All Chapters of THE LOST WEREWOLF PRINCESS: MATED TO THE RIVALS: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

KAIA'S POV: Lucien sets up target practice and doesn’t let me leave until I hit the bullseye. I curse him the whole time. When I finally get it, the blade sinking right into the center, Lucien smirks. “Told you.”I throw my arms in the air. “I’m a badass now!” “Slow down. You’re getting there,” Rowan says, amusement in his tone. We sit together under the trees, sweat cooling on our skin, the sky melting into pinks and oranges. “I never thought I’d get this,” I say, voice soft. “A family. A home. People who give a damn whether I live or die.”“You have us,” Ezra says, nudging my shoulder.“You always did,” Rowan adds. Lucien doesn’t say anything. But when I look at him, he’s already watching me. And that says enough.I smile. I may not know everything about this world.I may not be the strongest or the fastest or the bravest but I’m no longer alone and that changes everything.*****(Next day) The sky is still streaked with soft pink when I wake, soreness cling

KAIA'S POV:Rowan nods once, and then he’s gone, disappearing into the shadows of the trees that surround the training grounds. Lucien’s next, melting into the far edge of the field like smoke. Ezra taps his dagger against his palm before walking away without a word. Only Kai stays behind. I square my shoulders. “You coming at me first?”He laughs. “Nah. I’m just here to say good luck. You’ll need it.”Before I can fire back, he’s gone too. The silence creeps in like fog. I roll my shoulders, feeling the weight of my blades, and step toward the center of the field. I can feel them watching. Waiting.Then Lucien moves. He comes at me from the left, fast and sharp, a blur of movement. I spin, blocking his strike just in time, the clash of steel against steel ringing in my ears. He doesn’t stop. He moves with precision, forcing me backward, testing every defense I’ve been taught.“Come on, Kaia,” he grits. “Don’t just block. Fight back.” I duck under his next swing and lunge

KAIA'S POV:The sun’s almost setting when I find myself curled up between Axel and Kai in the living room. We’re squished together on the oversized couch like some mismatched sandwich; Axel on my left, Kai on my right, and me, tucked between them like I belong there. Like I always have. We’ve been watching some movie, but I couldn’t tell you the plot if you paid me a $1000. My mind is too loud, too tangled in the question that’s been gnawing at me since this morning. I turn slightly, sitting up just enough to look at them both. They glance down at me at the same time, as if they can feel my restlessness. Maybe they can. “Can I ask you something?” My voice is quiet, but it cuts through the room louder than the TV’s background noise.“Of course,” Axel replies without missing a beat.Kai nods, his expression gentler than usual. “Anything.” I draw in a slow breath, trying to steady the thrum in my chest. “How does it work? The mate bond, I mean. What does it really do? How do

KAIA’S POV My heart pounds as Kai yanks me down the hallway, our feet slamming against the floorboards as the house trembles from the force of whatever is happening above us. Behind us, I hear snarling... no, growling. And it’s not just one. Multiple wolves. Too many. I resist the urge to cower in fear. “Keep moving!” Axel yells from behind, voice feral, deeper than usual. His wolf is close to the surface. I don’t know where we’re going. I don’t ask. I just hold onto Kai’s hand like it’s the only real thing in this chaos. Well,maybe because it is. “Basement exit,” he mutters, barely glancing at me. “It’s enchanted. Should still hold.” Should. That word shouldn’t scare me, but it does. We are still using should in this deadly situation??? My breaths come out in short, sharp gasps. My legs ache, lungs burning, but I keep going. I have to. We twist down the back staircase. The air is cooler here, damp with the scent of old wood and stone. There’s another crash a

KAIA'S POV: The air inside the house is thick with questions. The scent of burnt ozone still lingers from the last attack. Whatever or whoever breached our wards left something behind, a message, a warning, maybe both. Rowan had tucked it away in the study, but none of us could forget the way it hummed with a strange energy. Now, I’m pacing my room. My stomach twists with unease, like I’m balancing on the edge of something bigger than I can understand.A soft knock draws my attention. “Kaia?” Ezra’s voice is gentle. “You got a sec?”I nod, even though he can’t see me. “Come in.” He steps inside and closes the door behind him. There’s no playfulness in his eyes today. Just worry. “We’ve been talking,” he says, sitting at the edge of my bed. “You deserve answers. About who you are… and what they wanted from you.” I sink into the chair by my window. “Do you know something?” Ezra rubs the back of his neck. “Not enough. But we think someone in the archives might. Th