Chapter 220 THE STORY CONTINUES
But Not Every Enemy Was Defeated…
Before we step into the next chapter of this world, there is something important you should remember.
Not every enemy fell when the palace was attacked.
Not every monster was buried beneath the rubble of the past.
Because while the kingdom celebrated its victory, one man disappeared into the shadows.
Clarence.
The man who once believed the crown should have been his.
The man who believed power belonged in his hands and his alone.
When the tunnels beneath the compound collapsed and the palace warriors stormed through the underground passages, many believed Clarence had died in the chaos. The fire, the collapsing stone, and the bloodshed made it seem impossible for anyone to survive what happened down there.
But Clarence had always been one step ahead.
When he fled through those tunnels, he did not flee alone.
His beta was with him.
His gamma followed close behind.
And several of his most loyal warriors and the men who had sworn loyalty to him above everything else has escaped alongside their king.
They vanished into the wilderness beyond the kingdom’s borders.
But Clarence did not leave empty-handed.
He had Lydia.
His mate.
And Lydia carried something far more important than Clarence’s own survival.
She was pregnant with his pup.
A son.
While the kingdom rebuilt itself and the Lycan Kings raised their family within the safety of the palace walls, Clarence disappeared into the darkness of the outside world.
There, far from the reach of the crown, he began preparing for the future.
Not his future.
His son’s.
The boy was born beneath a different sky, raised far from the kingdom that he was made to believe should have been his.
Clarence named him Ryder.
From the moment Ryder could walk, Clarence began shaping him into something dangerous.
Not simply a warrior.
A weapon.
Clarence had once been a powerful leader himself. Before his betrayal, before his fall from power, he had been trained by one of the most dangerous warriors the kingdom had ever known.
Benjamin.
Benjamin had once been Clarence’s mentor. The man who taught him everything about strategy, combat, leadership, and power. Every lesson Benjamin ever gave him became part of the man Clarence eventually became.
Now those same lessons were passed down to Ryder.
Day after day.
Year after year.
Clarence trained his son relentlessly.
Combat.
Strategy.
Survival.
How to fight stronger opponents.
How to break warriors bigger than him.
How to lead men.
How to destroy enemies.
Every scar Clarence carried became a lesson for Ryder.
Every mistake Clarence had made became a warning.
But the most dangerous thing Clarence ever taught his son was not how to fight.
It was why he should fight.
From the time Ryder was old enough to understand words, Clarence planted a single lie or to him was what he wanted his son to think, into the boy’s mind.
The crown was stolen.
The throne belonged to them.
And the kings who ruled the kingdom now had taken something that in his head was meant to belong to him.
Cassian.
Atlas.
The twin heirs of the Lycan throne.
Clarence made sure Ryder knew their names.
Made sure the boy understood exactly who stood between him and the crown that Clarence believed should have been his.
He filled Ryder’s childhood with stories of betrayal.
Of injustice.
Of power stolen by those who were never meant to rule.
And as the years passed, those words took root.
Ryder grew stronger.
Faster.
Smarter.
Everything Clarence had hoped for.
By the time Ryder reached his teenage years, Clarence knew he had succeeded.
His son was no longer just a boy.
He was a warrior.
A leader.
And a weapon sharpened for one purpose.
Revenge.
But Clarence was not foolish enough to rush back into the kingdom blindly.
He had learned from his past mistakes.
Instead of charging forward, he waited.
Watched.
Listened.
Years passed.
And slowly, news from the kingdom reached them.
The Lycan Kings had secured the throne.
The packs had united under one banner.
And the twin princes - Cassian and Atlas, were growing into powerful warriors themselves.
Clarence knew what that meant.
The future of the kingdom was already forming.
But fate had one more twist waiting.
Soon, the entire kingdom would gather beneath the palace roof for a celebration unlike any before.
The eighteenth birthday of the Lycan heirs.
A royal ball that would draw Alphas and families from every pack within the kingdom.
An event so large it would bring nearly every powerful bloodline together in one place.
For Clarence, it was an opportunity.
And for Ryder…
It was the beginning of the path his father had prepared him for since birth.
While the palace prepares for celebration…
While the kingdom gathers to honor the future kings…
Somewhere beyond the safety of those walls, Clarence and his son are watching.
Waiting.
Because the next generation of rulers is rising.
But they are not the only ones preparing for what comes next.
The crown believes its enemies are gone.
The kingdom believes the war is over.
But the truth is far more dangerous.
Because a boy raised in the shadows.
A boy trained to hate the kings who rule the throne.
Is coming of age as well.
And when the paths of these young warriors finally collide…
The future of the Lycan kingdom may never be the same again.
The story is far from over.
In fact…
It is only just beginning.