Semua Bab Chosen By The Lycan King: Bab 181 - Bab 190

Jessica pov.My head was spinning with too much information. It honestly felt like everything was piling up on top of my skull, pressing down, squeezing until I couldn’t think straight.An immortal wolf?A bond that could be passed down?My mother being mated to him?How many mates did she have? Everything felt like a lie.Or maybe I was the lie. I didn’t even know what to believe anymore.“Relax,” Zane murmured beside me, pulling me into his arm. His hand rubbed my back slowly, like he was trying to ground me. “Everything will be fine.”I shook my head against his chest. “How can you say that? Don’t you see what’s happening?”“I see it,” he said quietly. “And I’m not leaving you to deal with it alone.”I let out a shaky breath. I wished that was enough. I wished hearing him say that stopped the chaos in my head. But it didn’t.“I visited an old witch with Linda,” I said, my voice small. “She said the same thing—about my mother being mated to an immortal wolf. She said my mother trie

Tessa/jessica pov.I didn’t want to come. I really didn’t. Every step toward the dungeon felt like my stomach was twisting into itself. But I kept moving because this was the only way left to save my mother. The witch’s words kept echoing in my mind, mixing with the pounding of my heartbeat. We needed the bronze box. We needed answers. And Adrian was the only one who knew anything.“Do you think we should go see him?” I asked Zane even though part of me already knew the answer. I was trying to sound normal, but my voice shook a little. I hoped he didn’t notice.He nodded, but I could tell the nod wasn’t calm. He looked tense. Stiff. Like every muscle in his body was fighting itself. “Yeah,” he said. “We should.”I knew what he was thinking. I didn’t need him to say it out loud. Adrian still wanted me. Somehow. In a way I didn’t understand. In a way that felt wrong and terrifying. And the more we learned, the more that sick, horrible truth kept circling back.What kind of monster was

Zane pov.The moment Tessa stepped out of the room, I pulled her straight behind me. Adrian was still smiling inside that cage, and I didn’t trust him for a second. I didn’t miss the way her hand twitched like she was hiding something, and when I looked down, I saw it. A small fragment. Metal. Marked with a wolf’s head.He slipped her something.Of course he did.My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. I snatched the fragment gently from her hand.“What did he say to you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.“Nothing useful,” she whispered. “Just… that the box is in the abandoned water dungeon.”I stared at the fragment. It looked like a direction indicator. But the fact he managed to slip it to her under three layers of guards, behind bars..it made my skin crawl.I didn’t waste any more time.“Stay with me,” I told her. Then I grabbed the nearest guard. “Get me the warden. Now.”The man sprinted away so fast he nearly tripped. Good.Within minutes the warden came rushing down the corr

Zane pov.We couldn’t stand here and wait for my guards. The water had already reached my waist. If we stayed any longer, we’d drown before they even managed to break in.I looked around for something, anything, we could use to hold on to, but the walls were slick and the space was too tight. There was nowhere safe to climb.“Zane…” Tessa’s voice came out shaky but steady enough.“Hold onto me,” I said, moving closer.She hesitated. “No—there’s smoke.”I turned sharply. She was right. A faint grey haze had started to roll in, thickening fast.“Damn it,” I muttered. “They’re trying to make us dizzy. We’ll lose consciousness before the water gets us.”The situation was closing in from every side, but Tessa didn’t panic. She wiped her eyes, coughed once, and said, “There has to be another way.”“There is,” I said, scanning the ceiling. My eyes caught on the faint outline of a vent grille. “There. The ventilation pipe.”She followed my gaze and nodded immediately. “If we can reach it, we

Jessica/Tessa pov.Adrian chuckled softly at my pause. “Decide. I don’t have all night.”And in one swift move, the sharp blade slid across my palm.I hissed, the pain quick and sharp. Warm blood spilled down my wrist, dripping onto the grooves of the moon-shaped pattern. The metallic scent filled the air. Each drop slid into the carved lines, slow and deliberate, like the altar itself was drinking it. I wanted to pull my hand back, but the moment my blood touched the groove, light burst from the cracks beneath.The ground shook violently. I stumbled back, clutching my palm. The air vibrated around us.“Here.” Adrian stepped closer with a handkerchief in his hand, his expression calm. “I really do care about you, darling. And I hate to use my powers on you.”Almost instantly, my legs froze to the ground. I couldn’t move, no matter how hard I tried. My muscles locked as he approached, eyes locked on mine. He took my hand gently and blew soft air on the cut. My skin sealed before my ey