Tempted By my Evil Lycan Stepbrother novel Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Real Chance Of Winnifig

Riley’s POV

I stared at Roy for a second, my mind almost blank.

“…What do you mean, execute you?”

Roy was still on his knees, breathing hard. His face was wet with tears and dirt.

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“Kade said if I go back empty-handed, he’ll make an example out of me,” Roy said hoarsely. “Not just beat me up. He said he’d tie me to a tree at night and leave me there with fresh blood on my skin.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Carrion hounds.

Or worse.

I swallowed. “He’s bluffing. You’re his teammate. And this game is being broadcast right now. He would never do that.”

Roy let out a weak, shaking laugh. “This is the guy who uses healers as bait, Riley! You know that more than anybody else. And the school doesn’t give a shit about guy like me. No rich and powerful family, no connections, no real potential. They will watch me get ripped apart by the hounds.”

He was right. I knew exactly what kind of monster Kade could be.

My fingers tightened around my dagger.

God, I hated this.

“And why should I believe you?” I asked.

Roy shivered. “I’m telling the truth.”

“That’s not enough.”

He hesitated.

Then he said quickly, “If you help me, I’ll help you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How?”

“There’s another way around the rockslide. A shortcut. I heard Kade and the others talking about it the other day. I know you also want to get to the Silverstags as well. So if you give me the moonleafs, I show you the fast route.”

I stared at him.

It was too perfect. Too convenient.

Almost like he’d reached inside my head and picked out the exact bait I’d be weakest to.

“You expect me to trust you just because you’re crying on your knees?” I asked quietly.

His mouth tightened. “No. Because we are friends, remember? I was the only person who’s willing to talk to you when the whole school saw you as a target.”

His words made my chest ache.

Yeah, I did remember that.

He was the only one who’s willing to share a table with me during lunchtime.

of Winning

I opened my mouth, not even sure what I was going to say-

“That’s fucking bullshit!

Silas’s voice cut through the air like a knife.

Roy’s head snapped up. I turned around sharply.

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Silas stepped out from between the trees with a dark look on his face. He must have been shadowing closer than I realized. Good. Maybe I really was getting distracted.

Silas came straight to my side and shot Roy a glare. “That’s your strategy? A lie? That’s fucking low.”

Roy stood up fast, panic flashing over his face. “Silas, listen-”

“No.” Silas grabbed my wrist. “We’re leaving. That’s obviously a trap.”

Roy’s face twisted. “It’s not a trap! And I’ll die if you don’t help me!”

“Let’s go!” Silas snapped.

I followed Silas. But I looked at Roy one last time. He was crying even harder. I had never seen him that devastated before.

“I’ll be here at midnight!” Behind us, Roy’s voice rang through the trees.

Silas didn’t release my wrist until we were almost back to camp. Then he turned to me sharply. “Tell me you’re not actually considering it.

I bit my lip. “I know Roy. He won’t get on his knees unless it’s really bad-”

“God! Really Riley? Letting your emotions blind your eyes? I thought you were smarter than this!”

He stormed back to the camp in rage. I sighed and followed him.

Back at camp, we called a meeting right away. I explained everything that just happened. Kade’s threat. The moonleaf. The

shortcut around the rockslide.

By the time I finished, the camp had gone dead quiet.

“It’s bait. Plain and simple.” Silas said icily.

Odin crouched beside the fire and stared into the flames. “If the shortcut is real, it changes everything. It’s our real chance of

winning.”

“Or it gets us killed,” Silas shot back.

Olivia crossed her arms. “Some risks are worth taking.”

“That’s not a risk. That’s a fucking death wish!” Silas growled and spun around to me. “Riley, please think. If Roy weren’t your friend, would you still believe a single word he said?”

I hesitated for a long time before saying, “Maybe not. But here’s what we know: Camila’s team does need the Moonleaf, And Kade’s threat does sound real. I think Roy’s telling the truth…I’m leaning toward a yes.”

Silas looked frustrated and raised both his hands in the air. “Fine. I’ve explained my reasons. Let’s put it into a vote now. All those agree we should make a deal with Roy?”

Odin and Olivia immediately raised their hands.

After a little pause, I joined them.

“Shit.” Silas muttered under his breath, raking his fingers through his hairs.

Chapters

Chance Of Winning

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“Coine on. It won’t be that bad. We’ll go prepared. Stay armed and pull out if anything goes wrong,” I said to Silas.

“I just have a really bad feeling about this. But anyway, the vote count has decided, I can’t really go on spread ways with you guys, can’t I?” he shook his head. “But you know you really just want to save Roy.

I avoided his gaze, feeling slightly guilty

I always felt responsible for everything that happened to Roy. So if this was my chance to save him, I couldn’t turn it down.

Midnight.

We left our campsite together and went to meet with Roy.

He was waiting exactly where he promised. The moment he saw us, relief crashed across his face.

“Thank god you came!”

He ran to me and pulled me into a tight hug, his voice choking. “Thank you…Thank you Riley. You just saved my life.”

I gently patted on his back.

Seriously, if all these were just an act, Roy could win an Oscar. So no way this was faked.

“The Moonleaf?” he pulled away slightly, his voice urgent.

I pulled the moonleaf bundle from my pack and handed to him. Roy stared at it like it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He took it and quickly shoved it into his pocket.

“I delivered. It’s your turn now.” I stared at him.

“Yeah, the secret path, of course. Follow me.

He turned quickly. We followed him deeper into the forest.

The forest looked different after midnight.

The air was colder, damp enough that every breath carried the taste of wet bark and stone. Mist clung low between the trees, curling around our boots as we moved.

Somewhere far off, water dripped in a slow, hollow rhythm. So creepy.

We moved through the dark in silence, all of us armed. I kept my hand near my dagger.

And then my finger touched Ezra’s flare firework.

His face flashed across my mind.

Don’t think about him now. I shook my head to stay sharp.

“Hey Roy.”

Silas’s cold voice sounded behind me. “If this is such a perfect route, why don’t Camila and her team take it? Surely they want the Silverstag’s points too.”

Roy’s voice sounded a little muffled in the misty night.

“…She’s injured so we can’t really go anywhere now. And our team is divided as well. Not everyone’s comfortable with taking risks…We should probably stay quiet from now on.

The surrounding was getting darker.

Chapter 57 Anal Chance Of Winning

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The dense tree branches formed a nest above our head that forbade the moonlight to shine through. I could barely make out the way with my flashlight.

The path we were taking winded between stone and roots. Thorny brush clawed at our sleeves.

It felt like we were descending. The ground sloped lower with each step, and the smell of damp earth grew heavier.

Roy moved fast. Too fast for someone who had been trembling on his knees only fours ago.

A chill crept onto me. It was too quiet now.

No night birds. No rustle of small animals in the brush. No distant snapping twigs. Just our footsteps and the faint swish of branches brushing our clothes. Like we had entered a dangerous predator’s territory.

I slowed down.

Ahead of me, Silas did the same.

He had noticed it too.

The beam of my flashlight swept across the ground and caught a scatter of broken twigs. Fresh ones. Their pale insides still showed white in the dark.

2

Something had passed through here recently.

A few steps later, I saw the prints. Boot marks. Some deep. Some half-smeared in the mud.

My grip tightened on my dagger.

Silas’s voice sliced through the dark. “Roy.”

“…What?”

“Why are there broken twigs and fresh footprints on the ground?”

Roy glanced back too quickly. “Could be animals.”

Silas snapped. “Animals wearing boots?”

Roy suddenly fell silent. The air turned tighter.

Even Odin seemed to feel it now. I heard the shift in his breathing behind me. He had tensed up.

I lifted my light and swept it slowly across the trees.

That was when I saw it.

A strip of red cloth caught on a dead branch, fluttering weakly in the night breeze. Looks like someone passed through here and tore their clothes on the branches.

My stomach dropped.

That looked like Camila’s team uniform.

But according to Roy, Camila’s team had never been here before. This was supposed to be route that only we knew now.

Every part of me went cold.

“BACK!” I shouted. “Now!!!!”

Roy spun around.

And in the white beam of the flashlight, I saw it on his face.

Gull

The ground cracked beneath us.

A deep, ugly sound ripped through the dark, like something huge snapping open under our feet

“FUCK!” Silas yelled. “OMG no-”

**

Too late.

The earth caved in.

Olivia screamed. Odin lunged for her. Silas grabbed for me, his fingers brushing my sleeve-

then the whole forest dropped out from under us.

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