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Chapter 23: Splinters Between Brothers

Author: Cassie GW
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-09 16:36:37

JOAZ'S POV

I didn’t expect the look on her face to rattle me. But it did.

She looked at me like I was a ghost. Like she couldn’t believe I was real. Like she thought someone else would come first. Like she expected him.

Of course she did.

But I was the one who showed up.

Me.

Not Valrik. Me.

I wanted her to remember that.

I crouched beside her, ignoring the cold mud, ignoring how my boots sank into the soaked earth. Her eyes fluttered closed, her skin too pale, too clammy.

She hadn’t died. Not yet. But Goddess, she was close.

“Lyra,” I whispered.

Her lips moved but I didn’t catch what she said.

I scanned her quickly. The trap had been tossed aside—must’ve been her doing, or maybe she had help? No. She’d done it herself.

“Poison? Damn it. ” I mouthed, “Shit—hold on—don’t move, Lyra.”

Her ankle was swollen. Mangled. The wound was ugly.

She was running out of time and I needed to get her out of here quickly. So, I didn’t hesitate and within seconds, I had scooped her up into my hands.
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  • Second Chance with the Alpha King   Chapter 23: Splinters Between Brothers

    JOAZ'S POVI didn’t expect the look on her face to rattle me. But it did.She looked at me like I was a ghost. Like she couldn’t believe I was real. Like she thought someone else would come first. Like she expected him.Of course she did.But I was the one who showed up.Me.Not Valrik. Me.I wanted her to remember that.I crouched beside her, ignoring the cold mud, ignoring how my boots sank into the soaked earth. Her eyes fluttered closed, her skin too pale, too clammy. She hadn’t died. Not yet. But Goddess, she was close.“Lyra,” I whispered.Her lips moved but I didn’t catch what she said. I scanned her quickly. The trap had been tossed aside—must’ve been her doing, or maybe she had help? No. She’d done it herself. “Poison? Damn it. ” I mouthed, “Shit—hold on—don’t move, Lyra.”Her ankle was swollen. Mangled. The wound was ugly.She was running out of time and I needed to get her out of here quickly. So, I didn’t hesitate and within seconds, I had scooped her up into my hands.

  • Second Chance with the Alpha King   Chapter 22: Poison in the Veins

    LYRA’S POVIt hurt.Everything hurt.I wondered how long I had been here. I tried to breathe, but my lungs felt thick, like cotton had been stuffed inside them. Not because of the trap clamped around my ankle—that had long gone numb—but because of the fever spreading through my limbs like wildfire.I had stopped crying hours ago. I was not even sure I had any more tears left to cry. I did not know anymore. My tears had dried up and I knew it deep within me…No one’s coming.I was going to die here. “Alina?” I whispered.‘I’m here, Lyra.’ Her voice was weak. Even my wolf was fading.“How bad is it?” I asked her inside my head, trying to stay calm, though my teeth were chattering.‘Bad.’ she said “Really bad”She didn’t elaborate and she did not need to.I did not want to die. Not like this.Not alone.The wound throbbed, pulsing with every heartbeat. The poison was crawling inside me and Alina tried to fight it off, but I could feel her energy draining. Fast.Tears welled up in my e

  • Second Chance with the Alpha King   Chapter 21: The Ties That Burn

    VALRIK’S POV“Spread out,” I barked, pushing through the branches that snagged at my cloak. Warriors flanked me on either side; some held torches and others had already shifted into their wolf form, noses buried into the ground as they searched for her.Lyra. We had been looking for over two hours, no sign of her yet. “Igor, try to contact her wolf again,” I said through gritted teeth.‘I am,’ he growled back. ‘I still can't get to her. Something’s in the way…I don’t know.’Fuck. My gut twisted.What had happened to them?The Misty Forest grew denser the farther in we went. The fog rolled low and the forest itself reeked of rot and damp moss. It was harder to scent anything in this mess. Harder to track. Still, we kept moving.The deeper we went, the more I knew—we were approaching the swamp.I remembered the reports over the years. Old ones. Most people had dismissed them. Not me. The swamp was the most treacherous part of this forest. The terrain was unpredictable, with sudden dr

  • Second Chance with the Alpha King   Chapter 20: The Hunt Begins

    JOAZ’S POVThe throne room slowly emptied. I stayed where I was, slouched lazily against a pillar, watching it all with hooded eyes.Valrik’s rage had practically scorched the walls. He’d stormed out already, heading straight for the Misty Forest with half the palace guards at his heels.Good. Let him tear through the trees like a madman.Seeing as he had purposely left me out of the hunt, I had other plans.Once the hall was empty and silence fully settled in, I pushed off the pillar, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of my black coat, and wandered toward the guest wing.I knew where she’d be. I knew because rats always returned to the same holes.The corridor was deserted as I walked through and when I found the right door, I didn’t hesitate.I turned the handle slowly, slipped inside, and shut it behind me with a soft click.The room was dark, only faint moonlight bleeding through the thin curtains.She wasn't around. So I would wait. I leaned casually against the wall beside th

  • Second Chance with the Alpha King   Chapter 19: Missing

    VALRIK’S POV“Where is Lyra!?” I yelled, asking for the umpteenth time. Having summoned an emergency meeting, I sat on my throne, and kneeling in front of me were the palace maids, soldiers, even a few Queen Luna candidates, their foreheads pressed to the ground. Some of the maids were on the verge of tears. A few soldiers could barely keep their bodies from collapsing completely.Only Joaz wasn't kneeling, lounging lazily against a pillar with his arms crossed over his chest. Fucking bastard. He should be on his knees too.Lyra had been missing for hours. Hours.I’d already torn the entire palace apart looking for her. And still—nothing.Igor roared inside me, thrashing against my control, nearly snapping free.It took everything I had to keep him chained down. Because if he came out in this state, he'd tear everyone apart. “M-My King,” one of the palace maids whispered from where she kneeled, “This morning, Miss Lyra went to look for Miss Mabel in her room. But Miss Mabel wasn’t

  • Second Chance with the Alpha King   Chapter 18: His Wolf's Demand

    VALRIK’S POVMy wolf snarled inside me, pacing, snapping his teeth, restless as hell.‘Claim her. Take her. Mark her.’ The words never left me. Day and night, Igor made sure they pounded through my skull like war drums, louder, more urgent with every hour that passed.But I couldn't.I wouldn't.Not while Sybil was still alive. I slammed my fist into the stone wall beside my bed, cracking it down the center.Still, it wasn’t enough to quiet the beast.Two fucking days. Two days of nothing but madness, so much I could barely think straight.And no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I could still feel her.That girl.Her scent, her voice, her taste in the back of my throat.Goddess help me, I was losing control.I dragged a hand through my hair and barked out a sharp order through the mind-link to my Beta.“Bring me someone. Now. Anyone. Attractive. Willing. I don't care.”If Igor wouldn’t calm the fuck down, I’d find a way to force him to.I sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless, l

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