The Lycan Prince’s Wolfless Slave (Academy Romance) novel Chapter 266

Chapter 266

I pull myself to a halt behind a wall, staring out at the sight ahead. The den is a massive, dark cave carved directly into the side of a jagged mountain cliff. The entrance is completely covered by a heavy, rusted iron gate that looks centuries old. The air around the cave smells faintly of old blood and wild animals. It is dead silent, a terrifying emptiness that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Clara peers around the edge of the wall, voice dropping to a low whisper. “Look guys it’s silent. Meaning those wolves are either sleeping, or somewhere else. So instead of trying to fight what we don’t know yet, I suggest we all just go in as quickly as possible. Maybe if we are fast enough, the wolves inside will not even

notice us.”

I look at the dark entrance, calculating our options. We only have a few minutes left on the clock. “I agree,” I whisper back, nodding at her. “We don’t have time for a drawn-out battle. We need to be fast and quiet.”

We step out from behind the wall, moving in a single file line. We sneak into the perimeter as quietly as possible, making sure our boots make no sound on the ground at all. My eyes scan the gate, searching for

what we came for.

There, hanging directly over the very top center of the inner gate, is the fifth and final artifact. It is a large, golden key that’s hung like a painting.

But as we reach the base of the structure, my heart sinks. The key is positioned much too high to reach from the ground. To get the key, someone will have to physically climb up and shake the heavy iron gate to loose it from its hook. And doing that will inevitably cause the rusted metal to rattle loudly.

It will possibly wake up every single wild wolf sleeping inside the dark den.

The five of us stand in a tight circle at the base of the gate, staring at each other with fear. Nobody wants to be the one to make the first move. The countdown on our watches is ticking away the final minutes. If we don’t act right now, we fail anyway.

Then, something entirely surprising happens.

1

en’t vell, she doesn’t scowl. She firmly takes the hand of the shy boy.

Aloe and Sansa quickly close

15:38 F. Aug 7

Chapter 246

we lank each other directly in the eyes, the petty arguments and hatreds completely vanishing in the face

of the danger.

We can do this, we whisper to each other, our voices full of trust and promise. “We can do this!”

We immediately spring into action to get the key, everyone moves stealthily, playing their part perfectly.

The tall, shy boy positions himself firmly against the iron gate, bracing his back to act as the base. Sansa stands beside him, locking her arms to provide extra support. I lean against the side wall, using my strength

to keep them steady despite my throbbing leg

Aloe takes a deep breath, steps onto their locked hands, and climbs up their shoulders like a professional acrobat. She rises quickly to the top of the gate, stretching her arms upward until her fingertips finally wrap securely around the golden key.

She pulls hard. But the key is stuck.

“Try pulling it downwards!” I whisper desperately to her.

Aloe pulls it downwards once, twice, then the third time she yanks it forcefully. The heavy iron gate rattles instantly, making a loud metallic screech that echoes through the whole den.

Fuck.

Everyone freezes on the spot, no one dares to breathe.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify