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Chapter 183
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๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2025-04-04 22:34:22
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THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 184
Xander's povI spotted the command postโa black stone tower in the heart of the forge still standing amidst the chaos.โTake the south side!โ I shouted to Kaida. โKeep them from regrouping!โShe nodded once before leaping into the shadows, other nightshade warriors next to hermI tuned to the rest. โPush forward! Get to the tower! Cut the head off the snake!โWe broke into a small unified group, making our way to the gate. More and more of Zerathos' warriors began flooding in from the rear nowโthose that were not caught in the explosions. Reinforcements. Bigger. Angrier.But it was too late.Too slow.I could feel it.Their fear.Their unraveling.And beneath it all the Forge began to make a groaning sound.Like something buried deep beneath was awakening.We reached the tower. My claws tore through the doors.We stormed inside and then came the scream again.A sound that shattered bone and split stone.The Howling Horror. Another one.It was close.And it was coming.I turned toward
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-05THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 185
Ava's pov The moment the black mist erupted from the ground, I knew that things were about to get much worse. It was reeking badly. The ground cracked open beneath our feet like a wound splitting wide, and from it, the shadows poured, thick and choking, whispering in voices I couldnโt understand. Zerathos was coming. And I wasnโt ready, it was too soon. But I had to be. I knew that if I had continued to wait in blackthorn, I would never fully be ready. Now, regardless I was already here and needed to get things together and end this. I turned, eyes widening as I sensed something coming. "Shields!" I screamed, summoning my light magic and making a dome flare out around us, golden and humming with energy just as a blast of shadows shot out from the crack on the floor and hitting the barrier with so much force that the forge shook. We stumbled. Xander caught me by the elbow, his arm strong, steady. His eyes locked onto mine for half a second stormy gray-golden eyes c
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-06THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 186
Ava's povWar doesnโt start and end in a day. It takes a while.To build. To break. To bleed.To bury.And when the sky finally cleared of fire and ash, when Zerathosโs monstrous form vanished into the nothingness from which he had come from, taking his cursed army with him, all that remained was silence.A thick, eerie, unnatural silence.Like the earth itself was holding its breath.The blood-soaked ground beneath my feet was still warm, humming with the leftover power of dark spells and light magic. The battle was overโฆfor now but it didnโt feel like a victory. It felt like a pause. A line right in the middle of a war that hadnโt even shown us its worst yet.All around me, bodies lay scattered like fallen birdsโour warriors, his Shadow slaves and everything in between. Some would never rise again. Others would carry the scars forever.My heartbeat echoed in my ears, the only sound I could hear over the rush of adrenaline still coursing through my veins.Xander stood a few feet from
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-06THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 187
Zerathos' povThey think theyโve won.How foolish.War doesn't end when someone retreats. Not for those who breathe war.They thought my vanishing act was surrender. That my army fading with me was a sign of loss. But they misunderstood the game entirely.You donโt conquer a kingdom by brute force aloneโyou break its spirit, fracture its foundation, and wait for the cracks to show and watch everything crumble as they scramble to save what is beyond repair.The moment I faded from the battlefield, I felt the wave of their false relief like a sweet smell in the wind. It made me smirk at their naiveness. A dream. It was the normal way a prey always relaxes when the predator steps awayโฆ forgetting that sometimes, the beast only backs off to sharpen its claws.I stood at the top of the cliffs of Death Hollow now, the wind howling in the air, the sky was bleeding, the earth soaked with death, black mist curling at my feet. The death hollow was a little realm I had crafted for myself. Below
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-07THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 188
Ava's povWar doesnโt end in a day. But neither does peace begin in one.It has been three days since Zerathos vanished.Three days since we watched his monstrous army retreat into the mist, leaving behind scorched earth, broken trees, a pile of bodies, the smell of blood and rot and the faintest echo of something dangerous whispering in the wind.We had returned to the Ashville main pack to regroup, heal, and mourn. The war council met daily. The injured filled the infirmary. My magic was slowly coming back as the days passed. Our warriors were tense, always half-listening, always watching the tree lines.But thereโs something worse than fear in the air.Something wrong that had plagued me since the day of the first battle.And I could feel it clawing at me like a cold hand pressed against the back of my neck.I would wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air, heart pounding like Iโve been running. But there was nothing there, no matter how hard I searched. Just Xanderโs s
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-07THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 189
Ava's povThe night begins with shadows.Always.Not the kind that creep under doorways or stretch across walls. These are inside meโcold, vile things curling behind my ribs and pressing against my spine.I couldn't sleep. Again.I thought I had gotten rid of Zerathos' hold on me so I was very confused by the shadows tormenting me.Or is it all just in my head?I didn't know. It was driving me crazy.Every time I closed my eyes, I would see a shape in the dark. A flicker at the edge of reason. A whisper that wasn't by voice.And tonight, it showed me something that I couldn't escape.It started with smokeโ it was thick, black, and curling like serpents across the ground. I was standing on a cracked path of scorched earth, the sky a scary swirl of red and grey. The air hummed like something alive.I didn't know this place but something in me said I did.Death Hollow.It whispered.The forbidden wasteland where no life grows. Where bones sink into the black soil and never rise again. Wh
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-08THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 190
Ava's povSilence clung to me like a second skin.Cold and unforgiven.Quiet but loud.It was deafening.I couldnโt breathe. Couldnโt move. Couldnโt even speak. All I could do was stand there, trembling, as dozens of eyes bore into me. Judging. Accusing. Disbelieving.Hating on me.โWhat did you do?โ Elder Thaneโs voice cut through the silence like a blade. โAvaโฆ what have you done?โโIโโ My voice cracked, barely above a whisper. โI donโt know. I donโt understand whatโs happeningโโโYouโre holding the dagger,โ someone growled, voice filled with suspicion and hate.Hate that broke my heart. Hate that I didn't deserve but was getting due to a situation that I didn't understand.I looked down again. My fingers were clenched around the hilt of the dagger, knuckles white, blood trickling down my wrist in thick, slow streams. Marisโs blood.โI didnโtโI wasnโt evenโโ I took a shaky step back. โI went for a walk. Through the volcanic forest. I justโฆ needed to clear my head.โโThatโs not possi
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-08THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 191
Ava's povNo one said anything to me anymore.They didnโt need to.The whispers were loud even in their silence.The way conversations shifted when I walked past. The way people refused to meet my eyes, as if even eye contact might make them join in my madnessโor worse, my supposed crime.I tried apologizing to some of them even though I didnโt know what for. I tried helping in the kitchens. Volunteering for patrol. Sitting through meetings I was no longer welcome in.Nothing worked. No one wanted me around them.I was a ghost in a home I had helped fight for.The days passed like the windโfast and untouchable. I drifted through them like a ghost.Nobody spoke to me unless they had to. Even then, it was clipped, formal, laced with suspicion and caution. Conversations that used to warm up rooms now stilled when I walked in. Smiles I used to see daily became vacant staresโor worse, side-eyed glares.I didnโt blame them.Elder Maris had been a guide to them, a beacon. Sheโd walked with w
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-09
์ต์ ์ฑํฐ
THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 229
Ava's povI always thought pregnancy would feel magical. Glowing skin, cute bump, a sense of purpose, maybe even that mythical "pregnancy glow" everyone swore existed.Instead, it felt like I was being huntedโฆ by my own body.โMove,โ I growled at Xander, who stood directly between me and the basket of moonberry tarts Iโd been craving since sunrise and asked the cooks to make.He turned slowly, blinking. โYouโve already had three.โI narrowed my eyes. โAnd?โโAndโฆ I love you,โ he said quickly, stepping aside and lifting both hands like I was some scary creature.Which I kind of was.Pregnancy had changed me. It was like I had become Ava 2.0โcrying over songs with puppies, getting irrationally upset when Xander didnโt refill the honey jar, then five minutes later curling against him like nothing ever happened. The mood swings werenโt just real. They were ruthless.The moonberry tart was cold by the time I got to it, but I didnโt care. I devoured it with all the speed of a starved animal
THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 228
Xanderโs POVThe moonlight spilled through the open balcony, casting soft silver over the sheets tangled at the foot of the bed. The fire in the hearth had died a while back, quiet and tired like the rest of the castle.The day has taken an unexpected turn which I loved so much. A twist that made my heart race and a smile light up my face.She was asleep.Ava.My mate. My Luna. My light.Her hair was fanned across the pillow, her face relaxed and peacefulโsomething I never took for granted anymore. I didnโt move, just sat at the edge of the bed, eyes watching the delicate rise and fall of her chest.Her unexpected words echoed in my head like a metal being hit by something.Sheโs pregnant.It should have been a simple announcement. But for me, it cracked something wide open.For weeks, Iโd noticed something different in her scent. Not wrongโjust new. I hadnโt placed it, not until she stood before me and told me herself. There had been no grand preparation. No expectations. Just her an
THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 227
Ava's povSunlight spilled through the high windows of the grand hall, gleaming on the silver fixtures and dishware. For the first time in months, the hall wasn't empty. Laughter echoed all around me, mingling with the clinking of cutlery and the smell of warm bread and honeyed meats.I sat between Xander and Vanessa, my fingers curled around a steaming cup of tea. My stomach flutteredโnot from nerves, but from something far newer. Something growing.The thought never failed to pull a smile to my face.I glanced around at the faces gathered at the table. Rowan was teasing Kael over a burnt piece of toast, Kaida sat beside him, her hand resting lightly on his wrist. Lyra was at the far end, wrapped in a thick shawl, her expression quiet but calm, a faint smile playing on her lips as she watched them. There was no tension in her shoulders.They were all here.All of them.And that meant more to me than any feast ever could.โGods,โ Vanessa said, stretching back in her seat. โItโs been f
THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 226
Ava's povThe morning sunlight filtered in through the tall windows, casting soft golden glow across the stone walls of our chambers. The fire from last night had burned down to glowing embers, but I still felt warmโsafe in the memory of the stars and the enormity of the secret Iโd carried all night.I smiled, rubbing my tummy even though it didn't have a bump. It all still felt like a dream to me. I couldn't believe that I was carrying my childโ out childโ and would soon be able to hold him or her in my arms.This was like a reward from the gods for taking down zerathos. It was the most perfect gift.Xanderโs scent hit me before I heard his footsteps. Woodsy. Earthy and a hint of citrus.He pushed the door open with ease, stridijg in, he was already halfway out of his ceremonial coat, his black shirt clinging to his chest beneath it. His eyes found me immediatelyโstill seated at the edge of the bed, half-dressed, barefoot, lost in my thoughts.โThere you are,โ he said, his voice soft
THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 225
Ava's povPregnant.The word sat on my tongue like a secret not yet ready for the world to know. Heavy and new. Sacred. My hands trembled as I exited the healerโs wing, the soft glow of lanterns lining the path doing little to light the darkness within me.It wasn't a bad darkness, it was just confusion.The corridor behind me felt like it belonged to another worldโa place of certainty and whispered truths. Healers always knew things, some that we wanted to hear and the ones that we didn't want to hear. Out here, beneath the dark sky things felt more real.Too real.I walked slowly, aimlessly, not ready to return to the castle after what I had just learned. Not ready to face anyone. Especially not Xander.Not yet.The gardens were quiet this time of night. Peaceful. A hush had settled over the grounds, as though the very earth was holding its breath. The petals of Kaidaโs cherry blossom tree glowed pale pink in the moonlight, and I found myself drawn toward it. Toward the spot we alwa
THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 224
Ava's povSunlight streamed through the tall windows of the Blackthorn castle, warm and golden as it spilled across the newly polished floors. I stood at the balcony just outside the council chamber, my eyes tracing the distant tree lines. Smoke no longer rose from the hills. Screams no longer echoed through the valley.Peace.It was strange how something we fought so long and hard for could feel soโฆ quiet.I placed a hand over my stomach. That now familiar queasiness cane again, subtle but persistent. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, grounding myself the way Iโd been practicing since taking on the Luna title. Calm. Poise. Grace.โLuna Ava?โ A voice called gently from behind. One of the omegas.โYes?โโLady Vanessa and the others are waiting in the courtyard. You said you wanted to walk with them today?โโYes. Thank you.โI smiled and nodded, but the moment I turned my back, the nausea returnedโlike it never left. I gritted my teeth and blinked back the faint dizziness. I've been
THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 223
Xander's povThe night was quiet, save for the faint crackling of the fire still burning at the center of camp.But Avaโฆ she had curled up beside me, her head on my shoulder, her fingers gently tucked against my arm. Her breathing slowed sometime between Rowanโs quiet jokes, Vanessa blushing with Kael teasing her and Lyra sitting in silence after her brief confession.She fell asleep there, in the circle of firelight and friends and whispered memories.I couldnโt bear to wake her.So I carried her.Her warmth pressed against my chest as I walked us to the chambers weโd been assigned in the temporary Ashville pack house. The bed was a bit small but clean, sheets tucked in and blankets folded. I laid her down carefully, brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek before covering her with the blanket.I wanted to stay awake and watch over her. Zerathos may be gone but he has left a lasting trauma and fear of the shadows. I was scared that if I closed my eyes and opened it I would real
THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 222
Rowan's POVLyraโs breathing had finally evened out beside me, a soft, steady rhythm that showed that she was finally at ease and I was glad. She didnโt say another word after I wrapped the blanket around her and sat by her side. She didnโt need to.I looked at her, really looked.Her face had lost weight in the past months, the edges sharper nowโgrief had carved out the softness she once had so effortlessly. The dark, sunken circles beneath her eyes told me she hadnโt been sleeping much. And even now, in the calm after the war, her body was tense beneath the blanket, like she was ready to spring awake at any given time if someone so much as touched her. .But she had opened up.That alone made something in my chest unclench for the first time in weeks.I tilted my head back, let my eyes gaze up to the stars, but even their beauty felt muted tonight. Everything feltโฆ dulled. Like weโd survived the fire, only to emerge into the ashes.But she talked. She talked.And Iโd take that over
THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE ย ย ย Chapter 221
Lyraโs POVThe fire had burned down to little fire, and one by one, they drifted off to sleep. Ava had fallen asleep curled against Xanderโs chest. Vanessa and Kael were tangled up on a blanket near the edge of the camp, whispering and grinning like the war had never happened and they were in some sort of fairytale. Like theyโd known peace all their lives.I was happy and envious of them so I forced myself to look away.Rowan had stayed with me.He always did.By the time the last bit of fire was snuffed and silence had settled over the camp, he rose, wordless, and offered me his hand. I took it, letting him guide me away from the others, deeper into the shadows where the weight of their stares couldnโt follow.We walked to a place in Ashville that we liked. It was a little hill above the camp where the entire land could be seen and the sky felt so close. The stars were particularly bright on that night, I just stood there and took a deep breath.The night air was cold, crisp, almost
