Chapter 170: Stop the Announcement

Words : 1246 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Chapter 170: Stop the Announcement Griffin~ The door slammed shut behind me, but it did nothing to keep the shame out. I stood there, gasping, staring at my trembling hands like they belonged to someone else. My wolf whimpered, curled deep inside me, wounded and quiet for the first time in years. What had I done? I stumbled backward until my legs hit the edge of the guest bed and collapsed. My knees buckled, my breath coming in short, shaky bursts. My entire body was burning with humiliation. I had just pissed myself—pissed myself—in front of Natalie. In front of him. Cole Lucky. It all made sense now. Every damn piece of it. The royal insignia that shimmered faintly when he lost his temper. The unnatural aura that made my wolf recoil. The way he walked into a room like he already owned the world. I blinked hard as the truth unraveled like a scroll of prophecy in my head. Cole Lucky wasn’t just any werewolf. He was the werewolf. The Faceless Prince. The heir. The one the entire kingdom whispered about but never saw. The one whose identity was cloaked in secrecy. Hidden from everyone. I buried my face in my hands, my heart pounding like war drums behind my ribs. My chest felt like it was caving in on itself. I wanted to scream. Break something. Disappear. I had come here thinking maybe—just maybe—I had a chance with Natalie. To beg. To fight. To win her back. But I didn’t stand a chance. Not against a man like him. Not against the Lycan Prince. The realization had been a slow horror. First, the scent of their bond had gutted me. Then the weight of Cole’s power—his blood—had shattered everything I thought I knew. And when he looked at me, not like a rival or even a man, but like something beneath him, something pitiful— I felt it. I felt the bloodline in him. It pulsed through the room like a heartbeat made of thunder. Ancient. Dangerous. Royal. The Lycan King’s blood. My mind was a blur of thoughts and voices and trembling flashes of memory. I clutched the edge of the bed so tightly my hands turned painfully white. I could still see his face—calm, cold, unforgiving. And Natalie—my Natalie—standing beside him like she belonged there. Because she did. They matched. The way they moved, the way their energies interlocked—it wasn’t just chemistry. It was destiny. Celestial and Royal. I could feel it, even with the tension in the air. The stars had aligned for them, and there was no space left for someone like me. But I refused to accept that. Not yet. Not without a fight. I squeezed my eyes shut and reached for the mind link. "Dad... Grandfather... can you hear me?" My voice cracked through the bond, rough with pain and desperation. There was a pause—then the familiar weight of their presence slipped into my mind. "Griffin?" my father’s voice was alert. "What’s going on? You sound breathless." "I figured it out," I said, pacing now. My feet carried me in tight, restless circles. "Cole Lucky. The man staying in the palace right now. He’s not just anyone. He’s the Faceless Prince. He has royal Lycan blood. He’s the king’s son—King Anderson’s bloodline." The silence on the other end of the link was deafening. Then my grandfather spoke. His voice was deeper, calmer—like still water hiding a powerful current beneath. "Are you sure about this?" "The puzzle pieces match. It’s definitely him." I replied. "No wonder," Grandfather muttered. "No wonder I couldn’t see into his past or his future. He was a void to me. A wall. Only royal blood can block my sight." I froze in my tracks. "You tried to see him?" I asked, heart hammering. "Of course I did. The moment I laid eyes on him at the palace, I tried. But all I saw was mist. He was protected. Cloaked. It was like the wind refused to carry his scent." My father’s voice cut back in, sharp with purpose. "Griffin, listen. There’s a royal ball tomorrow night. The King has ordered the entire kingdom and beyond to prepare. When we first heard of the ball, we both thought he was just entertaining nobles, but then he extended the invitation to everyone; so now..." Grandpa made a sound of realization. "Now it’s clear. He’s going to formally introduce Cole to the world. He’s going to declare him heir to the throne." "Exactly," Dad growled. "And we can’t let that happen." I stopped pacing and gripped the edge of the window. The afternoon sun filtered through the clouds and fell in soft beams across the floor. Natalie had once been mine. And now she belonged to him? No. "I agree," I said quickly. "We can’t let the King introduce him yet. We need to stop him. Just for little while. I need time to make Natalie mine again." There was silence again, but this time it was laced with tension. "I still can’t get over the fact that you rejected her, Griffin," Grandfather said after a long moment. "You pushed her away and now we are all suffering from that decision." "I was stupid," I admitted. My voice cracked with the truth of it. "She had no wolf. She was vulnerable. I believed Darius had destroyed her, and I was afraid. But now... now she’s powerful. She has her wolf. She’s the celestial princess. She’s—goddess, Grandfather, she’s everything." Dad grunted. "Are you confident she’ll take you back? After all this? After Cole?" I clenched my jaw. It was clear as day that she’s been marked by Cole. The fact burned my mind, but I didn’t tell them that, instead, I let myself hope. I refused to believe it was permanent. If Darius’s mark could be erased—every trace of it gone from her scent, her skin, her soul—then maybe, just maybe, I could scrub Cole’s from her too. I could burn him out of her with love, devotion, obsession if I had to. Because I couldn’t lose. I wouldn’t allow it. Natalie had to be mine. She was mine. I turned from the window, anger and desperation curling in my gut like twin serpents. "I know I can. Please," I said finally. "I’m begging you both—stop the announcement. Do whatever it takes. Just give me time. If Cole becomes the crowned heir with Natalie at his side, he’ll be untouchable. She’ll be lost to me forever." My father’s voice came back, grave and calculating. "We’ll see what we can do. The King may be firm on the ball, but if we can stir enough doubt, maybe—" "I’ll handle the rest," I cut in. "Just keep the spotlight off him until I claim what’s mine." There was a beat of silence. Then Grandfather sighed deeply, like the weight of all my foolishness had just landed on his shoulders. "Griffin... be sure of this. Once you walk down this path, there’s no turning back. Natalie’s not the same girl you left behind. She’s become something stronger. Wilder. Divine." "I know," I said, voice tight. "That’s why I need her more than ever." Then I cut the link and let my knees give out beneath me, collapsing onto the carpet. I’d lost her once. I wouldn’t lose her again. Even if it meant going to war with the next king of the Lycans. Even if it meant tearing the heavens apart.

Chapter 170: Stop the Announcement

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