Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Mute Luna Bride : Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

ELORA Morning came, and with it the never ending gust of sadness and…nothing. Just a pure nothingness that left me questioning everything I had ever known to be true about myself, about my home. Did I ever belong here, because it never felt like I did. And I knew I had said it a lot of times, but something always seemed to remind me. Today, it was the third summon to the council that left me feeling like an impostor. I was only there to find out ways I could help Ryker and his people stay safe. The guard read out the words from a scroll with a seal that brought bad memories. The crest of Stormrider.The moment I saw it, my stomach twisted into knots. It was the thing that caused me to end up here. Ryker had found the mercenaries with the scroll and didn’t believe I was innocent. I pushed the thought out of my mind and thanked the guard when he was done reading. Tamika stood in the corner, watching me dress in silence. Her gaze was focused on my belly, and I didn’t need to look

KAEL War would never be my first turning point, but if the wolves of the south wanted to be rebels, then I would treat them like rebels. The first time Varek Valewind had brought up the topic of fighting them, I reasoned with Elora and asked him to send them a notice. We could talk like men, the Veylard bastard and I. VAREK told me he had sent it. He also spoke before the council on how he sent the message three times, and the three times he did, he was ignored. It told me everything I needed to know. They wanted a fight. What sort of a man would I be if I didn’t give them exactly what they wanted? I looked over my armor one last time, smoothing my hands over the fine gold. It was heavier than usual. I hadn’t worn one in a long time, and it had been my dream as alpha king to never have to wear one, but Ryker Veylard pushed me to the wall successfully, and I would be a coward not to respond. I stood before the mirror, tightening the last strap across my chest. My reflection st

AUTHORThe skies were stained with storm clouds, heavy with the weight of blood yet to be shed. Thunder rumbled low, as if the heavens themselves mourned what was about to take place. Stormrider’s gates had cracked open with a roar, and warriors poured through like a flood.In front of them, Varek and Kael mocked the little number they currently watched. Their army outnumbered the South’s with at least nine thousand. Varek’s eyes on them. The southern army, smaller, leaner, stood their ground outside the scorched edges of the field. VAREK could not, for the life of him, figure out if this was all they had, or it was a trap. Their presence here meant they had been told about what was to happen today, long before it even happened. Had they gotten reinforcements? Was this an ambush? The Stormrider prince had laughed and was more than ready to attack, but the former grand commander had seen more than enough of war to know when something was wrong. He studied the silver wolf in front

ELORA “Ryker,” I said again, my voice a little louder now, cutting through the silence and sending an echo throughout the corridor. But he still didn’t move. I swallowed a shaky breath and took another step forward. There was not even a flicker of recognition, not even a tilt of the head. He took in small labored breaths, so I knew he was alive. Seeing him like that, so defeated, tore me from the inside out. I swallowed the lump in my throat and took another step forward. It was my poor attempt at eliminating the distance between us. But I stopped halfway, waiting to see if he would at least recognize my scent. Still nothing. Why wasn’t he looking at me?Why wasn’t he fighting?My pulse quickened as I moved again, stepping closer to the bars. I gripped the cold metal with trembling fingers. The dim light from the candle flickered against his bruised and bloodied skin. It was easy to tell he hadn’t been able to shower in days. His hair hung over his face, clinging to his dam

ELORA When our brief moment of silence was over, Ryker turned to me. I hadn’t expected him to. He seemed almost ashamed that I had to see him again, and in chains. “Did you really get your voice back?” Ryker asked, his voice was rough but laced with something else. Lik he was in awe, as though I was some sort of miracle or wonder of the world. With it, came a feeling that maybe I wasn’t really here. Maybe he had starved himself so much that he was near death’s door and now seeing only the faces of people he desired to see. If so, it made me happy to make the list. Tears blurred my vision once again as I nodded. All I had done since I heard he was alive was cry. I refused to be judged for that. “Yeah,” I whispered. “I did. It’s hard to admit, but the sound of my voice still startles me. I haven’t heard it since I was four,” I paused and took in a deep breath. “I always wondered, you know?” I shifted in my position, so I was comfortable enough to sit and speak to him. “I always