All Chapters of CLAIMING HAILEY : Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

ISAIAH Magic never whispers. Even in the darkness that descends, and the castle settles into restless quiet and the world beyond sleeps, I hear it. A beat that is below my own. A noise that is never silent. Tonight, it screams. I stand among the ashes of what was once Hailey's room, my fingers twitching with stored strength. Shadows curl against the walls, uncoiling like snakes before they disperse into nothingness. The stench of burning lingers, thick and bitter, but there are no flames to consume it. Nothing but ashes. David's ashes. Ryan hugs Hailey tight, his arm firm but not hard. The Queen—our Queen—does not fight. She is still, impossibly still, as if the war she fought against herself was ever so much greater than the one that ended in fire and death. I should speak. Speak. Admit what has happened, what has been done. But my lips are dry, and words are… not needed. Everyone present knows. There is no sorrow to be mourned for a man who lived in the shadows, scheming, ob

KAEL The air in the Dragon Realm was always a different scent—older, deeper. It carried the weight of years, of history etched into each passing wind that rushed over the summits. Standing before the Council of Elders, the vast obsidian hall thrummed with energy, the fire pits casting shadows that crawled up old stone. "You were born to rule, Kael," Elder Vyrrin stated, her golden eyes piercing me. "You cannot wait any longer." I did not blink. "I did not abandon my people. But I cannot abandon my heart either." "Then take your heart too," Elder Sarthor snarled. "Take her. Let her stand beside you." Their meaning was clear. Aurora. I nodded once. Not to them, but to the journey I knew had been heading towards me. That evening, I stood outside of her quarters within the palace. The moon's light etched her figure as she stared into the heavens, not realizing that I'd crept inside. Gods, how did one like me acquire someone like her? "You're so quiet tonight," she spoke quietly, st

HAILEY They believed I wouldn't feel it. That shiver in the wards, a breath taken too soon. A brush against the back of my neck that wasn't mine. They were mistaken. I was at the entrance of the grand palace, the sun filtering through the pillars veined with gold. I'd just returned from a hurried meeting with the village council, hoping to fetch some tea and perhaps berate Ryan for failing to inform me of Isaiah's latest doomsday riddles. And then— A crack. A ripple. Magic stuttered. I froze. Every one of my instincts screaming to life. I didn't breathe. Didn't blink. The wards had been breached. At the gates. Show yourself," I whispered. A low snarl answered. And then the wind assaulted me. A blur—too fast to be an ordinary wolf, too quiet to be a vampire, too frenzied to be anything natural. I dodged just in time as a clawed hand tore through the air where my neck had been. Dust exploded around me as I rolled, my palm slapping against the stone, glyphs searing into th

HAILEY The throne room still smoldered with the ashes of war, the walls whispering with the ghosts of screams and fire. Ash streaked across my cheeks like war paint, my breath calm but flavored with fury. I stood at the room's center—queen, mother, warrior—with blood on my blade and power thrumming beneath my skin. "To me," I bellowed, voice ripping through the quiet like thunder. I didn't need to say it twice. Every soul in the castle would hear me. And they would come. Because something else had passed beyond the veil. Something worse. The air reeked. Burnt sugar and spoiled wine. The veil had been pulled taut in our last battle, but now it was torn apart—and something was bleeding through. They came in bursts—Ryan first, low and tense, growling, Jaden on his flank. Aaron came in laughing and cautious, half, with Isaiah trailing behind him, haunted. The others came in after me—Turtela shining with moonlight in her eyes, Jackson still fixing his collar like they hadn't just battl

HAILEY The moon hung low in the heavens, casting a silver glow across the courtyard. The air was thick with anticipation, a silence that reeked of danger waiting to happen. I stood alone, senses heightened, muscles bunched and prepared to move. I was startled by a sudden stir within the shadows. A figure emerged, veiled in the shadows, moving with lethal grace. I recognized her immediately—Serenia, daughter of Lilith. She was a storm, her eyes burning with a mix of rage and grief. She attacked silently, her sword flashing towards me. I parried, the sound of steel on steel ringing out like a thunderclap. Our battle was a dance of fire and ice, each strike a question, each parry an answer. "Why?" I shouted, our blades intertwined. "Why attack me?" Her eyes twitched, agony clouding her features. "Because he wants you," she snarled. "The Serpent King wants you, and I need to know why." Comprehension dawned. This wasn't a straight-up attack—it was a test, a desperate search for inform