Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 97: The Queen’s Spell

Humans were beginning to gather in the middle of the forest. They must have finished preparing for the hunt.

The beasts could see the fear in their eyes as the others passed among them. But Rhaegar paid them no attention, nor did the other beasts. Humans had always been apprehensive creatures. There was nothing unusual about that.

Naveen greeted the humans cordially with a polite bow, but Rhaegar could tell she wasn’t at ease. Even with half her face concealed by a mask, her pallor was evident, and tiny, almost imperceptible beads of sweat gathered along her hairline.

"Is something wrong? Do you sense anything?" Rhaegar asked, unable to hide his concern.

The witch didn’t reply immediately. Her gaze remained fixed on the distant camps, her bright eyes reflecting the sharp rays of sunlight piercing through the trees.

At last, she spoke, her voice low but steady. "Now I understand why the air here feels so stifling. It’s about to begin."

On the far side of the forest, the crown prince halted his horse behind a dense thicket of lush bushes. With a sharp motion, he signaled his attendants to stay silent and still.

His piercing green eyes locked on something in the distance, and his attendants assumed he was stalking prey. In reality, Kai’s focus was fixed entirely on King Rhaegar.

Just the sight of him, sitting tall atop his massive black stallion, made Kai quiver with disgust laced with subtle mockery. Two animals riding one another—it was a pathetic and laughable display.

The image of a wolf astride a horse flickered in Kai’s mind, and it drew a quiet chuckle from him.

Without hesitation, Kai raised his bow, nocking an arrow with practiced ease. The weapon felt natural in his grip, an extension of his will. He pointed the arrow directly at Rhaegar, closing his eyes for a moment to steady his breathing.

In his mind, he could already see it.

The sharp tip of the arrow would pierce Rhaegar’s chest, driving deep into his heart. The satisfying thud of his body hitting the ground would echo through the trees, signaling the king’s end.

He imagined dark, viscous blood seeping into the earth, pooling over the green blades of grass in stark contrast. Rhaegar’s amber eyes, once bright with an infuriating intensity, would fade into dull, lifeless emptiness.

And then, the crowning moment—Kai could see the man’s skin hung alongside the other trophies in his dark room. It would be a fitting place for Rhaegar, displayed among beasts, stripped of his power and reduced to nothing more than a macabre token of victory.

Kai opened his eyes and exhaled audibly, his breath steady but heavy with restraint. The bow wavered slightly before he lowered it. As much as he wanted Rhaegar dead, to see his rival fall in the most humiliating way, he knew this wasn’t the right moment.

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The prince released his grip on the arrow, letting it sail harmlessly into the sky. It was a gesture meant to dissipate his frustration, but the consequences of that single action would soon unravel in ways he could never have imagined.

Suddenly, a loud, bone-chilling screech erupted from above, slicing through the tranquil hum of the forest.

The piercing sound made the horses rear and snort in distress, their hooves scraping against the earth as the hunters and knights scrambled to control them. Kai’s attendants looked around in alarm, their weapons drawn as they searched for the source of the sound.

Their hands gripped their swords and spears tighter, surrounding the crown prince like a living wall.

At the other side of the forest, Rhaegar’s stallion tensed beneath him, its ears flicking back as if sensing an unseen threat. The king’s amber eyes darted to the treetops, scanning for any sign of danger. But there was nothing—no bird, no beast, no shadow to explain the haunting cry.

"Alim! Gian!" Rhaegar barked, his voice sharp with urgency. The two warriors immediately galloped toward him, their faces frowning in distress. Without hesitation, they dismounted, drawing their swords and spears as well. They moved to flank Rhaegar, their stances protective and ready for combat.

"Stay close to the king!" Gian growled, his sharp gaze sweeping the area.

"What is going on?" Rhaegar demanded unexpectedly quietly, frustration creeping into his tone. "What was that sound? I can’t sense anything."

Neither man answered, their attention focused on the dense forest around them. Then, a light tug on his sleeve made the king glance to his left. Naveen was beside him, her face pale and her masked expression tense.

"You are not wrong to not being able to sense it," she murmured, her voice low and urgent. "I told you earlier—I sensed something wrong in the air. This is her doing."

"Her?" Rhaegar frowned.

Naveen’s fingers curled tighter around the fabric of his sleeve as she whispered, "The queen. It’s her witchcraft. A hallucination spell. She’s trying to unravel us."

Before Rhaegar could respond, the witch’s bright eyes widened, and she pointed toward the clearing ahead. "Look! There they are!"

Following her outstretched hand, Rhaegar’s gaze locked onto the scene unfolding before them. His breath caught in his throat. At first, it seemed like a group of hunters was in the midst of their prey. But then he realized the hunters weren’t fighting animals—they were slaughtering men and women cloaked in animal skins.

Rhaegar’s chest tightened as the horrifying realization dawned on him. These were not animals at all. They were people, their forms twisted and concealed beneath crude disguises meant to mimic the beasts of the forest. The hunters and their attendants, blinded by the queen’s spell, saw only raging prey that had to be hunted.

Screams echoed through the trees, both human and animalistic in tone. Blood stained the forest floor, the metallic tang thick in the air. The knights and hunters shouted commands to one another, completely unaware of the true horror of their actions.

"Stop!" Rhaegar shouted, his deep voice cutting through the chaos. But no one seemed to hear him. He swung down from his horse, his boots hitting the ground with force, and started toward the carnage, but Alim and Gian stepped in his way.

"Rhaegar, no!" Alim said firmly, his spear raised as if to block the king’s path. "We can’t let you go in there. It’s too messy out there."

"They’re not animals!" the king roared, his amber eyes blazing with fury. "They’re people—can’t you sense it?"

Gian glanced at Naveen, his grip tightening on his blade. "Is this the queen’s doing, witch?"

"Yes," Naveen replied, "She’s cast her spell over all of them. If you go any closer, you’ll fall under its influence too."

Rhaegar clenched his fists, his mind racing. He wanted to charge forward, to rip the hunters away from their unwitting victims, but the truth was painfully obvious––Althea was the one who cast the spell; Althea was the only one who could break it too.