MasukChapter 139AuroraI lay curled on Liam’s side, the warmth of him still surrounding me, his arm heavy and protective at my waist. My heart felt full in a way I had never known before.I loved this man.Truly, deeply.Liam wasn’t just my mate or my husband—he was my safest place. My favorite person. The one my heart seemed to reach for without thinking.But peace never stayed long in my world.As I lay there, staring at the stone ceiling above us, my thoughts drifted back to the morning’s news. Two pups. Two innocent children. Gone.A sharp ache bloomed in my chest.I didn’t know what would happen next. I didn’t know how dark things would become. But I wanted—no, I needed—to believe that Liam and I would survive it all together.A tear slipped from the corner of my eye, trailing silently into my hair.I tried to hide it.I failed.Liam shifted instantly, his body alert even before his eyes fully opened. He pushed himself up on one arm, looking down at me with concern etched deep into h
Chapter 138 Liam The stone corridors were still humming with the echo of the crowd when we returned to the castle. The doors had barely closed behind me when my mother stepped into my path, her presence quiet but deliberate, like a hand placed gently over a flame. “Son,” she said softly, blocking my way. “You must give this more thought.” I paused. “You know I love you,” she continued, her voice warm, almost tender. “And it would destroy me if anything were to happen to your wife. You have always been able to count on me. This place…” her gaze drifted toward the towering walls, “it isn’t as safe as it once was.” I said nothing, letting her speak. “Joining the omega territory to the rest of the pack is not another wise choice,” she added carefully. “I taught you everything that shaped you into the man you are today. You know better than to ignore me. I have always stood by you. I believed our bond was closer than this.” Her words were gentle, but they pressed at old wou
Chapter 137LiamMorning had barely touched the stone walls when the scent reached me.Blood.Not from the battlefield. Not from war.From home.Aurora slept beside me, curled into the warmth of our shared bed, her breathing slow and even. For one fragile moment, the world was still. I let myself watch her—her lashes resting against her cheeks, her hair spread like a dark halo across the pillow.Then the knock came.Urgent. Sharp. Wrong.I rose without waking her and opened the chamber door. The guard’s face was pale, eyes tight with fear.“Alpha,” he said quietly. “Two pups. From the omega territory.”The words struck like claws to my chest.Dead.The air seemed to thin. My fists clenched at my sides, nails biting into my palms as rage surged hot and uncontrollable. That was no accident. No stray beast. No internal failure.This was a message.Someone had crossed our borders—borders believed unbreakable. Someone had taken the children. Someone had killed them and vanished without a t
Chapter 136Aurora The night had been too quiet.Not the peaceful kind—the kind that pressed against the skin, heavy and watchful, as though the world itself was holding its breath. I felt it before Liam spoke a word. I felt it in the way his arms stayed around me longer than usual, in the way his thumb traced slow circles against my palm as if he needed the reassurance that I was still there.We stood on the balcony of our chambers, the moon hanging low and pale above the forest. The wind carried the scent of pine and stone, familiar now, almost comforting. I leaned into him, resting my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.He was quiet.Liam was never quiet without reason.“You’re thinking too loudly,” I said softly, half a tease, half a truth.He exhaled a slow breath, pressing his lips to my hair. “You always know.”“I’m learning,” I replied. “About you.”His arms tightened around me, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. Then he turned me gently unt
Chapter 135LiamThe morning had begun like any other—quiet, almost gentle.I sat upon the throne, fingers resting against the carved arm, my thoughts drifting not to war or councils, but to Aurora. To the way she smiled when she thought no one was watching. To the calm that had settled into my chest since she became my Luna. I had never known peace could feel like this—steady, grounding. Dangerous, even, because it made me forget that peace is always borrowed.That was when the guards announced them.Cassidy’s parents entered the great hall without ceremony. No dust clung to their cloaks. No blood marked their hands. But their faces were drawn tight with exhaustion, eyes shadowed with things they wished they had not seen.My heart sank.I straightened. “Clear the hall,” I ordered calmly. “And send for my father.”My father arrived quickly, his gaze sharp the moment he saw them. We moved into the council chamber, thick stone walls sealing us away from listening ears. The torches flick
Chapter 134Aurora The morning after last night felt different in the softest way—lighter, warmer, like the world had shifted just enough to let me breathe.I woke to gentle kisses pressed to my forehead, slow and unhurried, as though whoever was giving them had nowhere else to be and all the time in the world. I smiled before I even opened my eyes.“Morning, beautiful,” Liam murmured.I blinked awake and found him hovering over me, propped on one arm, his hair loose and uncombed, his expression open in a way I still wasn’t used to—but was quickly growing fond of.“Morning, handsome,” I replied, my voice shy but honest.He smiled, not the confident Alpha smile everyone saw, but a quiet one meant only for me. “How do you feel?”I thought about it for a second. About the warmth in my chest, the calm in my bones, the strange sense that I belonged exactly where I was. “I feel… great,” I said, cheeks warming.“Good,” he said softly. “Come. Wash up. I want to take you somewhere.”That alon







