Lahat ng Kabanata ng Mated To The Scarred Alpha: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

LEAHMy body feels heavy, like I’m sinking into something thick and endless. Every time I try to pull myself up, I feel my strength slip away from me again. My chest rises in sharp, and shallow breaths, but I can’t move.The world around me is nothing but noise, just snarls, and the rush of feet against stone. I hear Lucian’s growl echoing, as he carries me, but my eyes fight to focus. I feel drained and empty as I recollect what just happened. The light on my arms, me screaming and…. wait, did I just use my powers?The haze on my eyes clear only for a moment, and I see something, or maybe someone, in front of Lucian, with me in his arms. It's one of the black-eyed wolves standing in front of Lucian.“What the….?”My heart pounds violently. Isn’t this one of these same twisted creatures that had been trying to tear us apart only moments ago? Its fur is ragged, skin stretched too tight over its bones, and shadows writhe like smoke around its body. But surprisingly, it isn’t attacking. I

LUCIANThe forest splits with a roar, and the portal widens until it swallows the clearing in front of us. The air feels like it's alive. Strange noises fill every corner as the wolves approach, with their low growls, scraping claws, and whispers so sharp they slice through my skull. These ones aren't like the ones we’ve been fighting before. These ones are darker, and bigger, their bodies filled with nothing but twisted muscle and smoke. Their eyes glow whitish against the shadows of their skins, locked on us with one intent, Leah.I adjust the way I stand and lower her gently to the ground, my body covering hers. Her head lolls toward me, her lips parting, but she’s too weak to speak. Fenrir rages inside me, clawing at the edges of my chest. “She’s exposed,” he growls, the words thick and primal. “Do you see them? They’re waiting. If you hesitate, even once, she’s theirs to take.”“I know,” I mutter under my breath, my jaw tight. My hands flex uselessly at my sides. I can feel her

LEAHDarkness is all I feel as Lucian carries me into Queen Reyna’s office. I can’t see his face, but I know it’s him. His warmth presses against me, his heartbeat pounding steady, like he’s willing mine to match his.I hear his voice before I feel his touch. It's soft, and low, saying words he never says in front of others. “Stay with me, Leah. I’ve got you. You’re not leaving me, not now, not ever.”I want to answer, to reach for him, but my tongue won’t move. My body feels too heavy, like I’m sunk beneath water.Then another voice filters through the dark, Queen Reyna. Her voice is softer than I’ve ever heard. Fragile, and almost breaking. “I should’ve found you earlier than this,” she whispers. “I should’ve been the mother you needed, not the queen who hid from you. Please… fight, my Leah. Don’t let them take you from me too.”Her words burn deeper than the shadows that almost took me. A part of me wants to cling to them, to float up toward her voice. But the other part just sinks

LEAHBlood is all I smell, and I see as I hold Lucian in my arms. His blood, hot and slick, soaks through my hands, staining me. It spreads across the floor in a matter of seconds, and no matter how hard I press down, I just can’t stop it. His chest heaves shallowly, each rise and fall getting weaker by the second. His eyes are already dimming, like the sun setting for the last time.“No, no, no,” I whisper, my voice shaking so violently I barely recognize it. “Stay with me, please stay.”I cradle his face in one hand, the other still pressing against his wound. My heart rips into pieces just watching him struggle to breathe. His skin is cold with sweat, and the bond between us screams in agony. I can feel life slipping from him, his heartbeat faltering like a thread fraying strand by strand. “Don’t leave me,” I beg, lowering my head to his. “Please Lucian, don't leave me.” My tears fall into the blood on his chest, my hair mixing with it. “Don’t you dare leave me. You promised… you

LEAHThe first thing I feel when I wake up is warmth, cozy and homely. Lucian’s heavy arm is still around me, his steady heartbeat thudding underneath my cheek. For a blissful moment, I don’t move. I let myself exist in the quiet home of his arm, his beautiful scent, and the soft rise and fall of his chest. As my eyes struggle to stay open, still lazy from sleep, I can't help but feel the safety of being here, with him.But then reality seeps in. There’s the case of the battle that almost killed Lucian at the council, the portal, and Emily-Donna's words still echoing like poison in my mind. What an irony. A moment of peace in the midst of boiling chaos.I lift my head slightly. Lucian stirs, his eyes half-lidded but alert the second my weight shifts.“Good morning,” I whisper. His grey eyes soften, and his lips twitch into the faintest smile. “You didn’t run away in the night. That’s a good sign.”I roll my eyes, though my throat tightens with relief just hearing him tease me. “As if