로그인공유
A slap
최신 업데이트:
2025-04-19 23:42:48
관련 챕터
The Mate Games The photoshoot
ALTHEA “Who was the founding werewolf of the Silver Crescent pack?” Lady Ivanna quizzes. I freeze, eyes flicking to the ornate gold trim on the floor-length curtains. I don’t know this one. I try not to look guilty, but my shoulders tense and my gaze drops, praying she doesn’t call on me. A soft shuffle to my left. Elise’s hand shoots up, confident as ever. “Alaric Stormclaw,” she answers. Lady Ivanna nods approvingly. “Correct. Alaric Stormclaw was the first werewolf to invade these lands and fight against the humans.” We’re seated in the Great Room again. The long polished table gleams beneath the morning light that filters in from the high arched windows. Paintings of past rulers line the walls. Most of them are men with cold eyes and stiff posture. All of us girls—contestants, as the kingdom so kindly calls us—are gathered here at the start of the week for another lesson. Lady Ivanna’s lessons aren’t the worst part of being here, but they are a reminder. A reminder that
최신 업데이트 : 2025-04-20The Mate Games Disturbing news
ALTHEAI give my head a tiny shake and will myself to focus.I can feel the weight of every eye on me as I take the first step forward. My hands are clammy, so I rub them against the fabric of my dress before gathering it in my fists. The silk is soft, slippery. I walk slowly, careful not to trip or step on the hem. Every step feels louder than it should.Asher’s standing where all the girls before me met him—by the center of the garden hall, right in front of the rose arch. The gold buttons on his suit catch the sun. His dark hair is slicked back, but a small strand has come loose near his temple. He doesn’t fix it. He just stands there, posture straight, unreadable expression in place.But as I approach him, his gaze lifts to mine. His eyes meet mine directly.And… I don’t know if I imagine it, but his jaw tightens. Just a little.“Gray,” he mutters when I finally sit on the bench beside him.I roll my eyes. “Don’t even start,” I warn, and cross my arms.Even though he tries to stay
최신 업데이트 : 2025-04-21The Mate Games A letter
ALTHEAIt’s been hours since the photoshoot ended.I’ve been pacing my room ever since, the soft rug muffling my footsteps. The dress is long gone—stuffed into the corner like it wronged me personally. My hair’s a mess, my hands won’t stop shaking, and my stomach’s been in knots the entire time.Asher didn’t come back.He left with the soldier, heading straight to wherever they were keeping the captured revolutionary. And now he’s either still with him… interrogating him. Or worse. Torturing him.Or maybe, maybe it’s already over. Maybe the interrogation happened quickly, and now they know everything. Maybe Asher already knows that I used to run messages for Aaron. That I knew about the safehouses. That I knew this attack was part of the plan. That I was one of them.Maybe they’re just waiting for the right moment to barge in. Drag me out in chains. Or worse.I sit on the edge of the bed, gripping the bedsheets tight enough that my knuckles go white. The sun outside fades slowly into
최신 업데이트 : 2025-04-22The Mate Games The maze of mirrors
ALTHEAThe gates creak open at dusk and all of us make our way out. We’d been woken up from our sleeps less than an hour ago, and told that the king had a new task for us. He wanted us to conquer the maze of mirrors. The maze stands before us like something torn from a nightmare—tall walls of glass and mirror, reflecting the fading light in a thousand twisting, fractured ways. The guards usher us forward with unreadable faces. The king’s voice cuts above the silence.“Make it out before dawn,” he says. “Or don’t make it out at all.”No one laughs. We all know he isn’t joking about it. And if anything, he’s proven to us that he could care less about any of us.I step through the archway last. The air inside the maze is cool and still, and every surface gleams like ice. I catch glimpses of myself in the mirrors on either side—tired eyes, tight jaw, hands clenched at my sides.The path splits into three directions. Each one looks exactly the same.I take the left.At first, it’s quiet.
최신 업데이트 : 2025-04-23The Mate Games A secret passageway
ALTHEAThere are eight of us left now.Only eight.And still, I feel like I’m unraveling.I sit on the edge of my bed, fingers tangled in the thick blanket, staring at nothing. Before we were dismissed to our rooms, I and the other girls had been in the grand hall, whispering about who made it and who didn’t. Now alone, I’m somewhere else.Back in the maze.Back in front of that mirror, where my father looked up at me with eyes that weren’t his—cold, sharp, disappointed. You betrayed us. The words echo, even though he never said them aloud. Even though it was just an illusion.But it didn’t feel like a lie.What if he’s right?What if I have betrayed them—my family, my people, myself?By being here?By surviving?By letting the king turn me into one of his toys?I tell myself I don’t want the crown. I don’t want power. That I’m here to survive. To find out the truth. To stay alive long enough to make something right.But the mirror didn’t lie. It showed me things I never wanted to adm
최신 업데이트 : 2025-04-24The Mate Games Bar fight
ASHERA fist skims past my face, barely brushing my cheek. I duck just in time, feeling the air stir against my skin as another swing comes for me. My muscles move before I think. Quick. Sharp. I step sideways, dodging the blow with ease.I can’t help the smirk tugging at my lips. Finally—an opponent who’s not a complete joke.Bouncing lightly on my feet, I watch him throw another punch. Sloppy. Too much power, not enough control. My blood thrums under my skin, the familiar rush of adrenaline flooding through me. This is what I live for. Not the politics. Not the endless, fake smiles. This.I catch his wrist mid-air, twisting it. He grunts in pain. Before he can recover, I slam my fist into his stomach. Hard.He stumbles back, gasping, but I don’t give him time to breathe. I move fast, colliding into him with my shoulder. We crash to the ground, a heavy thud echoing through the open pit.The crowd roars around us, but I barely hear them. My knee presses into his ribs as I pin him down
최신 업데이트 : 2025-04-27The Mate Games In the cover of the night
ALTHEAThere’s a stone in my shoe. The same one that’s been there for the past ten minutes, but my legs are too busy running for me to be able to stop to do anything about it. We finally stop running once we’re a safe distance from the bar and seem to have lost our pursuers. We collapse against a tree and Asher finally lets go of my hand. My body protests against the loss of contact, and I wrap my arms around my body to keep my hands occupied. I look at Asher, finding his eyes already trained on me so intently that I swallow before asking. “So what now?”His expression is blank. “The palace.”“Well, that was…” I sputter trying to find the right word.“Stupid?”“Fascinating.” I finish instead.He heaves a sigh before muttering, “You’re always making things difficult for me, aren’t you?”I don’t answer, as I finally pull off my shoe and shake off the offending stone. I can feel Asher’s eyes on me as I slip my shoe back on. When he sees I have no intention of giving him a response, he
최신 업데이트 : 2025-04-29The Mate Games Falling
ASHERWhat has this girl done to me?The moment her hands touched me, something shifted. My pulse jumped—fast and hard—like I’d just been thrown into a fight. But this isn’t adrenaline. It’s something worse. Something deeper.Something I don’t know how to fight off.Being near her, under this moonlit sky, with her hands on me, her voice soft and her eyes calm… it makes everything feel lighter. Like the weight on my chest has finally loosened. Like I can breathe for the first time in weeks.But the second she says the word mother, it’s like the world slams back into place. The spell shatters. My body locks up, rigid. I take a step back, then another. I don’t look at her—I look at the sky, at the stars that don’t care what I am or what I’ve done.The silence between us stretches. Tight. Loud.Then she says it—softly. Like my name is something fragile. “Asher.”I close my eyes. Her voice does something to me. She says my name like it matters. Like I matter.I don’t deserve that.“Are you
최신 업데이트 : 2025-04-30
최신 챕터
The Mate Games I’ve never been more afraid
ASHERAlthea is too stubborn to give up, and that’s probably going to be the very thing that undoes her.Even with all the cameras placed around the forest, giving us full access to every moment, my eyes keep going back to her. I don’t care how it looks. I try to act neutral, like I’m just another official watching the games. But I’m not. Not when it comes to her.From the start, there’s been this tight feeling in my chest. Like I’m waiting for something bad to happen. And every time she stumbles or cries out, that feeling gets worse. I sit there, frozen, trying not to let it show on my face. Trying not to feel anything. I’m supposed to be strong. I’m supposed to be cold. The future king, as my father keeps reminding me.But when she fights? Gods, when she fights—it’s like I forget to breathe.She doesn’t attack like the others. She’s not cruel or careless. She watches. She waits. She plans. She moves like she knows she’s losing blood but still refuses to stop. I watch her steal bands
The Mate Games If you die, I’m going to kill you
ALTHEAEvery part of me is breaking.It’s been hours since I last saw Caroline. I thought getting her bands would give me some kind of advantage. And it did. For a while. But the pain hasn’t gone away. My wounds are worse. The blood keeps leaking through the bandages, and I’m running out of clean cloth.Still, I keep going. I hide during the day and move at night, tracking other girls. Most of them are too injured to fight back. One of them, Lena, I found sleeping against a tree. She was pale and shivering, her face scratched, her arm twisted wrong. I took her bands gently. She never even woke up.The second one, Marcy, saw me coming. She tried to run, but she was limping. Her ankle was swollen. I didn’t want to fight her. I told her to just give me the bands, and she laughed like I was joking. So I tackled her. It was fast and ugly. She screamed when I grabbed her wrist, but I yanked the bands off and stumbled away before she could chase me.The third was the hardest. Her name was No
The Mate Games A stream
ALTHEAEvery part of me burns.Burns with pain, thirst, and hunger. My skin is sticky with sweat and grime. My shirt clings to my back like glue. My legs feel like they’re moving through thick mud.If I can just find some water, I can wash off the blood, clean the dirt from my wounds, and maybe—just maybe—think straight again.I hope so.My eyes are barely staying open. Every step feels heavier than the last. I keep walking, dragging my feet across the uneven forest floor, branches scratching at my arms.Then I see it.A soft, orange glow. Flickering between the trees ahead.I blink hard, trying to make sense of it. It’s blurry, like everything else right now. Is it real, or am I imagining it?My hand tightens on my bow, though my grip is shaky. My fingers are slippery with sweat, and I’m not sure I even have the strength to pull the string back if I needed to shoot.Still, I move toward it. Step by slow step.The fire is small. Flickering quietly in the middle of a small clearing. Th
The Mate Games The bands
ALTHEAI nearly swallow a mouthful of sand. My eyes flutter open and I cough into the hard ground beneath me. I roll onto my back, crunching on moss, twigs, and rocks as I blink against the sunlight streaming through looming, tall trees.Goddess, where am I?The chirpings of birds had awoken me from the sleep I finally managed to drift into when I was finally able to settle in bed.Trees crowd the vibrant blue sky above, most of them tall, ominous pines that extend fingers of foliage high into the clouds.I’m in the bloody forest.I stand to my feet, feeling dizzy, drained, and drugged. An odd pressure at my right forearm has me looking down to see a bow and arrow strapped around it, the ends fused together tightly. It would be cutting off blood circulation completely if it were any tighter, leaving my arm utterly useless. The sun beats down on me as I spin slowly in place, scanning my surroundings. There is nothing and no one but trees, rocks, and uneven forest ground beneath me, cag
The Mate Games A clandestine affair
ALTHEAThe walk back to the palace is quiet.Not the awkward kind of quiet. It’s something else. Heavy, but not uncomfortable. Like we’ve said everything that needed to be said, and now we’re both just… thinking. Processing.We don’t speak at all. Not even when the gates come into view or when we make our way through the secret passageways. Not until we’re safely in his room.As I make to leave through the door, Asher pauses with his hand on the handle. His eyes sweep over me, lingering a little too long, like he’s memorizing something.Then, with a nod, he says, “Good luck tomorrow, Gray.”I roll my eyes, but the smile breaks through anyway. “Well, with the selection of girls you have to pick from, you might need it more.”He laughs. The sound is low and warm, and it sneaks down my spine like it has no right to. Then, slowly, he closes the door behind him.And I’m alone again.Without him to distract me, the noise in my head comes rushing back. It’s hot and angry, but I barely acknow
The Mate Games Falling
ASHERWhat has this girl done to me?The moment her hands touched me, something shifted. My pulse jumped—fast and hard—like I’d just been thrown into a fight. But this isn’t adrenaline. It’s something worse. Something deeper.Something I don’t know how to fight off.Being near her, under this moonlit sky, with her hands on me, her voice soft and her eyes calm… it makes everything feel lighter. Like the weight on my chest has finally loosened. Like I can breathe for the first time in weeks.But the second she says the word mother, it’s like the world slams back into place. The spell shatters. My body locks up, rigid. I take a step back, then another. I don’t look at her—I look at the sky, at the stars that don’t care what I am or what I’ve done.The silence between us stretches. Tight. Loud.Then she says it—softly. Like my name is something fragile. “Asher.”I close my eyes. Her voice does something to me. She says my name like it matters. Like I matter.I don’t deserve that.“Are you
The Mate Games In the cover of the night
ALTHEAThere’s a stone in my shoe. The same one that’s been there for the past ten minutes, but my legs are too busy running for me to be able to stop to do anything about it. We finally stop running once we’re a safe distance from the bar and seem to have lost our pursuers. We collapse against a tree and Asher finally lets go of my hand. My body protests against the loss of contact, and I wrap my arms around my body to keep my hands occupied. I look at Asher, finding his eyes already trained on me so intently that I swallow before asking. “So what now?”His expression is blank. “The palace.”“Well, that was…” I sputter trying to find the right word.“Stupid?”“Fascinating.” I finish instead.He heaves a sigh before muttering, “You’re always making things difficult for me, aren’t you?”I don’t answer, as I finally pull off my shoe and shake off the offending stone. I can feel Asher’s eyes on me as I slip my shoe back on. When he sees I have no intention of giving him a response, he
The Mate Games Bar fight
ASHERA fist skims past my face, barely brushing my cheek. I duck just in time, feeling the air stir against my skin as another swing comes for me. My muscles move before I think. Quick. Sharp. I step sideways, dodging the blow with ease.I can’t help the smirk tugging at my lips. Finally—an opponent who’s not a complete joke.Bouncing lightly on my feet, I watch him throw another punch. Sloppy. Too much power, not enough control. My blood thrums under my skin, the familiar rush of adrenaline flooding through me. This is what I live for. Not the politics. Not the endless, fake smiles. This.I catch his wrist mid-air, twisting it. He grunts in pain. Before he can recover, I slam my fist into his stomach. Hard.He stumbles back, gasping, but I don’t give him time to breathe. I move fast, colliding into him with my shoulder. We crash to the ground, a heavy thud echoing through the open pit.The crowd roars around us, but I barely hear them. My knee presses into his ribs as I pin him down
The Mate Games A secret passageway
ALTHEAThere are eight of us left now.Only eight.And still, I feel like I’m unraveling.I sit on the edge of my bed, fingers tangled in the thick blanket, staring at nothing. Before we were dismissed to our rooms, I and the other girls had been in the grand hall, whispering about who made it and who didn’t. Now alone, I’m somewhere else.Back in the maze.Back in front of that mirror, where my father looked up at me with eyes that weren’t his—cold, sharp, disappointed. You betrayed us. The words echo, even though he never said them aloud. Even though it was just an illusion.But it didn’t feel like a lie.What if he’s right?What if I have betrayed them—my family, my people, myself?By being here?By surviving?By letting the king turn me into one of his toys?I tell myself I don’t want the crown. I don’t want power. That I’m here to survive. To find out the truth. To stay alive long enough to make something right.But the mirror didn’t lie. It showed me things I never wanted to adm
