LOGINShare
chapter 177
publish date:
2026-01-31 23:23:28
Latest chapter
Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride 199
CelesteConfusion bought seconds.Nothing more.“Left,” I said.We shifted as one, cutting across the line before they could close around us. A man lunged from the dark—too slow. Mara dropped him without breaking stride.“Don’t stop,” she muttered.“I wasn’t planning to.”Shouts rose behind us now. Not panicked—controlled, but sharp. Orders passed fast. Faster than before.“They’re recovering,” Tomas said.“Good,” I replied. “Keep them doing it.”Another platform came into view ahead, partially manned. One operator turned, eyes widening just a fraction too late.“Take it,” I said.Lysa’s arrow hit first—close, efficient. The second man didn’t get the shot off. Tomas drove forward, knocking the frame sideways. Wood cracked under its own weight, tilting, then collapsing into the slope.“Move.”No hesitation.We passed through the gap before it settled.Behind us, their line tightened. Not chasing wildly. Adjusting. Containing.“They’re trying to box us,” Mara said.“Yes.”“Do we let the
Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride Chapter 197
CelesteNight fell hard, wiping the valley from sight.“Now?” Mara asked.I nodded.Torches lit behind the ridge, low and uneven. They threw shadows forward, making us look scattered.“They’ll think we’re loose,” Tomas said.“Let them.”The west moved first. Slow, careful steps. No signals.“Hold,” I said.They hit fast, expecting a weak line.“Lock.”Our shields closed. No panic. No gaps.They pushed. We didn’t meet it head-on. We shifted, turning their force sideways. Their line lost shape and pulled back.A whistle cut through the dark.South.“They’re climbing,” Lysa said.Slower this time. Controlled.I stepped forward just enough to be seen.The first man reached the top and paused. Then moved.Two more followed, spreading out.“Now?” Mara asked.I waited, then gave it.We stepped back a single pace, opening space.They took it.“Close.”The gap vanished. We pressed inward, trapping them tight. No room to move.“Pressure.”We leaned, steady and coordinated. The ground shifted un
Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride chapter 197
CelesteEvening didn’t fall so much as settle—slow, deliberate, like a hand pressing down over the ridge.The light thinned into a pale blue wash, flattening depth and shadow until distance became guesswork again. Not fog. Not quite darkness. Something in between.Uncertain ground.Perfect for mistakes.“Torches?” Tomas asked.I shook my head. “Not yet.”Light gave clarity, but it also gave position. Right now, ambiguity was still ours.Below, the enemy platforms had multiplied. What began as scattered frames had become a staggered line, each one slightly offset from the next. Not enough to overlap. Just enough to cover.Efficient.“They’ll keep firing through dusk,” Mara said. “Test how we react in low light.”“Yes.”“And if we don’t?”“They’ll escalate.”She exhaled slowly. “Of course they will.”A soft crunch of boots behind us signaled Lysa’s approach. “Western scouts report movement,” she said. “Not forward. Lateral.”“Flanking?” Tomas asked.“Not exactly,” I replied before Lysa
Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride chapter 195
CelesteBy midday, the mountain gave us back our sight but not our certainty.The fog didn’t vanish all at once. It peeled away in reluctant layers, revealing the valley like something waking from a long sleep. Shapes sharpened. Distances returned. The illusion of control came with it.I didn’t trust it.“Too clean,” Mara muttered beside me, echoing the same thought.The enemy had withdrawn just far enough to be seen, not engaged. Lines reforming. Movements deliberate. No wounded left scattered. No panic in their retreat.They were resetting.So were we.“Water first,” I said. “Then rotation. I want fresh eyes on every edge.”The men didn’t argue. They never did anymore. Orders weren’t interruptions now—they were structure. Something to hold onto between impacts.I walked the ridge slowly, not because I needed to inspect it, but because they needed to see me do it.Presence mattered.The southern edge bore the marks of the morning—scuffed ice, shallow gouges, a snapped arrow half-buri
Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride chapter 195
Chapter CelesteBy the third day, the mountain stopped pretending this was temporary.Snow had packed into ice along the ridge, boots carving familiar grooves that no longer filled in between skirmishes. The air tasted metallic, thin enough to scrape the throat. Even the men moved differently now—economical, conserving motion without being told.That was how you knew a fight had settled in. When survival stopped being dramatic and became routine.I woke before dawn again, not from fear this time, but calculation. The enemy had probed west, then center. They’d tested our patience, our traps, our timing. They would not repeat themselves. Not exactly.I stepped out into the dim light and found Mara already awake, crouched beside a map weighted with stones.“Fog’s coming,” she said without looking up.I followed her gaze. The valley was swallowed in a low gray swell, thick and slow-moving.“How long?” I asked.“Hard to say. Could burn off by noon. Could sit all day.”I nodded. Fog favore
Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride chapter 194
CelesteNight did not arrive cleanly.It slid in under the snow, diluted and cautious, like it knew better than to announce itself. The sky dimmed by degrees, light thinning until shapes mattered more than color. Torches were kept low. Fires stayed banked. Nothing that could be read from below.I walked the line again as evening settled, slower this time. Not inspection—presence. Men straightened when they saw me, not out of fear, but habit. They wanted to be seen. To be counted. I let my eyes meet theirs, one by one. Names surfaced without effort. So did the small things: who favored their left leg, who’d stopped rubbing their hands because the broth had done its job, who was wound tight enough to snap if left alone too long.I paused beside Lysa near the southern brace. She had a clean bandage wrapped around her forearm, blood already seeping through the cloth in faint blooms.“You should’ve been pulled back,” I said.She shrugged with her uninjured shoulder. “It’s shallow.”“It’s
Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride chapter 165
Edgar Smoke still clung to the morning air when I entered the council chamber.They had opened all the high windows, but the scent of burned grain lingered anyway — sharp, bitter, impossible to ignore.Good.Let it sit in their lungs while they spoke about “stability.”The nobles were already asse
Last Updated : 2026-04-02Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride chapter 160
CelesteThe wind along the north wall carried the smell of river water and distant smoke.Celeste always forgot how high this part of the city sat. From here, the palace didn’t look like a symbol.It looked like a target.Edgar stood a few paces away, dark cloak stirring around his boots, no guard
Last Updated : 2026-04-02Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride chapter 167
EdgarSmoke and snow do not belong together.One melts. One chokes.By the time we reached the first northern village, the snow along the road had turned gray with ash, trampled into slush by boots that did not belong to my people.I had seen battlefields.This was worse.Battle was chaos. Noise.
Last Updated : 2026-04-02Game of hearts: The Ruthless Alpha and his warrior bride chapter 163
Edgar I knew about the raids before Vale spoke. You can feel it when the city holds its breath. Morning council ran long — too long. Harren spoke in measured tones about “restoring order.” Corven nodded in grave agreement. Demitri avoided my eyes. They were already acting. I ended the session
Last Updated : 2026-04-02
You may also like
Alpha Dante
Crystal L535.7K viewsHE'S MY ALPHA
Cassandra M941.6K viewsTattooed Luna
Mrs. Smith2.9M viewsTimber Alpha
Marie Night608.5K viewsLuna of the North
Marcy Lee603 viewsThe Hybrid Huntress
Emily Czykoski 142 viewsMated to an Alpha
Koko-hime 339 viewsCelestial Bodies: of Runts and Lycans
myx_writes250 views
