Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 164: Silent

With a newfound strength surging through her muscles, Lorelai leaped again, her trembling hands stretching desperately to find something—anything—inside the passage to hold onto and pull herself up.

Scratching the rough floor of the passage, her nails were grinding down painfully, but the burning pain was the last of her concerns.

The violent barking grew louder, closer, more menacing. Her heart pounded in her chest as she realized the truth: the dogs were now near her, salivating at her scent. They had already spotted her, their heavy paws thundering against the marble floor as they raced to drag her back to Kai.

Finally, it seemed that her desperate prayers were answered. Her bleeding fingers latched onto a cold metal handle jutting from the floor of the hidden passage. Relief flooded her mind as she clung to it with all her might. Someone—perhaps long ago and for whatever reason—had placed it there for moments like this, and she silently thanked their foresight. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

But her victory was short-lived. Just as she began pulling herself up, a searing pain ripped through her right leg. Lorelai let out a piercing scream, her voice echoing in the cold, empty corridor. She looked down in horror to see one of the dogs had sunk its sharp teeth into her right ankle.

Her instincts took over. Jerking her leg violently, she let out guttural grunts through clenched teeth, fighting against the beast’s unrelenting, painful grip. The agony was excruciating, radiating up her leg and settling in her already-throbbing hip.

Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision as despair clawed at her chest. Why was she so weak? Why couldn’t she ever fight back properly? Every fiber of her being screamed that she was pathetic and helpless.

The voice—the only source of calm in this nightmare—had abandoned her. Its comforting tone was gone, leaving an oppressive silence in its wake. Even that mysterious stranger, it seemed, had given up on her.

I can’t let them take me. I can’t!

Summoning the last remnants of strength in her trembling body, Lorelai jerked her right leg once more. This time, the effort was rewarded with a sudden sense of freedom as the dog released its grip with a sharp whimper, collapsing onto the floor below.

She had done it. The princess had managed to break free from the dog’s sharp grasp and pull herself into the hidden passage.

Not daring to linger for even a moment, Lorelai reached for the door and slammed it shut from inside, plunging herself into absolute darkness.

"Hello..?" she whispered, her voice barely audible as she called for the stranger again. But the voice inside her head remained silent.

A wave of unease washed over her. The oppressive darkness surrounding her was heavy and suffocating, its stillness almost alive with menace. She felt truly alone, her chest tightening as she realized no one was coming to guide her this time as well.

She desperately needed at least some sort of direction. Every nerve in her body screamed against blindly moving forward, but there was no other choice. Once again, she had to rely solely on herself; there was no one else beside her.

Alright... Come what may... Let’s go, Lorelai.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Lorelai braced herself. Carefully, she twisted her body to turn around, her shoulders brushing against the cold, unyielding stone walls of the narrow passage. It was the opposite of spacious, but she silently thanked her petite frame for allowing her just enough space to maneuver.

On all fours, Lorelai crawled forward, driven by nothing more than instinct and the faint, fragile hope that she might eventually reach something—anything.

Seconds stretched into what felt like eternity. The longer she moved, the more her desperation mounted. How far had she gone? Where was this labyrinth of darkness leading her?

The narrow, winding passage twisted and curved like a serpent, its end nowhere in sight.

The damp, suffocating chill clung to her like a heavy, wet cobweb, calming her ragged breathing but restricting her movements. Cold sweat poured down her face and chest, while the stinging pain in her hands and knees worsened with each scrape against the unforgiving stone.

Her ankle throbbed sharply, and the agony radiating from her hip was unbearable now. As her heightened senses betrayed her with clarity, she realized her ankle was bleeding—badly.

Her head grew heavy, her eyelids fluttering, pleading to close. Though her vision had somewhat adapted to the darkness, the murky void still offered nothing to see, amplifying the crushing exhaustion weighing down her entire body.

Finally, unable to go any further, Lorelai collapsed against the cold stone wall, her fragile frame trembling. She shifted her weight to one side, leaning weakly as the icy surface pressed against her cheek.

I can’t move... I can’t do it anymore...

Letting out a long, protracted sigh, Lorelai took a moment to assess her condition.

Every inch of her body throbbed, and her head felt so heavy and clouded that it was nearly impossible to think at all. The princess wondered if she could muster the strength to rip off a piece of her filthy nightgown and use it as a makeshift bandage for her ankle.

Yet, as her mind conjured an image of herself attempting the task, a helpless groan escaped her lips. Even that simple action seemed utterly beyond her reach.

This is it, she thought with despair, sinking deeper into the suffocating darkness. Her eyelids slid shut of their own accord, and she realized she was becoming one with the void.

It wasn’t so bad, she tried to console herself. After all, it was still a kind of victory. Kai wouldn’t have her. No one would. If this was her escape—her freedom—then she had already won.

Another heavy sigh left her chest as her mind drifted, skimming feverishly through strange, fragmented images in her fading consciousness.

Even the sound of her shallow breathing began to dissolve into the void.

And then, at last, everything went silent.

...

Lorelai..?