Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Mute Luna Bride : Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

ELORA I wiped my eyes dry and slowly but steadily walked to my room where I spent the rest of my day reading. Tamika had brought me some books from the study a while ago, and I was recently starting to enjoy my current read. Still, I could barely keep my thoughts in one place. I didn’t come out for lunch or dinner, so Tamika served me in my room. Later that night, I paced about the floor of my chambers, my bare feet cold against the marble. The fire had long died down, but I didn’t dare call for a servant to relight it, especially since I had given Tamika permission to perform her other duties for the night. I needed silence. Isolation. If I heard another voice or felt another presence, I might snap.My fingers trembled as I ran them over the seam of my night dress. My father’s words at the council meeting wouldn’t leave my ears no matter how much I wanted them to. Ryker had to know what was coming. It would take about two days to reach the south if they hadn’t moved territories

ELORA I stared at my reflection in the mirror. These were clothes tailor-made for me from the richest fabrics in all of Stormrider. Yet, it felt completely out of place. I felt out of place. My new warrior attire was rich and properly fitted to make me look…simply amazing. It was a dark steel-blue tunic, fastened at the waist with a silver embroidered belt shaped like wolves’ fangs, high leather boots hugging my calves, and a cloak the color of moonless skies. The crest of Stormrider shimmered on my chest. My hair had been braided tightly down my back. I wanted to take it all in, to feel like one with the very ground I was standing on. My throat tightened. I was a Stormrider princess, daughter of Varek Valewind the conqueror, born and raised to walk these marble walls and ancient halls. But I felt like a trespasser. I smoothed my hand down the fabric, hoping if I rubbed it long enough, it’ll feel better inside it. A knock tapped against my door, and I swallowed hard. It was

ELORA Sleep avoided me like a plague. Which sucked, because I desperately needed it after what I had heard. I needed to convince myself that I would close my eyes, open it, and I’ll find myself in my room again. The last three hours would have been nothing but a nightmare, and I’ll be at peace…happy, because I definitely wouldn’t be pregnant. But when had the goddess ever given a shit what I wanted? The night dragged like a curse, heavy and endless, as I lay on the narrow infirmary bed with my arms curled around my stomach. I took deep breaths in and out, over and over again, trying to calm the whirlwind inside me. The faded white walls of the infirmary kept my eyes and mind busy, the only sound that could be heard were a few whispers from people the healer on duty had to check on before she left for the night. I was grateful for the distraction the sounds gave to me, but when it was over and she was gone, I knew I wouldn’t survive till morning. I excused myself just as a new

AUTHOR Selene Valewind Stormrider had never, not in all her years of knowing Kael Stormrider, seen him so defeated. Her husband looked as though he had been hit by a thousand horses over and over, and left to rot by the roadside. She refused to let him be so defeated. No. Elora had broken his heart, or whatever happened, but she was his wife, and she was here. When they got to their bedroom, Selene closed the huge oak doors behind them. He staggered into the room like a man who had been struck, not physically, but by something deeper, something that shattered him from the inside out. His hair was disheveled, his robe clung to his body, damp with sweat, and his eyes burned grief and disbelief. He had been out drinking, only to land in her sister’s bed. Selene swallowed the thought that threatened to bruise her ego. She wouldn’t dwell on that. Right now, she just had to be there for her husband. He was still the alpha king after all. Perhaps, the goddess was finally answering her

ELORA That evening, I snuck out of the palace as soon as the sun kissed the horizon. It was the point where they were switching shifts, and I had exactly two minutes to make it out of the palace unnoticed. Being noticed would bring questions, and questions drew attention.Attention was the last thing I needed. Azrion’s home looked different. The scent of mold and decay was no longer the first thing to greet me. The air was clearer. The floor had been swept. And when I knocked once, he opened. I assumed it took him less time to walk to the door than normal. The man who stood before me had washed his hair. His clothes, though still plain, were cleaner. His beard was trimmed, and though his teeth still had their rot, he looked like a cleaner man. I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Princess, you’re here.” he said, voice trembling.I opened my mouth. “Are you really going to pretend you couldn’t see me coming with your sorcerer magic?”He chuckled. “I must have you know, princess,