Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 169: Sounds Like A Plan

"Training for freedom? What does it mean?" Rhaegar’s eyes widened with curiosity, his gaze fixed on Laesh. Laesh pointed a bony finger toward the distant, hazy white light above their heads, his face taking on a somewhat dreamy expression.

"We are in the pit, aren’t we?"

Rhaegar followed his gaze, his eyes locking on the small hole of light that seemed impossibly far away. Instinctively, he nodded, though Laesh was not looking at him. It seemed the boy had been waiting for that response regardless.

"Well, as you can see," Laesh continued, his tone almost whimsical, "the pit is not covered. And that means we have a chance to leave it."

Rhaegar’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Leave it? But how?"

He glanced around at the towering stone walls of the prison, a wave of desperation washing over him. Leave? The thought seemed absurd. The smooth, polished rock walls stretched endlessly upward, gleaming as though mocking anyone foolish enough to attempt climbing them. If escape were truly possible, how many had already tried?

And more importantly––how many had survived?

As if sensing the turmoil in his thoughts, Laesh let out a disappointed sigh.

"No one has ever escaped the pit," he admitted, his voice tinged with frustration. "It is not that easy... but we still try. What else is left for us anyway?"

"And the guards know about this?" Rhaegar asked, motioning toward the boys climbing the hanging rope.

Laesh turned back to him with a sly, almost mischievous smile.

"They do. As you can see, they even gave us the ropes to try."

In just two days, Rhaegar had already familiarized himself with the prison’s grim routine. Every morning, the guards lowered canvas bags of food and water into the pit using ropes. The slaves had no tools to cut them—no knives, no sharp edges of any kind. Even the utensils were nonexistent, with cups and bowls made from waxed tree leaves. This could only mean one thing: the humans wanted them to have the ropes. They gave them willingly just to mock their hopefulness.

"So, they don’t believe we can do it, huh?" Rhaegar murmured, lifting his chin to gaze at the faint light filtering through the opening far above. His amber eyes gleamed, catching the dim rays in a way that made the pit’s hopelessness feel almost tangible.

"Many have tried," Laesh said softly, his tone tinged with gnawing melancholy, "but all of them failed. They gave us the ropes in pieces, so we had to tie them together ourselves. It can’t hold bigger boys like Tayiid. Although, honestly, I am pretty sure he could escape if it could."

Laesh’s golden eyes flickered toward Tayiid, who was crouched beside a younger boy. The child was coughing violently—his labored breaths had echoed through the pit all night, keeping everyone awake. Rhaegar turned to look as well, his gaze lingering on Tayiid.

The boy was massive, even in his human form. His broad frame and well-developed muscles hinted at a strength that seemed almost unnatural for someone his age. Rhaegar could only imagine what he might become after his first shift.

He missed his chance... That must be why they want to break us while we are still small.

Rhaegar’s thoughts were interrupted when he shifted his attention back to Laesh. The smaller boy offered him another faint smile, but there was a shadow of regret in his eyes, a heaviness that belied his lighthearted demeanor.

"The guards come to watch, you know," Laesh continued, his voice gaining a hint of excitement. "Every time someone finds the guts to climb, we all start chanting to cheer them on. The guards hear us and come flocking to see if someone will actually make it to the top. They even promised not to touch whoever succeeds—and said they’d let him go. Can you believe that?"

No, I don’t believe it, Rhaegar thought grimly. It sounds too good to be true.

His heart refused to trust such a story. Yet, on some level, it made a cruel kind of sense. If no one had ever reached the top, the guards had nothing to fear. No one was escaping. This wasn’t freedom—it was mockery. False hope.

"No one’s made it yet," Laesh admitted, "but I will!"

He punched himself in the chest, his face radiating determination as a bright, hopeful smile lit up his features. Rhaegar felt his heart tighten.

That explains it, Rhaegar thought as he studied Laesh’s unwavering expression. That cheerfulness, the constant glimmer in his eyes... He believes he can make it out of here. No—he knows he can. Is that what keeps him going?

A sudden, jarring noise interrupted his thoughts. Both Rhaegar and Laesh whipped their heads toward the source of the sound. One of the boys lay sprawled on the cold stone floor, his body jerking as he struggled to breathe.

Tayiid was already rushing to the boy’s side. Meanwhile, Laesh clicked his tongue in frustration, shaking his head.

"This is the fifth time he’s fallen," Laesh muttered, turning to Rhaegar. "We keep telling him to focus on building his arms, but he just won’t listen! Look!"

Laesh flexed his skinny arms, proudly displaying his biceps to Rhaegar. "Soon enough, I’ll have enough arm strength to climb all the way to the top! You’ll see!"

For some reason, Rhaegar found Laesh’s enthusiasm amusing. A sudden burst of laughter escaped his chest, shaking his tired frame. Laesh frowned, clearly offended by the reaction.

"What? You don’t believe me?" he huffed, crossing his arms. "You’ll see! I will escape the pit. And you know what? You’d better follow me soon after—because I’ll be waiting for you out there to kick your ass!"

Rhaegar chuckled again, the sound softer this time, and let his gaze drift upward to the hazy light filtering through the distant opening above their heads. For a moment, he stayed silent, lost in thought. Then, with a faint smile, he finally spoke.

"Alright... Sounds like a plan."