Novel-novel oleh H.Hadid

INARA’S POVThe healer removed the tightest linen wraps three days later, leaving only a firm leather support brace around my right foot. I could stand, though every step forward sent a stiff, reminding throb through my calf.I did not wait for permission. I pushed open the heavy oak doors of the Solar Chambers and walked straight out into the long corridor, using a carved ebony walking stick to keep my weight balanced.Two heavy set Lykan guards flanked the threshold, their hand axes gleaming in the torchlight. They stepped forward instantly, crossing their polearms to block the passageway."Lady Inara," the guard on the left rumbled nervously, bowing his head. "The Lord Alpha instructed that you remain within the East Wing until—""Move," I said, my voice dropping into a flat, deadly quiet that made both men hesitate."Is there a problem here?"Hati’s deep, gravelly voice echoed down the stone hallway before his boots even hit the floorboards. He strode out from his private study, w

INARA’S POVI sat pressed against the cold basalt wall, my breath coming in shallow, ragged hitches. My skin felt raw, tingling with the residual static of Sova’s magic. I looked down at my hands—my fingers were once again smooth, devoid of obsidian talons, but my skin still radiated a faint, unnatural warmth.Across the room, Hati rose slowly from the flagstones. He didn't look like a man who had just been slapped, spat on, and pinned by his throat. His black leather tunic was rumpled, his dark hair falling across his forehead, but those amber eyes remained fixed on me with an intense, unyielding focus that made my skin flush."What am I?" I demanded, my voice raw, dropping into a sharp, whisper. "What was that, Hati?"Hati wiped his jaw with the back of his hand, his expression sobering as the dark, playful smirk finally faded into serious lines. He took a slow, deliberate step toward me, but stopped when he saw the defensive tension in my shoulders."You are an Owl spirit host," H

INARA’S POVThe throbbing in my ankle had subsided to a dull, manageable ache, but the tension suffocating the Solar Chambers was sharper than a honed blade.Hati stood near the stone hearth, his broad back turned to me, staring silently into the crackling embers. He had dropped a tray of bandages and fresh ointment on the table, refusing to leave the room despite my icy silence. His massive frame radiated a suffocating, heavy heat that made the cold mountain air feel dense and unbreathable.He is blocking the door again, Sova’s voice hissed inside my skull, sharp and volatile. He stands there like an iron monument, expecting us to wither under his shadow.He is guarding his mate, feather tail,Volk’s guttural rumble suddenly breached our shared consciousness, heavy with dark, mocking arrogance. Where else would an Alpha stand? You are trapped in his nest.We are trapped by nothing!Sova roared back internally, her white hot fury surging so violently against my conscious mind that my vi

HATI’S POVThe air in the Alpha’s private war room smelled of bitter lamp oil and cold ash.Hati stood over the heavy oak table, staring down at a detailed map of the frost bound southern passes. He hadn't slept. His shoulder muscles were locked in rigid, aching knots, and the lingering scent of copper and fresh snow still clung faintly to his skin.You were too heavy-handed,a dark, rough voice growled inside his mind.Volk’s mental presence surged forward, a warm, heavy weight pressing against Hati’s ribs. The ancient Lykan spirit was pacing restless circles within the dark expanse of Hati’s consciousness."She ran into a blizzard, Volk," Hati replied aloud, his voice a low, raspy rumble that barely carried to the cold basalt walls. "The southern passes drop to forty below after midnight. If she had cleared the timberline, the frost would have taken her fingers and toes before sunrise."She is an Owl, not a fragile human lamb,Volk spat, his golden energy flaring hot. You handled her

INARA’S POVThe morning light filtering through the stone archway of the Solar Chambers was a bitter, blinding white.I woke to a throbbing, pulse deep fire locked in my right ankle. I tried to shift my weight, to swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, but the sharp bite of torn ligaments pinned me flat against the velvet pillows. A thick linen bandage was wrapped tightly around the joint, smelling faintly of crushed winter moss and bitter oil.I was trapped. Truly trapped.The heavy oak doors clicked open without a knock. Hati stepped into the bedchamber.He was fully dressed in a dark grey tunic, his jaw freshly shaven, looking entirely composed. He carried no trace of the monster that had torn a throat open in the courtyard or the Alpha who had snapped my ankle on the floorboards. He walked over to the side of the bed with a slow, measured stride, carrying a silver tray with warm bread, clear broth, and a cup of steaming tea.He set the tray on the bedside table and looked do

INARA’S POVHati kicked the heavy oak door of my bedchamber open, the wood slamming against the stone wall with a thud that echoed like a cannon shot."Put me down!" I shrieked, my voice raspy and raw from the freezing air. I kicked my legs, my fists raining useless blows against his broad, bare shoulders. "Put me down, you bastard!"He ignored my frantic strikes entirely. He strode across the dark room, stopping beside the massive bed. Without a word, he dropped me onto the thick mattress.I scrambled back immediately, dragging my bruised limbs through the velvet covers until my back hit the carved wooden headboard. My body was shaking violently half from the biting chill lingering in my bones, half from the terror still flooding my blood.Hati stood over the bed, towering like a mountain carved from iron. His chest was heaving, covered in sweat and smudges of dark crimson from the courtyard outside. His amber eyes burned with a dark, suffocating intensity, pupils still dilated wide.