Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 98: Fools

Legends and captivating tales about the nomadic tribes of the central continent had been passed down through generations, each story more mysterious than the last.

Shrouded in enigma, these nomads were believed to be human. Yet their unusual customs, their disdain for settling in one place, and their secrecy gave rise to rumors that they harbored hidden powers—abilities they guarded fiercely from the curious eyes of outsiders.

Among these tribes was the Gypsy tribe.

Gypsies were almost impossible to decipher. They wielded an extraordinary mastery of herbal medicine and potions, blending nature’s gifts into remedies and elixirs that bordered on the miraculous.

They read palms with uncanny precision, unraveling a person’s fate as though it were etched in their hands. They could see the future in a mere glance, gazing into a soul as though it were an open book. And they could curse—turning a life into a chaotic knot only they held the power to unravel.

It would be naive to think witches did not walk among these nomads. In fact, the fusion of their innate abilities with witchcraft created something far more dangerous, perhaps even more feared, than black magic itself. novelbuddy.cσ๓

Yet, Gypsy witches rarely revealed the full extent of their powers. They kept their secrets buried, veiling their true might in shadows.

Perhaps that restraint was a blessing.

***

Rhaegar closed his eyes, allowing his heightened senses to tune into the sounds and scents of the forest.

Naveen was absolutely right—magic clung to the air like a heavy fog, interwoven with the suffocating stench of fear.

Rhaegar was immune to most magic and witchcraft.

The only powers that had ever been able to bind or control him were those of his mother, the most formidable Gypsy witch to have ever lived. But she was long dead. And with her death came the assurance that no other sorcery or witchcraft could touch him.

I can’t see what the others are seeing because Althea’s spells have no effect on me, he thought grimly. He turned to Naveen, and the witch nodded, her perceptive gaze sharp as if she could read his mind.

"Humans dressed in animal skins. They’re unarmed, hallucinating that they’ve transformed into beasts and driven by an uncontrollable urge to attack. They’re harmless in reality, but since everyone else is under the spell as well, it’s panic and fear that are driving this chaos."

Rhaegar’s amber eyes shifted to the carnage ahead, his sharp gaze taking in every horrifying detail.

It was a terrible sight. Humans lunged at one another with feral rage, both sides swept up in a mindless frenzy. There was no strategy, no purpose—only a tide of uncontrollable fear and panic spiraling into carnage.

"Why would she resort to this?" Naveen asked, his deep voice laced with disbelief and disgust. "If she wanted to eliminate a few nobles, why not enchant violent beasts to do it? Why stoop to such an unprecedented level of cruelty?"

Naveen’s eyebrows arched as she continued to observe the despicable slaughter unfolding before her sharp, sparkling blue eyes.

"She knew you were coming, and she wanted to see if you were the one she’s been searching for," Rhaegar explained.

Naveen’s lips curled into a wicked smile beneath her flowing black mask. "I’m afraid she’ll be disappointed yet again. I cannot be the one—after all, I was born before your mother. How ironic... She’s spent years hunting for Tanya’s offspring, while that very offspring has been standing right in front of her the entire time."

She locked her piercing gaze onto his, a knowing gleam in her eyes. Rhaegar frowned in response. Though he, too, found satisfaction in the queen’s ignorance, now was hardly the time to bask in it.

"If her goal was to test you," Rhaegar spoke again, "then she would have sent someone immune to her spell to watch us. But I sense no one else here."

Naveen nodded in agreement. "Everyone in this forest is under her spell—there’s no way I would have missed another untouched presence. This leaves only one explanation: she is the one who wants to see it. With her own eyes."

The moment the witch uttered those words, a strange sensation rippled through Rhaegar’s body, unsettling him to his core. His thoughts immediately veered to her—Lorelai.

A strong blend of anger and anxiety shook the man’s body to the bones.

Had the queen planted some of those disguised people in the camp as well? Or had they been there from the start, lying in wait for the spell to take hold?

What was happening in the camps right now? Was the princess petrified? Was she panicking, trying to hide, her small frame trembling as her soul teetered on the edge of terror?

Lorelai.

It struck him—this was Althea’s plan all along. She had anticipated the beasts’ attachment to the princess and counted on the lycan king to send his witch to save her. Or at the very least, to help her break free from the spell and uncover the chaos for what it truly was.

"We cannot play into her hands," Rhaegar declared, his voice firm as he turned his horse sharply. "Alim, Gian!"

At his call, two of his loyal warriors rushed to his side, their chests heaving with exertion and readiness.

"Subdue as many of the disguised humans as you can, but do not harm them lethally," the king commanded. "If you knock them unconscious, they will regain their senses when they wake."

Rhaegar’s frown deepened as he glanced toward the crown prince. "Get Adane and Izaara to subdue the nobles. Knock them off their horses and destroy their weapons. Don’t let them kill any more of their own."

"Consider it done," the two warriors replied in unison before departing. They moved swiftly, signaling to two other beasts who had accompanied them to the hunt, ready to carry out the king’s orders.

Naveen turned her horse to face him, her sharp eyes gleaming with readiness. "And what about me? What are you planning?"

Rhaegar lifted his bow, his focus unwavering as he aimed an arrow at the crown prince. The man was busy wielding his spear, surrounded by other humans snarling and growling, their chaotic cries splitting the tense air around his rearing horse.

"If the queen thinks us fools, then fools we shall appear."