Princess's Revenge: Slave to the Soulbound King Chapter 149

Adelaide

I watched Lycanthar's chest rise and fall, each breath growing steadier. Four days had passed since the purification ritual, and the black veins that once consumed his body were gone. In the sanctuary's soft glow, he looked more fragile than I had ever imagined the great Wolf King could be.

His fingers twitched.

"Lycanthar?" I whispered.

His eyes opened slowly—no longer blood-red, but the golden amber I remembered. For a moment, he stared unfocused at the ceiling before his gaze found mine.

The shock that crossed his features was immediate. His hand tightened around mine before he tried to pull away.

"No," he breathed. "This cannot be real."

I held firm. "You're awake. You're safe."

He struggled to sit up, movements clumsy and weak. I supported him as he swayed. "Adelaide. You left. I made you leave. This is another dream..."

"I came back. I chose to come back."

His golden eyes searched my face desperately. "The things I said to you... what I did... You should have stayed away."

"Tell me what you remember of the last four years."

He was quiet, brow furrowed. "Fragments. Darkness. Pain beyond imagining. Rage that felt foreign." His eyes met mine again. "And you, standing before me in that chamber. I tried to warn you, but the words wouldn't come."

"That wasn't you. You were poisoned, controlled by vampire magic. Morgana has been feeding you corrupted blood for four years."

The information hit him like a blow. "Morgana. That vampire. Wasn't she dead four years ago?"

"That was just an illusion. Garrick has allied with her. They control Lycandor Keep now."

"Draven?"

"Imprisoned, but alive. Thalia and Elara have gone to rescue him. Vespera barely escaped with you when they tried to execute you."

"Four years," he whispered. "Four years of madness while my people suffered."

"Why did you come back?" he asked suddenly. "After what I did to you, after I chose—" He stopped, unable to finish.

The memory rose between us. That night when he had taken Cressida before my eyes. "You were trying to make me hate you. You thought if I despised you enough, I would leave and stay safe."

His jaw clenched. "It worked, didn't it?"

"That should have been my choice to make!" Years of suppressed anger found voice. "I hated you for making that choice for me, for deciding what I could and couldn't handle. I hated you for not trusting me to be strong enough to stay." Tears streamed down my face. "But I loved you enough to weather any storm, and you threw that away."

"I was trying to protect you."

"By destroying us both." I shook my head. "Do you have any idea what these four years have been like? My body went home, but my heart stayed with you."

He covered his face and said painfully, "So much lost. So much damage done."

"The past is written, but the future is still ours to shape. The blood moon comes in ten days. Morgana plans a ritual, and the Vampire King is leading his army to occupy Silverhowl."

"Lazarus. He was the one who cursed our people in the first place."

"Then you know what's at stake. But I need to know—when this is over, will you try to send me away again?"

He was quiet, studying our joined hands. "I nearly destroyed myself trying to live without you. These four years... even in madness, part of me remembered what I had lost. There was this constant ache, this sense that something vital had been torn away."

"The bond doesn't break just because we're separated."

"No, it doesn't." He pressed my palm against his chest, over his heart. "Can you forgive me for being such a fool?"

The question undid me. I leaned into him, feeling his arms come up to hold me. "I forgave you the moment I understood why you did it. But I need your promise that you'll never make that choice for me again. Whatever we face, we face it together."

"Together," he agreed. "I swear it by the moon goddess herself."

"We need to plan," I said reluctantly. "The others will return soon."

He nodded, commanding presence reasserting itself. "Tell me everything about Morgana's schemes."

As I relayed what we had learned—the vampire army, Garrick's corruption, the approaching blood moon—I watched Lycanthar transform from broken prisoner to strategic leader.

"Then we have to strike before the blood moon ritual begins," he said when I finished. "Once they complete it, the werewolves will become little more than vampire thralls."

"Vespera is seeking the orcs' aid. I've sent word to my brother Alexander to bring human reinforcements." I hesitated, uncertain how he would receive this news. "I know bringing human forces into Silverhowl breaks centuries of tradition, but—"

"You did right," he interrupted, his voice firm. "This threat transcends old boundaries."

I searched his face for any sign of the ancient hatred between our peoples. "You're not concerned about human soldiers on werewolf soil?"

"Four years ago, I might have been." His golden eyes met mine steadily. "But I've learned that pride and tradition mean nothing if there's no one left to honor them. If your brother's forces can help save my people, then they're welcome."

"Alexander will follow my lead, but some of his men..." I trailed off, knowing the prejudices that ran deep on both sides.

"Will need to see werewolves as allies, not monsters," Lycanthar finished. "Just as my people must see humans as partners, not prey." He reached for my hand again. "Perhaps this is the moon goddess's true purpose in binding us—to forge the alliance our peoples need to survive."

"A human Moon Bride and a werewolf king," I mused. "Either we'll be remembered as the bridge between our species, or as the final tragedy that destroyed both."

"Then we'd better make sure it's the former." A ghost of his old smile touched his lips. "The moon goddess chose her champion well."

Footsteps echoed from the entrance. Vespera appeared first, behind him came a familiar figure that made my heart lift—Zaroka, the orc princess, her orange hair gleaming and amber eyes sparkling with unmistakable mischief.

"Zaroka!" I couldn't hide my delight as I rose to greet her. "You came!"

"Did you think I would miss such excitement?" She grinned widely, showing her tusks. "Besides, someone threatened my future mate. That cannot stand."

Vespera flushed slightly at her bold declaration, but his eyes were warm with affection. "Zaroka insisted on coming personally when she heard about the coup."

"Of course I did!" Zaroka planted her hands on her hips. "No shadow-blood vampire witch gets to hurt my Vespera and live to tell about it. And you," she pointed at Lycanthar with obvious satisfaction, "you're supposed to be dead! The spirits told me you would live, but seeing it..." She laughed, the sound rich and joyful. "This will be a battle worth singing about!"

"Princess Zaroka," Lycanthar inclined his head with genuine respect. "I am grateful for your support."

"Grateful, yes, but save the formal speeches for after we crush our enemies." She waved dismissively.

Vespera stepped forward, his expression serious. "My king, I bring word from the clans. Three packs have agreed to join us, but the others fear Garrick's retribution too much to commit openly."

"How many fighters can we count on?" Lycanthar asked.

"Perhaps two hundred werewolves, three hundred orcs, and whatever human forces Princess Adelaide can summon," Vespera replied. "Against Morgana's vampire army and the corrupted clans still under Garrick's control..."

"We'll be outnumbered three to one," I finished grimly.

"Numbers aren't everything," Zaroka interjected with fierce confidence. "My warriors are worth three vampires each, and that's on a bad day. "

"The blood moon is our deadline," Lycanthar added. "If we can disrupt the ritual before it begins..."

"Then we turn their own corruption against them," Zaroka finished with relish. "I like this plan already. When do we start the real fighting?"

I looked between Lycanthar and our unlikely but fierce allies, feeling a spark of hope despite the odds. "Now," I said with growing determination. "The fight begins."