Semua Bab The Vampire's deathmarked lycan : Bab 21 - Bab 28

Valerian Pov:I Somehow, during the night, she'd ended up sprawled on top of me, her body soft and warm, tucked perfectly into mine. One of my arms had wound around her waist in sleep—or maybe not by accident—and now she lay there, her cheek resting on my chest like she belonged thereI lost track of time watching her, and now it's almost done, but I didn’t sleep. Couldn’t. Not when she was this close, breathing softly, lashes fanned against her cheeks. I spent the hours memorizing every angle of her face, the way her brows pinched slightly like she was dreaming something bothersome, the subtle pout of her lips. She’d probably frown at me, if she knew I spent the whole night watching her.Her lashes fluttered. She stirred.Her lips parted in a soft yawn as her eyes cracked open, blinking blearily against my bare chest. I watched the exact second her mind caught up with her body—when the realization dawned that she was lying on me.But then… she shocked me Instead of scrambling off, s

Alina Pov: I made it downstairs with Valerian in one piece, after our bath and a quick stop by my room to grab a change of clothes. Before making our way toward the group, I silently wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole—after he caught me staring at him, and now my face was as red as a tomato. 'Really, thank you for trying to give this a chance," Kaia giggled inside my head, and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to my Lycan. "Being my mate, fate or not, is enough to make me want you. Tell me you didn’t swoon when you heard it," she added, her voice teasing. The fuck? "No, I didn’t," I gritted out 'And why was he so sure I'd fall in love with him? I can't...I couldn't." "I don’t think you understand the meaning of giving this a chance. It means being true and open to love," Kaia chimed in. “Whatever,” I muttered. The sooner I got out of here, the sooner I’d be away from him. He was walking silently behind me, his presence impossible for me to ignore. I

Alina pov By the time we returned, night had already fallen. My shoulders felt light, still wrapped in the afterglow of our outing. Valerian had taken me mountain climbing and skydiving. It was easily one of the best experiences of my life.Standing at the peak of a mountain, screaming into the open sky without a care in the world, then plummeting through the air only to bounce back up—it was wild, freeing, and so alive. I’d had so much fun, I hadn’t even noticed the sun had dipped below the horizon. We had to cut the adventure short and return back.As we stepped into the house, I noticed something odd—the sitting room lights were still on, which was unusual during this time of the night. Usually, everyone would be off doing their own thing.“Xavier,” Valerian called out, slowing beside me. I followed his gaze.Xavier sat on the arm of the couch, arms crossed. Rory leaned casually against the wall nearby, twirling a dagger between his fingers.They both straightened at the sound of

Alina pov: Tales of this kingdom had spread across the world, the kind you’d think only existed in fairytales. The land was a mystery, never found on any map, which led most humans to believe it was just a myth. But for us supernaturals—even we were considered myths—it was different. We believed the land was real. We believed it only opened its doors to those it chose. Who would've thought the Witch Forest was hidden here?If not for the urgent need to find the Witch Queen, I would’ve jumped out of the car and started my own adventure, searching for proof that all the legends I’d heard were real.Valerian kept driving along the narrow, winding path. The road wasn’t wide, and we’d been on it for almost an hour. How would we even recognize the Witch Forest when we reached it? All I could see were tall, eerie trees cloaked in thick fog, strange bird calls echoing through the stillness. The atmosphere made my stomach twist, the deeper we went.The car stopped abruptly. Valerian stepped o