me from the beasts!"

As she sobbed into his chest, Rhaegar stood frozen, his heartbeat slowing until he felt as though his entire body had gone numb.

The way she looked at me... His thoughts spiraled, chaotic and incoherent, crashing into one another like waves in a storm. Only one made any sense: Lorelai didn’t recognize him. Or worse, she did—and she was terrified of him.

"Your Highness," Daro spoke mockingly, his grin widening as he glanced at Rhaegar’s stricken face. He draped his red-and-gold jacket over Lorelai’s trembling shoulders before scooping her up effortlessly into his arms. Pressing her curled-up body against his chest, he exuded a false air of gallantry. "You’re safe now. I’ll take you back home."

"What happened? Rhaegar?" Gian turned to his king, his brows furrowed in confusion. His hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of his sword, his posture brimming with unease.

Rhaegar did not answer immediately. The words lingered on the tip of his tongue, but fear gripped him—fear that voicing his suspicions would make them true.

"The queen’s spells have finally breached her consciousness," Naveen said softly as she approached, her cold blue eyes fixed on the man cradling Lorelai in his arms. "Something significant must have happened for her defenses to crumble. I suspect..." She hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing, "Her father, the king, may have passed away. Althea must have used his blood to shatter the final barriers Lorelai had left."

"Then what about Rhaegar’s blood?" Gian demanded, his tone nearly desperate. "And the wedding? Wasn’t that the whole point? To sever her bond to her family and anchor her to him instead?"

Naveen could only shake her head. "The queen acted too fast. While, technically, Rhaegar and Lorelai are now linked—through both their minds and souls—not enough time has passed for their mate bond to solidify completely. Now that Lorelai has lost control over her mind, all we can do is wait and hope. Pray that their connection strengthens enough to help her break through the layers of spells."

With every word leaving the witch’s lips, it felt to Rhaegar as though someone were crushing his heart underfoot.

He had tried countless times to reach Lorelai through their fragile mind-link, calling out to her with the desperation of a man grasping for air. But no matter how much he tried, she didn’t hear him. It was as though someone had ripped him apart and stolen something vital from within, leaving behind only a gaping, hollow void.

"So what?!" Gian’s patience snapped as he turned on the lycan king, his frustration spilling over in the form of a heated glare. "We can’t let him take her back! Let’s fight them! How many men did he bring with him? Surely, we can kill them all!"

"We can’t keep her by force."

At last, Rhaegar spoke, his voice cold and eerily quiet. It was a tone neither his aide nor the witch had ever heard before, and the sheer stillness of it sent a chill down their spines.

"What...?"

"The king is right," Naveen sighed, breaking the heavy silence. "Right now, she’s scared because she believes we kidnapped her. But this is only the beginning. If she has already forgotten what happened before today, it’s only a matter of time before her mind undergoes even more drastic changes. Forcing her to accept something she doesn’t believe to be true will only push her further into chaos. If we’re not careful..." Her voice trailed off, hesitant, before she continued with grim finality, "She could lose her mind forever."

"This can’t be happening." Gian’s shoulders sagged as the reality of the situation weighed down on him. His fingers loosened around the hilt of his sword, the weapon falling heavily to his side.

All eyes now turned to Daro, whose mocking grin only seemed to widen under their collective scrutiny. With an almost tender gesture, he shielded Lorelai’s face from their fiery stares, his large hand resting protectively near her cheek.

"The looks on your faces..." Daro began, his voice laced with amusement, though his grin twisted slightly, revealing a flicker of irritation. "It’s as if you’re all ready to pounce on me and tear me apart." His gaze swept over them, sharp and unyielding, before he added with venomous disdain, "As expected of the animals." freewebnoveℓ.com

"You’re lucky you’re holding our queen," Gian snapped, taking a measured step forward, his teeth clenched in anger.

But before he could move further, Rhaegar raised his hand, stopping him with a subtle yet commanding gesture.

Daro threw his head back, laughing, the sound grating against the tense atmosphere. "Lucky? Perhaps." He tilted his head, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief. "But now that you’ve realized you can’t touch me, why not turn around and scurry back to your caves? I have no doubt your precious kingdom will be keeping you plenty busy in the days to come."

"Daro," Rhaegar began, his voice cutting through the tension, but before he could continue, a cacophony of loud, jarring noises erupted, commanding everyone’s attention.

"The battle horn!" one of the scouts shouted, drawing his double-edged sword from the leather hooks at his belt.

Rhaegar’s gaze snapped back to Daro, whose face now gleamed with euphoric triumph.

"Did you truly believe we came unprepared, Your Majesty?" Daro asked, his voice dripping with mockery. "The ’diversion army’ your scouts spotted is merely my entourage. They’re here to take the princess and escort her safely back to her palace."

"The war..." Rhaegar whispered, disbelief flashing in his amber eyes. Yet, the steady tremors beneath his feet told him all he needed to know. Daro wasn’t lying.

"It will take you another day to reach the capital, my dear king," Daro continued, his words laced with cruel delight. "But the troops sent by the crown prince are already seizing your kingdom. So, make your choice now—fight me for your wife or be the ’noble king’ and rush back to protect your lands alongside the rest of your... people."

Daro’s taunting smirk ignited a fire in Rhaegar’s chest, every nerve in his body ablaze with fury. The options laid before him were nothing short of cruel. Even if he killed Daro here, Lorelai would still be beyond his reach.

"Rhaegar, what do we do?" Gian urged, his voice rising in urgency. "We can’t waste time here, no matter how weak his forces might seem!" He gestured sharply toward the rest of their group, signaling them to prepare for battle.

Rhaegar’s hesitation flickered in his eyes—a moment of doubt that did not escape Daro’s notice.

With an exaggerated sigh, Daro snapped his fingers.

The air around him seemed to shift, growing darker and heavier, while the wind whipped through his long black hair with newfound ferocity. As if summoned by magic, his dark stallion appeared by his side. Without hesitation, Daro lifted Lorelai’s trembling body into the saddle.

The black horse reared, then galloped away, its sleek form fading into the swirling red smoke that rose from the impact of its hooves against the earth.

Rhaegar’s body went rigid as he watched her disappear before his very eyes. In the blink of an eye, Lorelai was gone—leaving behind nothing but an aching void in his chest.

Daro turned back to face him, his gilded sword raised and gleaming menacingly. His expression had darkened with grim resolve.

"I just made your choice a lot easier, didn’t I?"