登入CHAPTER 48AVA'S POVImages I had desperately tried to bury for months flooded back in my mind. I saw my step-mother Lydia’s cruel, triumphant smirk when she had successfully traded me for cattle. Selene’s cruel laugh when Jax broke my heart. The hateful stare the moment Draken claimed me in front of the north…“Tell her to leave,” I said, my voice devoid of emotions.The young guard blinked, shifting his feet uncomfortably under his heavy iron helm. He glanced nervously toward the bed, waiting to see if the King would override my command.Draken didn't speak. His gaze were pinned to my face, narrowing as he tracked the sudden rigid posture of my shoulders. Across the bond, the soothing thud of his heartbeat spiked, reacting to the wave of old trauma I was bleeding into his chest.Before the guard could bow and retreat, the outer doors of the wing groaned open a second time. Another guard rushed into the chamber, his breath shallow.“My King... Lady Selene refuses to depart,” the guar
CHAPTER 47AVA’S POV“Help me up,” Draken growled, his muscles tensing as he gripped the edge of the mattress, attempting to swing his legs over the side of the bed.“What do you think you are doing?” the chief healer shrieked, rushing back in through the door with his hands raised in panic. “Your Majesty, the stitches will tear, The toxin is barely neutralized.”“I have a kingdom to secure,” Draken snarled, his jaw locking as he pushed against the linen sheets.“Sit down,” I commanded, stepping between him and the edge of the bed. I placed both of my hands flat against his uninjured shoulder, pushing him back against the pillows with a firm pressure.Draken froze, his eyes widening as he stared up at me. The roles had flipped. For months, he had been the one barking orders, throwing me over his shoulder, and managing me like a captive. Now, he was the one stuck in bed, forced to look up at me.“You are not leaving this bed, you towering, reckless king,” I told him, my voice flat and
CHAPTER 46AVA'S POVThe weak morning light crept through the high windows of the gallery, painting the stone floor in cold, gray stripes.I hadn't left the corridor outside the healing wing. Not really. Maya had managed to drag me to a nearby alcove for an hour of restless, nightmare-filled sleep before dawn, but the moment I woke, my feet carried me right back to the heavy iron doors. A tray of roasted meats and winter bread sat untouched on the stone bench beside me. I had only broken off a small piece of the crust to keep Maya from fussing, but my throat felt too tight to swallow anything.The bond was still a faint, distant hum. Without warning, the thread snapped tight.A sharp pulse rippled straight through my core, making my chest heave as a sudden wave of heat rushed back into my veins. The pull was sudden, fierce, and undeniable.He’s awake, I realized, my hands gripping the edge of the stone bench as I forced myself to my feet. I knew it before the royal healers did. I knew
CHAPTER 45AVA'S POVThe heavy iron doors of the royal healing chamber slammed shut in my face, the resounding clang echoing down the stone corridor. “You cannot enter, Luna!” a senior healer barked, his voice tense and high-pitched with panic as he and three others physically blocked the threshold. “The King requires absolute isolation. The silver poison is already near his heart. Please, back away!”I didn't step back. I couldn't. My boots felt as though they had been melted into the stone floor. My hands hung at my sides, heavy and stiff, coated with Draken’s blood. It had already begun to dry, flaking off my skin and staining the silver embroidery of my ruined ceremonial gown. I couldn't look away from it. Every time I blinked, I saw the exact moment the silver bolt tore through his ribs, the wet, sickening thwack repeating in my head. I was entirely powerless. I couldn't fight an invisible toxin. I couldn't use my Southern stubbornness to argue a failing heart back into rhythm.
CHAPTER 44AVA'S POVDraken looked down, gripped the silver bolt, and ripped it free from his own flesh with a guttural roar that shook the very foundations of the courtyard. Blood sprayed across the stones, but he didn't even flinch. He lunged forward, closing the distance to the assassin in a fraction of a second, his claws cutting a an arc that ended the attacker's life instantly.He kept fighting. Through pure, stubborn kingly pride, he continued to issue orders, cutting down two more rogues while blood poured down his side. He refused to show weakness. He refused to buckle.Then, the poison won.Draken’s movements suddenly slowed, his massive shoulders trembling as his vision blurred. The golden fire in his eyes began to flicker, and Fenris’s presence weakened. The King stumbled, his knee hitting the blood-stained stone.The moment his strength failed, the bond snapped between us. A sudden wave of agony crashed into my chest.I dropped straight to my knees, the breath leaving my
CHAPTER 43AVA'S POVOn the day of the Blood Oath Festival. The palace had completely transformed overnight. Massive silver frost banners snapped proudly in the biting northern wind, and hundreds of moon lanterns cast a brilliant glow over the sprawling stone courtyards. Noble houses from every corner of the kingdom had arrived, their cloaks and gleaming family sigils painting the fortress in vibrant colors. Heavy drums beat echoed off the mountains, and laughter and music filled the winter air. “The Blood Oath is one of our oldest Lycan traditions, Luna,” Maya explained, adjusting the heavy fur collar of my ceremonial gown as we moved through the gallery. “Every year, the nobles renew their loyalty, warriors swear their service, and the pack leaders reaffirm their allegiance to the crown. It ensures the pack stays whole.”I surveyed the gathering crowd. In the sea of faces, I caught sight of the court ladies who had spent weeks making my life a living hell. Elena, Morgana, Genevieve
CHAPTER 17 AVA'S POVTwo hours into the lesson, the heavy doors opened.Lady Genevieve walked into the room, holding a small, beautifully painted wooden box. Her friends stood behind her. “Mother,” Genevieve said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness as she offered a perfect curtsy. “Forgive the
CHAPTER 16AVA’S POV*Wolfsbane ash.* The very words felt like a death sentence, vibrating through the mate bond until my own chest ached with the force of Draken's suppressed anger. The sudden realization that someone had stood over my unconscious or resting form, pouring poison onto the linen ban
CHAPTER 14 AVA’S POV Draken crumpled the parchment paper in his large fist. The sudden warmth that had lingered between us just seconds ago. the electric spark of his fingers adjusting my collar, had vanished. The King had returned. His golden eyes narrowed as he read and reread the faded ink o
CHAPTER 12AVA’S POVMy muscles were stiff and my throat was dry as I stirred awake. The sun wasn't even fully up yet. The morning light reflected through the heavy curtains, doing nothing to warm the cold air of the royal suite. After discovering that note on my pillow last night, sleep had been i







