SAVING ALPHA THORNE: THE MOONBOUND PACT のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

Ashval's POV Just then, the doors of the shrine groaned open once more with that serpentine exhale, the sound of breath slipping between the fangs of gods. Cold air slinked through the shrine, heavy with secrets. I froze. Even within the cage of Ian’s flesh, I felt it, that sacred air shift and ripple. My heart thundered. I turned swiftly, facing her. Selene. And my eyes screamed the words my mouth couldn’t. “Do something, mother!” She moved like mist, like memory, silent and soft. One swift turn of her hand and her cloak unfurled like a storm-born wing, sweeping around me. A veil of magic cloaked us both, rendering us as whispers within the walls. Not seen. Not heard. Not known. It hid us. Swallowed our scents. Made us one with shadow. But even as we vanished from sight, I trembled inside this flesh. To stand so near to her, so near to divinity, unsettled me. Not merely for the raw power that shimmered off her skin like heat from a forge, but for the memories her pr

Ashval's POV I was running. My boots pounded against the cold stone of the dim corridor. The flickering torchlight in the sconces wasn’t enough to push back the gloom, but I didn’t need it. Vision that didn’t belong to me shone bright red, piercing through the dark. Every muscle in my body burned with a heat I couldn’t name. Every thought in my head spiraled around one name. Selene’s last words to me when she gave me the magical flower, reverberated in my head. Energy rippled inside me. Strength. Resolution burning bright. Ian. I need to reach his chamber before anybody finds out. I need to protect him. Suddenly, my heart thundered in my chest, not just from exertion but from fear. A fear that clawed its way up my throat. Something was wrong. I felt it in my bones. That’s when someone appeared. A cloaked man, draped in a black robe, hood shadowing his face, stepped out of the darkness ahead of me. My feet skidded to a halt, breath caught in my lungs. The wizard. I turned sha

Ian's POV The magic writhed like a living thing, a red-and-black halo snarling around Kaelric's fingers as it slithered up my neck. It wasn't fire, but it burned. It crawled beneath my skin like cursed ink, coiling tight and mean. I clenched my teeth, holding in the scream that scraped my throat. Kaelric's voice slashed through the air. "Who are you?" The atmosphere cracked with tension. Vashti and Shabari stepped in closer, their hateful eyes locking on me like predators scenting blood. They flanked Kaelric like shadows, drinking in his rage. "I ask again," Kaelric growled, voice low and lethal. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Why did you come to DuskHowl Dominion? What is your mission here?" "TELL ME!!" He roared. I felt the urge to spit in his face, to hurl every insult I'd bottled up. To remind him I wasn't scared. I wanted to scream. But then Ashval's voice flooded my mind, cool and firm. "Don't. This isn't the moment for fire. This moment needs your mind, Ian. You

Ian's POV I walked into the dimly lit bathroom, the air cool and stale. My fingertips brushed against the faucet, and as soon as I turned the knob, water gushed out violently, echoing through the silence like a call. I stood, expecting the familiar tingle - Ashval easing out of my chest like soulbond fire. But he didn’t come. Just when I was about to call his name, my eyes darted to it. And I saw… The long mirror on the wall. It was… It was fogging. My heart knocked once. Then again. I watched as the thickening mist curled against the glass until it fogged over completely. Then, out of that swirling mist, a shadow swam into form. A pair of eyes appeared - green, glowing, furious, piercing through the condensation. Ashval. His furrowed brow, his bristling wolf form, those eyes that looked like they’d burn the world down just to reach me. "What the hell was that for?" he growled, his voice low and edged with jealousy. His wolfish snarl reverberated in the back of my mind

Ian's POV The moment their gazes landed on Ashval and me, the air thickened – slow and stifling like coagulated blood. A pressure built in the silence, crackling like a storm about to split the heavens. And then– Red. Their eyes lit up, burning. Consuming. “You bloody, motherfucking liar!” Ryker growled and lunged. Maro followed, snarling like a beast unhinged. “Ashval, now!” I screamed through the bond. Ashval leapt from behind me, a blur of muscle and fur. He met Ryker mid-charge, his massive paws hammering into the alpha’s chest. Bone-crack. Ryker slammed into the tiled wall with a deep grunt. He recovered too fast. A blur again. He sprang, claws aimed for Ashval’s throat. “Ashval!” I screamed aloud this time, voice raw. Ashval twisted, barely avoiding the kill strike. He ducked, spun, head lowered to retaliate, but Ryker rammed into him like a battering ram. They hit the floor hard. A violent yelp tore from Ashval’s throat. The pain snapped thr