All Chapters of Save Me, Claim Me: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Tessa POV The warm water ran over my skin, washing away the sweat and dirt from training, but it didn’t quite cleanse the ache deep inside. My muscles screamed in protest, every bruise a reminder of the punishment I’d endured. The sting from my ribs flared as I reached up to rinse my hair, and I hissed, biting my lip to hold back the pain.The water was comforting, but it didn’t ease the storm raging in my mind.When I stepped out of the shower, the chill of the air hit me, and I wrapped a towel around my body before walking to the mirror. The reflection staring back at me wasn’t what I wanted to see.It was the face of someone broken, someone who had barely held her ground against an opponent far stronger, far more ruthless than anything I’d known.The bruises were already forming, darkening as the hours passed. One across my cheek. Another on my collarbone. My ribs were sore to the touch, my arms stiff from the constant strain of blocking strikes I couldn’t always deflect.The warr

Tessa’s POV The morning air was crisp, biting at my skin as I stepped onto the training grounds. The scent of damp earth and pine filled my lungs, the soft hush of the forest surrounding the clearing. It had been nearly two weeks since my first training session with Dorian, and the bruises had become a constant companion. But something else had settled beneath my skin, too - something fiercer.I was getting stronger.At first, it had been brutal. Every morning before dawn, I’d wake up aching, my muscles sore from the relentless pace Dorian pushed me through. There were days when I felt like I would break, when the voices of doubt whispered that I wasn’t built for this. That I would never be strong enough.But I had learned to ignore them.Because with every punch, every block, every fall that I forced myself to rise from, I felt it - power humming beneath my skin, waiting to be unleashed. Sable had always known it was there. She had never doubted me, even when I had doubted myself."

Tessa POVElara burst into my room like a storm made of sunshine.“Guess what?” she said, bouncing on her heels, eyes practically glowing. “Dorian said yes!”I blinked at her from the bed, still tangled in a training hoodie and damp hair from the morning run. “Yes to what?”“Our adventure.” She grinned like she’d just been handed the moon. “The hot springs. My favorite spot in the whole damn territory. We’re going, and you can’t say no. Alpha’s orders.”I sat up straighter, suddenly more awake. “Wait, he actually gave you permission?”“Well… I asked really nicely,” she said with a wink. “And he mindlinked me back with a very broody, ‘Take her. Make sure she rests.’ So. We’re going. You need a break from being a badass.”I raised an eyebrow. “You just want to soak in steaming water and force me to talk about your latest crush.”“Guilty.” She snatched my hoodie from the back of the chair and tossed it to me. “Now get dressed. It’s a bit of a walk, but you’ll love it. Promise.”Despite m

The cuff was loose.My wrist throbbed, skin slick with blood, blistered raw from the silver, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Sable pushed with me, one beat behind my breath, her presence a molten growl behind my ribs. Not strong enough to shift yet. But close.So close.I braced my foot against the wall and yanked - the silver chain groaned, the mounting bolts whining against stone before the anchor snapped free with a metallic shriek. I collapsed forward, panting, one wrist free, one ankle still bound. The weight of the chain dragged behind me as I rose to my knees, vision swimming.Then I heard it. Footsteps.Deliberate. Confident. Unhurried.Him.I surged to my feet, dragging the chain with me, and stumbled back into the shadows of the cell. The flickering torch barely lit the far side, but I didn’t need light to feel him.Callum.The door creaked open. His silhouette filled the threshold.“Tessa,” he drawled, amused. “You’re awake again.”I said nothing. I waited.He stepped inside

Dorian POVWe crossed the border at dusk.The pine trees grew gnarled and twisted here, bark blackened from long-forgotten fires. The ground turned soft beneath our boots, marshy and cold. Even the air felt wrong - like it remembered violence. Like it had swallowed screams and refused to let them go.This was rogue territory.No laws. No mercy. No pack bonds. Only blood and bone and chaos.We followed the tire tracks through narrow trails and forgotten hunting roads, Kael guiding me like a compass forged from rage. He could still feel her - just barely.They were close. They were hiding. But they couldn’t run from me. Not with what they’d taken.We found the first outpost hidden behind brambles and stone. A crude watchtower, patched together with metal and rotting wood. I raised a hand, and we surrounded it like a noose tightening.Two rogues stood guard, smoking, laughing. They didn’t laugh long.I moved before they could blink. One caught the glint of my blade - too late. It slid ac