Betrayed By My Mate, Claimed By His Lycan King Uncle
Chapter 68: This Is Madness!

Chapter 68: This Is Madness!

"You’re dead," she whispered, her voice low, lethal, and laced with fury.

The field fell deathly silent but it was the kind of silence that came before a storm. Sorayah could feel the tension prickling against her skin like electricity. Her fingers flexed around the taut bowstring, her gaze razor-sharp as it scanned the approaching targets.

They moved fast, their bows already drawn, arrows poised to strike. But Sorayah’s eyes had already locked onto two. Without hesitation, she fired first, her bow perfectly fitted with twin arrows that sliced through the air with a whistle. They struck the two advancing statues in the throat, splintering the wood just before they could release their own projectiles.

At the same time, she threw herself into the air, narrowly dodging other incoming arrows from the other targets. It flew past her entire body, her head so close, she felt the wind of it against her cheek.

That was close! she thought, adrenaline coursing through her. Just how in heaven sake am I supposed to defeat a hundred of them by myself?

A hiss cut through the air, sharper this time, cutting her off her whirlpool of thoughts.

Another hundred of arrows from the targets but she dodged it real quick but one aimed straight for her knee the moment she hit the ground again.

Sorayah twisted, spinning to the side mid-air. The arrow thudded into the earth where her leg had been mere seconds before. She didn’t wait to see if more were coming. With a sharp inhale, she launched another volley. Two arrows again, both flying true. They struck their targets cleanly in the throats, causing the statues to crumble and fall to the ground.

"Four down!" Dimitri called from his seated position, his voice loud and maddeningly calm.

Sorayah barely spared him a glance, just a quick, furious glare but she regretted it instantly. Pain exploded in right arm as an arrow pierced it.

"Arrrgh!" she screamed, a mix of pain and fury in her voice. Her eyes glistened with momentary terror but like the warrior she was, she didn’t crumble. Gritting her teeth, she snapped the shaft and yanked the embedded arrowhead free. Blood poured freely down her arm, soaking into the hilt of her bow. Still, she didn’t stop.

With a defiant grunt, she fitted three arrows into the string, an almost impossible feat with her injured hand and loosed them in a single, fluid motion. All three found their mark.

"Five down!" Dimitri announced again, louder this time, as if mocking her progress.

The announcement only fanned the flames of Sorayah’s anger. Without hesitation, she turned and shot an arrow directly at Dimitri’s head.

But of course, he caught it, his hand a blur. He smiled lazily, holding the arrow like it was a gift.

Sorayah didn’t even spare him a second glance. She acted as if she hadn’t meant it, as if her aim had merely slipped. But Dimitri knew better. That smirk still played at the corners of his mouth, though he said nothing more and remained seated.

She continued firing at the advancing targets, pouring every ounce of strength and rage into each draw of the string. Her arm trembled from the effort, aching where the earlier arrow had torn her skin but she didn’t falter. Not once.

This time, Dimitri said nothing.

Maybe it was the arrow aimed at him. Or maybe he wanted to see how far she could go without hearing his voice again.

The bow vibrated in Sorayah’s grip, thrumming like it could feel her fury.

’There’s no way I can defeat one hundred of them without using magic, she thought, gritting her teeth. If I do, then Dimitri will know i’m not who I claim to be. He’ll recognize the power. He’ll realize I’m the human crown prince they’ve been hunting.’

’What do I do now?’

She ducked behind a tree, using its thick trunk as a temporary shield while she tried to catch her breath. Her breathing was ragged, and her arms ached from the weight of the bow. Still, she kept shooting.

More enemies surged forward, encircling her like a pack of wolves. Just as she rose to fire, one of the statues leapt into the air, shooting an arrow mid-flight.

Sorayah reacted instinctively. She backpedaled swiftly, the arrow grazing her shoulder as it passed, and then fired back three arrows, one after the other in rapid succession. All three struck true.

Sweat dripped down her back not from fear, but from sheer, blistering rage.

"They can see you, Sorayah," Dimitri’s voice rang out again, calm but edged with something darker. "You can’t hide. They’ll only disappear once you’ve taken down a hundred of them. No less."

She grit her teeth, her jaw clenched tight.

"You know this is almost impossible!" she shouted back between breaths, her hands never ceasing their movements. "How am I supposed to take down one hundred moving targets with only a bow and a quiver of arrows? This is suicide! You’re trying to kill me!"

"Fine," Dimitri called out, the amusement in his tone maddening. "Let’s make it fifty, then."

Her breath hitched.

"If you can take down fifty," he continued, his smirk now fully visible from where he sat lounging like a god on a throne, "I’ll let you live peacefully beside me. I won’t hand you over to the Alpha Emperor. I’ll even imbue your bow and arrows with my own magic."

Sorayah stared at him, stunned for a second. Then shook her head, laughing bitterly.

This is madness, she thought. Absolute madness. He’s always using something to control me. First it was Lily and now he’s threatening me by handling me over to Lupien.

She was covered in blood now not from fatal wounds alone, but also from countless shallow cuts and grazes. Her tunic was torn, her skin stinging, her lungs on fire. Still, she fought on, never letting the bow slip from her grip.

The targets came at her relentlessly, a never-ending wave of enchanted statues. But she moved like a tempest, ducking, leaping, and rolling between trees, each arrow she fired adding another tally to her invisible count.