บททั้งหมดของ Bullied by my stepsister; Claimed by the Alpha : บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

~ RIYA"What was the stunt you pulled out there, Riya?!” He started, his voice almost choking on his rage. “I needed to—”“You have excuses?!” He almost growled, “I gave you free- will and this is what you do with it? You freed the one person after your life the most, Riya, over a mere piece of information?! I don't understand!” His expression broke my heart. I knew I had hurt him, but what could I have done? I knew my curiosity had gotten a better part of me. “Why don't you tell me what Howard meant by a fire tradition?” “What?” He looked utterly dumbfounded. “You heard me, Nath.” He stared long and hard at me, his expression was almost akin to that of a person staring at a crazy one. Who knows, perhaps I was crazy. “Riya,” he started. “Why are you beating around the bush, Nath?” I sighed, and stood from the bed and moved to the balcony. He followed and stood behind me, his features overshadowing mine, causing my cheeks to form shades of crimson, “I'm only trying to survive as

~RIYAThe hallway leading to the northern wing was unnervingly silent, save for the soft pads of my footsteps. My heart beat like a quiet drum in my chest, a rhythm of caution and determination. I shouldn’t have been walking this far from the main quarters, not after the arrow incident and especially not while pregnant. But I couldn’t ignore what Lily told me.Ama had been seen near the Sealed Chamber—a place only Alpha bloodlines were meant to access, containing relics, scrolls, and histories too dangerous or powerful to be misused. If she had managed to slip in there, it meant someone was helping her. That thought alone set my skin crawling.Two guards flanked the chamber doors, heads bowed as I approached. Their expressions tensed when they saw me.“Open it,” I said without breaking stride.They hesitated. “Luna, this chamber hasn’t been opened in years—Alpha Nathaniel hasn’t even—”“I said open it,” I repeated, sharper this time.One of them unlocked the heavy iron latches with a

~RIYAI sat in the library long after Lily had gone, the ancient book still clutched in my lap. My heart thundered beneath my ribs as the words replayed again and again in my head.> “Her womb shall carry the heir of dual realms…”I wasn’t just pregnant. I was carrying something—someone—that could change everything.I should have been afraid. Maybe a part of me was. But stronger than fear was something else—a deep, powerful pull, like the moon calling the tide. This was why I’d survived everything. This was why I had been spared, again and again. Not just to rule beside Nathaniel.But to fulfill a prophecy.The door creaked softly behind me, and I didn’t have to turn to know who it was.Nathaniel.His scent—earth, pine, and strength—wrapped around me like a second skin. He stood silently at the doorway for a moment, then walked in, his bare feet soundless on the marble floor.“You’ve been here all night,” he said softly, coming to kneel beside me.I looked at him, unsure where to star

~AmaThey dressed me in silk.Not prison rags, not chains—silk. Rich maroon folds trimmed in gold, like I was being prepared for a throne rather than a cage.Fools.I sat on the velvet bench in the chamber Nathaniel had assigned me. No guards flanked the door anymore, though I knew they watched from the shadows. Their silence amused me. They feared what I might do if provoked. They were right.The Wolfsong blood in me wasn’t for idle grace or Luna dreams. It was fire, hunger, storm. They gave Riya a title and thought it would tame me?I’d seen her earlier through the corridor window. Cloaked. Determined. She thought she was clever, sneaking down to the holding cells.I smiled. I knew what was lurking at the back of my mind. Poor, precious Riya. She still thought she was in control. What a fool she is! I'll show her who's the boss!The truth is—I let her free me. I made sure the old fool Howard knew just enough to bait her. I even held back when she slapped me in front of the guards.

~ RIYAThe journey to the Oracle's shrine was not marked on any map. The path wound through dead lands where even the moon dared not shine, and the trees whispered in languages long forgotten. Yet somehow, I knew the way. It was as if the locket pulled me, guiding each step.I traveled alone.Nathaniel would have stopped me if he knew. Lily had begged to follow, but I couldn’t risk her safety. Whatever lay ahead—this was my burden.By the second night, I no longer needed fire to see. The locket glowed faintly against my chest, casting silver light that danced across the narrow path. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t eat. My body moved, carried by instinct, by something… ancient.On the third morning, I found her.A clearing opened like a wound in the woods. In the center stood a stone hut, overgrown with black vines, its roof sunken, but not broken. No animals stirred here. Not even the wind dared to blow.I stepped forward, heart pounding. “Oracle?”The door creaked open before I touched it.