Semua Bab FORBIDDEN BOND: The Alpha's Desire : Bab 141 - Bab 150

(Kael's POV)When the last dish was cleared, the maids bowed and slipped out like whispers. The chamber settled into quiet again, only the faint crackle of the fire filling the air.Theron rose to give a few quiet orders to the guards stationed just beyond the door, his voice carrying low through the open archway. I sat back on the couch, hand resting on my stomach, unsure whether the warmth I felt was from the food or from being… seen. Fed. Kept.“You know,” Silas’s voice broke the stillness, smooth as silk and far too amused, “you’re much more charming than I expected.”I turned my head toward him. “Expected?”“Oh yes,” he said, lounging into the cushions beside me as if the couch belonged to him. “When you live in this palace, you hear things. Whispers. Rumors. A hidden child, a forbidden bond, a king who’d rather choke on his crown than admit weakness.” He smirked, tilting his goblet in my direction. “But none of them mentioned you had eyes like that.”I blinked, thrown. “Eyes lik

(Kael's POV)The steady rhythm of hooves against the dirt was oddly soothing, almost like a heartbeat under me. The palace walls grew smaller with every step until they disappeared behind the trees.The forest opened wide. Sunlight filtered down in shifting beams, dusting the path with gold. The leaves overhead whispered with every breeze, and somewhere, birds darted through the branches, their calls sharp and sweet.I found myself staring, breathing it all in. The air felt lighter here. Cleaner. Like the weight of marble walls and sharpened stares couldn’t quite reach me.Silas leaned closer, his chin almost brushing my shoulder. “You’re smiling.”I was startled. “I’m not.”“You are,” he countered lazily. “Don’t argue. It ruins the moment.”I bit the inside of my cheek, looking away so he wouldn’t see.He chuckled, low in his throat. “Do you know why I like it out here? No walls. No whispers. No eyes watching. Just us, the trees, and my charming Erebus.”As if hearing his name, the s

(Alaric's POV)The ride to Red Vale was silent, save for the pounding of hooves and the hiss of wind cutting through the night. The Red Vale sprawled ahead, its jagged ridges silhouetted by the faint glow of fire. Even from a distance, the acrid smoke clawed at my throat.Aaron rode hard at my side, his jaw set. Behind us, a handful of Veridian and Eldorian riders followed, torches burning against the dark. No one spoke. No one dared.By the time we reached the outskirts, the fire had eaten the watchtower to its bones. Black timbers jutted against the sky like broken teeth. The ground was wet, not with dew but with blood, seeping into the soil in rivulets.I swung off my horse, boots sinking into the mud. The stench hit me next: burnt flesh, iron, smoke. My wolf stirred uneasily, claws raking inside my chest, wanting to lash out, to hunt.Aaron crouched beside a body half-buried in ash. The soldier’s armor bore Eldoria’s crest, but his throat had been slit so cleanly it was nearly a s

The palace was too still. Not like it's ever been particularly cheerful if there's no feast to have it pretend to be a happy place.Kael lay on his side, staring at the carved canopy above his bed, every shadow stretching long in the candlelight. His chest rose and fell too quickly, breaths catching against the weight pressing down inside him. Alaric’s absence was a wound that refused to scab over; it burned with every second of silence.He had tried closing his eyes. Tried curling into the sheets where Alaric’s scent still lingered faintly, buried deep in the fabric. But sleep wouldn’t come. Not tonight. Not when his body twisted with unease, his stomach tight like a rope wound too tight.He turned onto his back, pressing a trembling hand against the curve of his belly. “Shh,” he whispered to the child inside, as though the baby were the one fussing instead of him. “Shh, little one. We’re safe… we’re safe.”The words sounded like a lie.He sat up, the cool air brushing against his da

The steam from the bath curled through the chamber, thick with the faint scent of lavender oils the servants had poured into the water. Alaric leaned against the edge of the copper tub until the heat leached some of the battle’s ache from his muscles. By the time he stepped out, water trailing down his skin, his body felt lighter but still raw.He tied the towel around his waist, raking wet fingers through his hair. The candlelight painted shadows across the stone walls, and for the first time in days, silence held him like a fragile cloak.The door creaked.Aaron stepped inside, clad in a dark robe loosely tied at his waist, his damp hair clinging to his forehead. He carried a small wooden jar of balm in one hand, a strip of linen in the other.For a heartbeat, both men stilled.“You could’ve knocked,” Alaric said flatly, though the corner of his mouth twitched.“I could’ve,” Aaron agreed, setting the balm on the table. “But I didn’t trust you not to pretend you were fine and then bl