Semua Bab Marked by betrayal, bound to the Lycan Lord.: Bab 71 - Bab 80

Kael’s POVThe office was quiet, to my taste. I have just been away for a while and the company didn't make half of what we get in a day. The first thing I am going to do on Monday is to fire all the workers who can't use their brains to think. Damn. Dumb humans. I sat behind the desk, flipping through reports and contracts that didn’t matter anymore because my mind wasn’t in the room. It was on Xena and a final decision that I would not look for my mate. Xena was going to die one way or the other— I did promise her protection but that was if she had given in to the end of the deal and since she could not— it wasn't like she chose the gender of the child but a deal was a deal. And she didn't stick to it, so keeping her alive was her every day Christmas. The door creaked open, and Ben walked in. He was the last person I wanted to see or imagine I would see. Ben and I were cousins but we had no relationship at all. We lived under the same roof before he left for college but I didn't

Xena's POVThe night air was cold, brushing against my skin as I followed Kael through the woods. I didn’t ask questions. I just walked. Every step we took brought us closer to the one place I didn’t want to be—Chloe’s grave.Kael didn’t speak. He had a shovel in one hand, and his face looked carved from stone. Focused. Dangerous.We stopped at the small heap, hidden behind the trees, where only moonlight dared to fall. I wrapped my arms around myself as he stabbed the shovel into the dirt.“This is insane,” I whispered, but my voice didn’t stop him. He kept digging.I stood there, helpless, as each scoop of dirt tossed aside reopened a wound inside me. I could barely breathe. “You’re hurting her again,” I said, voice trembling. “This—this is like tearing her soul in half all over again.”Kael paused, just for a second. “Then pray she’s not here.”“Why do you so badly think that Mirabel is Chloe?” I asked again. Chloe's death happened two months ago, even if she managed to survive

XENA’S POV. I stared at the blank TV screen, tapping my fingers anxiously on my lap as I impatiently waited for Susan or Kael to get back home. I was completely bored and I was about losing it. Susan had just left for groceries, promising she wouldn't be gone long— even though she has been gone for more than two hours now. I stayed on the couch, my legs pulled up to my chest, listening to the ticking clock in the hallway. I told myself to relax, to wait like a normal person. But of course, I didn’t.I wanted to explore the house. So I got up. And with that, I wandered around, entering all the doors that opened. It wasn’t hard to navigate—just a few bedrooms, a study, and a library that looked barely touched. Unlike the mansion, this place was quiet in a different way, less guarded but somehow just as eerie.The library small but cozy— but as expected there was nothing there that picked my interest so I decided to continue my search. Eventually, I stood in front of a room. Someth

XENA’S POV The moment the door clicked shut, I let out a sigh of relief but I didn’t move— I dare not. I stayed in the wardrobe, my heart pounding loud enough that I was sure Kael had heard it before he left. But he hadn’t. Somehow, impossibly, he hadn’t picked up my scent. Maybe it was the cologne he wore, or maybe the stress had his senses dulled—but whatever the reason, I wasn't caught. I can't even imagine what he would have done to me if he finds me snooping around or if he had seen me with that document. I stayed still for a few more seconds just in case. Then I crept out, my legs were shaky. I was safe— for now. I looked around once, then rushed out I'd the room, heading downstairs, moving slow and cautious like I expected someone to jump out at me. At the bottom of the stairs, I bumped into Susan. She nearly dropped the tablet she was holding. “There you are,” she said, eyebrows raised. “Kael was looking for you.” My stomach twisted. “I wasn’t… I mean, I was just

KAEL’S POVThe Russians had just left, satisfied and smug, walking out like they now owned half the city. I didn’t like their confidence, but business was business, and the deal was sealed. It was done.They needed money and I needed more men— loyal men. People saw it as a low interest loan deal but the sharp ones saw it as selling their loyalty— their empire. I poured myself another drink and downed it before it even had a chance to settle in the glass.Just as I turned toward the window, the club’s double doors swung open, and the Mistress—Lucía walked in. “¡Dios mío! Kael, mi amor, I am losing business!” she began, hands flying everywhere as her voice rose. “All these young girls walking around like butterflies—fresh, pretty, with nothing but desperation in their eyes. My girls? They sit idle, we are losing money.”I ignored her, pouring myself another drink. She walked to me, clearly pissed that I was ignoring her. “Remember you owned half of this club. No customers, no money.