Lahat ng Kabanata ng Awakening the White Wolf: Kabanata 231 - Kabanata 240

Darius' POV The sound of my boots echoed through the corridor, like a steady, furious rhythm that filled the silence I was trying to keep. No matter how hard I tried to keep the noise down, it felt like I wasn't even trying at all. Every step away from that room felt like a punishment, one I deserved.I didn't turn back, I just trained my gaze straight ahead. Maybe I was scared of what would happen if Kiara were to burst through the same doors I'd just walked out of, or maybe, I knew my resolve was going to break, and the only person who could trigger that released clause, was her. I fought the urge to let out a sigh. I continued going , but the torture in my steps did nothing to convince my mind to spare me the details. If anything, my mind replayed the events that had led up to this moment, and I hated that I had to clench my fists by my side, just so I couldn't slam it into the face of the nearest person.Kiara's eyes said everything her mouth didn't. I'd heard that a person's

Kiara’s POV The dummy hit the ground before I even realized I’d struck it again. Its wooden torso cracked under the blow, scattering splinters across the floor like bone fragments, but I didn’t stop. Instead , my fists moved on their own as a strike, block, and another strike too. It probably sounded weird, but each impact dulled the ache in my chest for just a moment before it came roaring back, stronger.Sweat clung to my skin, my breaths coming harsh and uneven. I’d lost track of time hours ago. The sun had shifted from gold to white to something else entirely, but I didn’t care. I wanted to keep moving, I needed to, because the second I stopped, I’d have to think.Thinking meant remembering, and I didn't want to remember. I would rather die than do that.My mind swirled with a million and one things, but despite how hard I tried to push them away, they came crawling back. I remembered the feeling of his hands, his voice. And his eyes, his eyes when he told the Council I was no

Darius' POV The council chamber felt colder at night. I hated how I'd come to notice this, because it clearly meant one thing. I was beginning to spend too much time in there and with the same people I could swear were vultures on the look out for their next meal to devour.Or maybe I was wrong and it was just me, or perhaps the air really was heavier and thick with the kind of silence that hid knives.I'd found their letter of summons waiting for me after I'd returned from the training field. When I whispered to the moon goddess that I needed a distraction, best believe that a meeting with them wasn't what I was talking about. I needed something to clear my head and rid me of thoughts that seemed to be swirling around one person. I wasn't a soothsayer, but I was a hundred percent sure that whatever the fuck they had to say, was somehow connected to Kiara. With a sigh that only I heard, I pushed away the thought, before turning to the people in front of me. I stood before them,

Kiara’s POV I froze the moment I saw him. In the last couple of days, I'd steeled myself that nothing could scare me, or come as a shock. I'd built my defenses so high up that whoever tried to scale through would die trying. Well, that was what I told myself, and I guess it had been working, until I bumped into him. Of course it had to be him. Of all the people in the universe I could run into, it just had to be the one person I was avoiding. Great. Just fucking great. Darius stood there in the middle of the corridor, that unreadable look etched across his face. It was the same one I used to mistake for calm, but now it just looked like control, and I hated that it still made my stomach twist. Time seemed to slow to a halt between us. We were both staring at each other, but none of us, dared to break the silence barrier. It was almost as if we were individually scared of what was going to happen next. I wasn't sure how much time had passed , but eventually, I turned on

Kiara’s POV “Yes, princess.” His voice was a low, velvet burn, the “deal” sealed with that casual endearment he knew still worked its way under my skin. “Yes we do.”The composure on his face was unnerving. He had on a perfectly poker face that betrayed no hint of the struggle I knew must be raging beneath his skin., and it only fueled my wicked satisfaction. He was challenging me to break him, and I was going to relish every second of it.I stepped fully into the room, pulling the door shut with a decisive click that felt less like locking him in and more like locking the rest of the world out. The room was quiet, lit only by the soft glow of the moon filtering through the window, casting long, and hungry shadows. I loved being in the dark, but I loved the little atmosphere that the moon had set up for us, all the more. I walked to the armchair I’d designated and watched as Darius strode across the room. He sank into the chair with an air of practiced nonchalance, but the tension