Alpha Ethan のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 71 - チャプター 80

Liana’s POVDo not struggle. Gain his trust. Propose your plan.I repeat the words like a mantra as I grip onto the saddle so tightly my knuckles turn white.The moon shines bright. It bathes the landscape in a ghostly glow as it blurs past us—lighting up peaks and lochs and wild swaying grass. The streams that flow down the mountains look like molten silver. They remind me of chains and shackles.I saw this landscape as freedom once. Now it taunts me with what could have been.I’m running out of time.“I can help you,” I say.“Quiet.” His voice is harsh.His arm is tight around my waist. His hold is not gentle and protective like Ethan’s. It is hard and unrelenting. It is the hold of a jailer. A monster. A king.“I know what you want, and I am offering—”“I offered you the world, and you threw it in my face. There’ll be no more discussion on the matter.”“Are you truly so stubborn?”“Are you?” he bites back.The hint of frustration in his tone gives me hope. There must be something b

Liana’s POVThe carriage hurtles across the landscape.We’re followed by the sound of howling Wolves, and the roars of battle.Marius settles on the bench in front of me and smooths down his breeches and dark tunic. He’s the picture of calm despite what is happening. His sword and daggers hang in his belt—deadly but unused as he leaves his army to fight for him.He smiles.“My sweet betrothed, it is time we had a chat, don’t you think?”I straighten and smooth down my dress. I force myself to smile back sweetly, even though violence coats my tongue. “Yes, it is.”“Did you spread your legs for him?” asks Marius—as though discussing the weather. “Their king.”“Didn’t your wolf confirm I didn’t?”He shrugs. “If he had voiced the truth, I’d have killed you both on the spot. I can’t marry you if my people know you’ve fucked a wolf. And if I can’t marry you, you are of no use to me. But I don’t believe you’ve been with those savages for this long, and not been touched by at least one of the

Liana’s POVThe air is thick with the scent of pine and darkness.Somewhere, an animal is whimpering.I push through the undergrowth toward it. Thorns snag my clothes, and brambles squish beneath my bare feet. I emerge into a moonlit clearing.A wolf the color of moonlight lies in the center, but blood tarnishes her fur. She is injured. Her foot is caught in a trap.She snarls as I approach, but I cannot leave her to die.“Shh,” I whisper. “It’s going to be okay.”I prize open the jaws of the trap, my fingers bleeding and slipping on the harsh metal teeth.The wolf cries. She stumbles free, turning to face me.For a moment, we stare at one another.“Don’t go,” I say. “I need you.”She turns. She flees.“No!”I’m plunged into darkness.“Come back!”The wind no longer whispers through the trees, and the moon is snuffed out. Shadows creep through the undergrowth, and slither through the grass like snakes.“Don’t leave me!” I scream. “Please!”I am lost.I am empty.I am alone.The darkne

Liana’s POVI’m warm. Comfortable. There is something soft beneath me. I smell woodsmoke and books.Male voices drift into my consciousness, but I keep my eyes shut, savoring the safety that cocoons me.“How did you get away from my brother, anyway?” Ethan’s voice is quiet, as if he doesn’t want to wake me.“I’ve been ingesting small doses of wolfsbane for years,” says Blake—nonchalant. “If a wolf takes a bite out of me, it ends worse for them.”Ethan chuckles. “You’re a diabolical wee shite, you know that?”A smoky wave of amusement washes through me, though I’m not sure where it originates from. It is strange, I suppose, hearing them talk to one another almost as though they are friends.“So they say,” says Blake.“But you didn’t kill him.”“No. It just weakened him enough to knock him out.”“Can I ask you something?” There’s no response, and I presume Blake must have shrugged because Ethan continues. “The scars on your back. How did you get them?”“The same way as your pet, I presu

Blake’s POVHis footsteps echo as he walks down the endless prison corridor.Shadows coil around his arms and legs, almost as if they are alive. They slink around his ankles like cats.His nostrils flare as a sweet, familiar scent hits them.She’s peering through the barred window of one of the cells ahead, her back to him.He tilts his head to one side. Is this his dream, or hers? Has he merely imagined her? Or is this a consequence of the bond between them?Her red hair cascades down her back, almost the color of blood in the gloom. It’s as if she’s been plucked from her bed and dropped here. She’s wearing his shirt, the one he gave Ethan for her to put on after James bit her. It’s too big for her. It caresses the soft curve of her behind, and strokes her thighs. Her calves and feet are bare. He swallows.She stiffens like prey, and he wonders if she senses him watching. Then he follows her gaze. A writhing mass of shadow surges toward her. The jailer of this prison is coming.Blake