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CHAPTER 26

Author: Angela Ray
last update Last Updated: 2025-05-22 01:07:03

Aura

As Kai and I headed back toward cabin, the words Ryder had spat into the frigid air still clung to my skin like a second, toxic layer.

“If I can’t have her, no one will.”

I tried to push them aside; bury them somewhere dark and unreachable. But the unease clawed at me from the inside, relentless.

A scout came sprinting out from the trees, breathless and wild-eyed by the time we approached the town's border. His name was Eamon, one of the newer ones, barely sixteen.

“Kai!” he called out. “You have to come—now—”

“What is it?” Kai demanded, instantly on guard.

Eamon gasped, doubling over. “It’s—it's the village. Stonebrook. It's on fire.”

The blood drained from my face.

Stonebrook.

A neutral village. A safe place. Home to farmers, healers, families who had refused to take sides.

No warriors. No defenses.

Kai acted without hesitation. He grabbed Eamon’s arm. "Who attacked it?"

Eamon's eyes were huge, terrified.

“They said it was... you.”

A silence fell between us.

I instinctively sh
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  • Let me go alpha, I belong to your cousin    CHAPTER 30

    Aura’s POVEverything seemed... different the night after the dream.The air was denser, charged like the moments before a summer storm. Invisible energy running through the trees outside Kai's cabin made my skin tingle. Though my body longed for rest, I could hardly sit still, pacing the wooden floors.Kai watched me silently from his seat by the fire, his eyes never leaving me.“You should rest,”he said softly.I shook my head. "I can’t. It feels... wrong. Like something’s coming."Without saying anything, Kai got up and stood in front of me, softly putting his hands on my shoulders. Though dread coiled tighter in my chest, his touch grounded me and steadied me."I know," he said simply. “But you should rest notwithstanding.”Somehow, those words were enough to halt my trembling hands. I closed my eyes and leaned into him.He took a single breathAnd then—-A crash broke the calm.The door exploded inward, ripped from its hinges.A woman walked through the wreckage, black robes sw

  • Let me go alpha, I belong to your cousin    CHAPTER 29

    Aura’s POVThe next morning, the air in the town felt thick—like the world itself had changed in the night while we slept.Or tried to.I woke with my hand resting protectively over my stomach. Kai's body curled around mine like a shield. The cramps had faded to a low ache, and the baby moved gently inside me, calm rather than frantic.I let out a sigh of relief.We had time. Maybe not much, but enough to breathe. Enough to prepare.I slowly got out of bed. Kai awoke right away, his golden eyes flashing open.“Aura?” His voice was hoarse with sleep and worry.Brushing my fingers across his stubbled jaw, I whispered, "I'm fine.”He looked at my face for a long time before slowly nodding.Neither of us said it, but we knew things outside the cabin weren’t okay.Not even close.The rumors had started even before the sun rose.By noon, it was undeniable. Whispers in the market. Stares in the town square. Doors that had once swung open in welcome now barely cracked when we passed.“They

  • Let me go alpha, I belong to your cousin    CHAPTER 28

    Aura's POV Low in the earth, the fire crackled, casting long shadows over Kai's cabin walls.I stood frozen by the window, arms wrapped around myself as I watched the army of Graven’s men melt back into the forest.For now.But they would come back. I knew it.Louder than the faraway howls reverberating throughout the night, my heart thudded.I couldn’t stay idle. Couldn't let fear anchor me to the ground.I turned away from the window and faced the cabin’s interior, my eyes scanning across the simple but warm space.Kai had tried his utmost to make it comfortable for me. He had tossed a thick quilt over the bed. A kettle steaming gently over the fire. A battered bookshelf filled with old tomes and scrolls.My fingers itched to move, to do something.Anything to prevent me from sinking in dread.Drifting toward the shelves, I ran my hand gently over the spines. Most of the books were tales from before the Great Divide, wolf lore, and old pack records.But, one leather-bound notebo

  • Let me go alpha, I belong to your cousin    CHAPTER 27

    Ryder's POVThe walls of the stone chamber tremble with the force of my roar.The guards outside flinched but they dared not enter.Good.I wanted them to be afraid.With fury coursing through me, I paced like a caged animal barely held under the delicate threads of my control. The boy.That tiny rat I should have stomped under my boot when I had the opportunity. Slamming my fist into the table, I splintered the wood and sent papers flying all over the floor.Graven stood in the corner watching me in silent with those cold, calculating l eyes.“You promised me, I said angrily, my wolf coming out "that no evidence would lead back to me."Graven, unconcerned, tilted his head. "And it won't—if you handle it."I lunged for him, pinning him against the wall with one hand around his throat."The job was simple," I snarled into his face. “Set the village on fire. Burn everything into ashes and frame Kai for it.”Graven's lips curled into a smirk."And you, Alpha," he said mockingly, "had o

  • Let me go alpha, I belong to your cousin    CHAPTER 26

    AuraAs Kai and I headed back toward cabin, the words Ryder had spat into the frigid air still clung to my skin like a second, toxic layer.“If I can’t have her, no one will.”I tried to push them aside; bury them somewhere dark and unreachable. But the unease clawed at me from the inside, relentless.A scout came sprinting out from the trees, breathless and wild-eyed by the time we approached the town's border. His name was Eamon, one of the newer ones, barely sixteen.“Kai!” he called out. “You have to come—now—”“What is it?” Kai demanded, instantly on guard.Eamon gasped, doubling over. “It’s—it's the village. Stonebrook. It's on fire.”The blood drained from my face.Stonebrook.A neutral village. A safe place. Home to farmers, healers, families who had refused to take sides.No warriors. No defenses.Kai acted without hesitation. He grabbed Eamon’s arm. "Who attacked it?"Eamon's eyes were huge, terrified.“They said it was... you.”A silence fell between us.I instinctively sh

  • Let me go alpha, I belong to your cousin    CHAPTER 25

    AuraRyder's seal lay forgotten on the floor, its words branded into my mind like a scar that would not heal. “Meet me at the Stones of Mourning at dusk tomorrow. Alone.”Every step I took, my heart pounded against my ribs, as I paced the small confines of Kai's room.For the tenth time, I remarked, "This is insane. You cannot go by yourself.”Though every line of his body screamed tenacity, Kai was fighting to put on his jacket and winced at the new tug of his half-healed injury. Tightening the final strap, he said, "I have to. If I don’t show, he’ll take it as weakness. He’ll retaliate."“Then take some guards. Let someone accompany you.” Take me. I wished to scream."I can't take the chance,” Kai replied. “Ryder will be looking for any excuse to say I broke parley.”I clenched hands by my sides. I hated how logical he sounded. How right he was."I don’t care about his twisted rules!" I said, voice rising despite myself. "I care about you. About what he’ll do if you walk in ther

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