The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 353

ELLIOT

"I'M NOT LETTING GO OF ANYONE! GO FIND ANOTHER DAMN PARTNER!" I roared at the idiot beside me, who was already eyeing my female.

He was about to gamble away a full set of teeth if he even thought about trying something.

"Ouch!" I groaned, caught off guard by the sudden sting in my foot.

Katherine had stomped down hard on it with the sharp heel of her boot, using my moment of distraction to shove me and slip from my arms.

"Ka—damn it… Rossella!" I nearly let her real name slip. I didn’t want her finding out the truth like this.

She disappeared into the cluster of women. I was about to chase after her like a madman when someone grabbed my arm.

I turned, ready to land my fist in whoever’s face had the audacity to stop me, rage rising to a feral level—until I saw it was an elderly woman.

"Easy there, young man, calm yourself," she said, dragging me toward a table and forcing me to sit despite my resistance.

What was I supposed to do? Shove her? Of course not.

Still, my eyes kept darting through the crowd, searching for her like a lunatic.

I knew she was still at the fair—her scent lingered in the air.

"That’s not the way to win over a lady," she started scolding me. "Here, cool your head before you burst into flames."

She handed me a pint of cold beer, the foam bubbling at the top. I downed it like water.

The tiny old woman sat on the stool across from me.

"She’s my wife," I admitted bitterly. "I screwed up, and now I don’t know how to fix it."

I was so desperate I found myself spilling this to a complete stranger, staring into her wise honey-colored eyes, her face lined with deep wrinkles.

"I see, I see. It’s clear you love her, but brute force won’t get you anywhere… or… well, maybe it could…" She seemed to reconsider her own words. "That’s it! I have an idea to win your woman back! Come, come!"

She stood up. She barely reached my chest, but her grip was like a vice.

It was obvious she had spent her life working the land.

I had no idea what she was planning, but before I knew it, I found myself standing in the middle of “The Corral Fight.”

Just as the name suggested, it was a pen covered in thick, sloshing mud, fenced in while villagers placed bets and cheered wildly.

I wasn’t convinced this would do anything to appease my Duchess.

"Alright, lads, you know the rules! The last man standing gets to make a request to his favorite lady! Ladies, you can’t refuse a man who fought to the death for you!"

A redheaded man, barely standing from the weight of his drunkenness, bellowed from the center of the massive corral.

I sincerely hoped he wasn’t the father of that plump redhead from earlier.

One of the gates opened, and a few young men stepped inside.

The same drunkard shouted from where he teetered on the fence, chugging his drink and nearly falling back into the pit.

That’s when I heard the high-pitched squeals of animals and the creak of a gate swinging open.

The men around me all turned in the same direction, shoulders squaring, knees bending.

I followed their gaze, freezing at the sight of a stampede of pigs charging in through the open gate—rushing at us like hellspawn, kicking up mud as they barreled through.

It all made sense when the first man lunged at one, trying to grab it by the back, only to slip, fall face-first, and nearly plant a kiss on the pig’s backside.

Chaos erupted in an instant—shouts, roars, laughter.

Ten pigs. More than twenty men tumbling around in the corral.

I lifted my gaze, and from a distance, she was watching me—intensely, feigning indifference, but I knew damn well how much she was enjoying my misery.

Then, suddenly, she lifted her hand, pressed it to her lips, and blew me a kiss—half flirtation, half mockery.

That was all it took to send my adrenaline and motivation through the roof.

A spotted pig darted past me, and I lunged, grabbing it by the back leg before it could escape.

No matter what, I wasn’t leaving this pit empty-handed.

For my woman—whatever it took.