The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 54

VALERIA

I pushed the wooden door, which was barely hanging on its hinges, and it let out a loud creak.

Inside, the stench of mold, rotting wood, and decay hit my nose like a slap, my eyes adjusting to the overwhelming darkness.

Beside me, I noticed some remains of wooden beams from what used to be a doorframe.

I picked up one with my trembling hands, playing the heroine once again.

What I was doing was far too dangerous and reckless—I knew that.

But I couldn’t just let them take him right in front of my eyes.

I couldn't lose another pup, or I would never forgive myself.

Step by step, I ventured deeper into what seemed like the entrance hall and then into a living area, keeping a watchful eye on the floor where the wooden planks were lifted in some places, leaving dark, deep holes with no visible bottom.

"Miss Valeria!"

Edward’s tearful voice called from above, and I immediately raised my head, spotting him at the top of the staircase, trapped between the shadows and the beams of moonlight filtering through the half-collapsed ceiling.

The man held him from behind, an arm wrapped tightly around his neck, nearly strangling him, keeping the child suspended in the air since Edward couldn’t support himself.

His legs shook with strange spasms, his face red with terror, his small hands desperately trying to loosen the iron grip around his neck.

"Stay calm, sweetheart. Everything will be alright, Edward," I tried to soothe him when I saw his face soaked with tears, overwhelmed with fear and pain.

"Let the boy go, you bastard! What do you want? Money?!"

"Heh, what a brave and selfless maid, sacrificing yourself for the Alpha's son. How much do you think Daddy would pay us for him?" he mocked me with cruel sarcasm.

"If you know he's the Alpha's son, how dare you do this within the pack's territory?" I questioned, mind racing to find a way out of this situation.

He responded, saying he no longer belonged to the pack, and then launched into a hateful monologue about the Alpha.

"Valeria! Where are you?!" Amid the chaos, Aldric's voice suddenly echoed in my mind, igniting a spark of hope.

I had thought we were too far apart for the link to work.

"I don't know exactly! It's an old house on the outskirts of the pack's center—they have the Alpha's son! Hurry, Aldric!"

I screamed in my mind, all while stalling the sadistic man upstairs, trying to buy time.

"Don't do anything reckless, Valeria! I'm close. I'm following your scent! Please, little one, don't put yourself in danger—run if you get the chance!"

His voice pleaded over and over, but I couldn't just abandon the child to his fate.

But then, everything took a dangerous turn.

"Give me the boy, and we can wait for the Alpha to meet your demands. I’ll stay here and look after him. Just hand him over—please, don’t hurt him anymore," I begged, taking a cautious step forward, terrified that once Aldric arrived, this man might harm the hostage.

If I could just hold Edward in my arms, I could protect him.

"If you want him so badly, here, take him!" he sneered, and before I could react, he hurled the child down the stairs.

"EDWARD!" I shrieked, rushing toward the base of the staircase, heart pounding—only to realize too late it had been a distraction.

The stench of blood overwhelmed my senses. My trembling hands reached for the source, brushing against something cold and solid.

A thick, rusted iron rod had pierced straight through my body.

"...Damn it... What the hell happened with those crows out of nowhere? What do we do with the King's maid now?"

"...They said she might be dangerous! Then why the hell did we go through this whole plan to lure her out and take her? Idiots!"

"...Should we actually ask for ransom for the Alpha's son? Since they won't pay us for the woman anymore..."

"...Forget it! Run, quickly! No, leave the boy there!"

I could barely make out the voices as my vision blurred. I stared helplessly at the hole above me, where three figures lingered, watching me like shadows from the underworld.

Everything was fading—the pain, the sound, the light.

The blood kept flowing, soaking the ground beneath me.

I was slipping away.

Until—

"VALERIA!!!"

A deafening roar echoed through the building, yanking me back from the suffocating darkness.

My King had come for me.