Chapter 3 3

Chapter 3

Layla

...

He tilted his head slightly, his deep blue eyes fixed on me. The oppressive darkness surrounding him was suffocating, making it feel as though every ounce of courage I possessed—my very existence—meant nothing in his presence.

I watched his jaw tighten as his gaze slowly traveled over me, lingering on my half-naked body sprawled across the wild grass.

But...

I couldn't move.

His mere presence shattered every bit of courage I had left, leaving my body trembling uncontrollably.

Before I could even cover myself—before I could hide the exposed skin that had somehow become the object of his attention that morning...

ROAR!

A deafening roar erupted from deep within the forest, shattering the silence like a clap of thunder.

My breath caught in my throat.

Death...

It was coming for me again.

I tried to scream with everything I had, but no sound escaped my lips. Frustration surged through me. I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted blood, hoping the sharp pain would force my frozen body to move.

It didn't... Even the pain couldn't pull me free from this nightmare.

Boom.

Boom.

Each thunderous impact shook the ground beneath me. A massive creature cloaked in darkness was charging straight toward us.

I'm going to die...

Again?

I turned to the stranger, silently pleading for him to save me.

I didn't want to die.

The scream trapped inside my chest threatened to suffocate me, yet all I saw was the faint curve of amusement on his lips.

He was smiling. As if my terror amused him.

Boom. Boom.

The Titan's enormous tail smashed through every towering tree in its path, sending splintered wood flying in every direction. The forest trembled with each deafening impact, while death once again loomed right before my eyes.

Then...

Swoosh!

In the blink of an eye, he caught the monstrous black Titan with one hand. A violent shockwave exploded through the air as his fist struck, the force alone sending a powerful gust tearing through the forest.

I could only stare.

Something that should have existed only in fantasy novels or movies was unfolding right before my eyes.

"Hah..."

"Hah..."

Every breath burned my lungs.

The breathtakingly handsome man with those piercing blue eyes had killed the monstrous Titan... With a single punch.

"Hm." He glanced at his hand as if nothing remarkable had happened. "Using my bare hands really is easier."

His expression remained completely calm even as the Titan's enormous body crashed lifelessly to the ground.

Only then did he look back at me.

"I've been tracking this Titan all night, but it hid in the darkness, masking its scent." His voice was calm, almost casual. "It only came out because it smelled your blood..." A flicker of curiosity crossed his eyes.

"How strange." He walked toward me with slow, unhurried steps before stopping beside my head.

Then he leaned down, tilting his head ever so slightly. Those piercing blue eyes glowed like blue flames, quietly burning in the darkness.

"Perhaps..." His gaze locked onto mine. "I should use you as bait to lure out more Titans." The corners of his lips lifted into the faintest smile.

"What do you think... little girl?" His voice never rose. It remained calm. Yet somehow, that made him far more terrifying than the Titan he had just killed.

What?

Bait?

Damn it... Who the hell is this terrifying man?

Why can't I speak...?

Why can't I even move?

My chest rose and fell unevenly.

He looked at me one last time, his piercing blue eyes impossibly cold.

For a brief moment, I forgot how to breathe. The pressure radiating from him was so overwhelming that it felt as though my lungs had forgotten their purpose.

"This time..." he said calmly, shifting his gaze away from me, "I'll spare you, human." He turned and began walking away. "But if you ever dare appear before me again..."

He paused, his voice dropping to a quiet whisper that seemed to stir the wind itself. "I'll devour you."

The forest fell silent.

Never in my life had I felt so completely insignificant. So utterly powerless.

In this strange world, I was nothing more than a fragile human destined to be hunted and killed.

I couldn't even move after he left.

It felt as though the invisible pressure he had released was still pinning me to the ground.

"Princess Swan!"

"Princess Swan, where are you?"

Distant voices echoed through the forest.

Someone was looking for me.

My maids... They must have discovered I was missing from my room.

Only then did the invisible weight pressing against my body finally disappear.

I sucked in a shaky breath and lowered my eyes. The birthmark on my wrist was still there.

My brows drew together.

I could feel it. Without a doubt... This was my body. I hadn't awakened inside Layla Swan's body. I'd awakened in my own. Yet somehow, everyone believed I was Layla Swan.

My head still throbbed painfully, but I forced myself to stand and slowly made my way out of the forest.

A gentle breeze swept through my wavy hair while my green eyes wandered across the unfamiliar surroundings.

There had to be a reason I'd been brought back to life. There had to be a reason I'd ended up in this world. And the only way to uncover the truth was to survive.

"Oh, Moon Goddess! Princess Swan, what happened to you? You look terrible!" A young maid dressed in simple clothes rushed toward me, immediately wrapping a thick fur cloak around my shoulders.

"Who are you?" I narrowed my eyes.

Her face instantly turned pale. "It's me... Rina, your maid." Her voice trembled. "Oh, Moon Goddess... what happened to you, Princess? Did you hit your head? Have you... forgotten me?" She looked as though she was about to cry.

Before I could answer, she blurted out another question.

"Is this because Alpha Hendry Gargan came to scold you this morning? Oh, Princess... what should I do?"

I couldn't help the faint smile that tugged at my lips.

Rina really was talkative. But I could tell she genuinely cared about Layla Swan.

"If you're Rina..." I looked past her shoulder. "Then she must be..."

Before I could finish, another young woman stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Princess Swan. My name is Shana."

I studied her in silence.

Shana—a half-human who secretly served as a spy for my father... King Herman Darges Noir.

The King of Humanity. A brilliant ruler.BA man with countless wives, and even more children.

I was his forty-ninth daughter. A princess sold to the noble werewolves as proof of my father's loyalty in maintaining trade with the Werewolf Kingdom.

To him...

Layla Swan was nothing more than a bargaining chip. A disposable daughter who could die at any moment.

But I wasn't Layla Swan. I was Layla Luris. And I refused to die.

The first person I needed to find was the King of the Werewolves—Alexander Hagard Raizel.

The breathtakingly handsome man with piercing blue eyes. The most powerful king alive. A ruler who despised humans because of the scars left by his past.

He had countless enemies. But I was going to help him.

I was going to change everything.

...

Wait...

Alexander Hagard Raizel.

The name made my heart pound.

As I walked through the field of wildflowers, I suddenly stopped and turned toward the towering forest behind me.

My eyes widened. My breathing grew heavy. The sight of those towering ancient trees made my blood run cold.

Could it be...

Had I just met him?

A shiver ran through my body.

No.

That couldn't be possible. There was no way I'd coincidentally crossed paths with the elusive Lycan King.

What kind of fate was this?

Just the thought of meeting the King of the Werewolves made every nerve in my body throb.

I remained frozen where I stood as my vision slowly blurred.

Only then did I realize what had happened.

The overwhelming aura the Lycan King had unleashed earlier had drained every last bit of strength from my body.

"Princess Swan!"

I faintly heard Rina calling out to me… And then I couldn’t hear anything anymore.

...