All Chapters of Sold to the Alpha King: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Alara stood in the courtyard, her fingers trembling around the sinister rune artifact that had just been delivered. A hush fell over the onlookers as she held the object, unable to peel her gaze away from the twisted inscriptions etched into its surface. The firelight from the torches flickered across her knuckles, highlighting the detail of each rune. Ezra stood close beside her, his heartbeat pounding through their mate bond, his concern radiating across every nerve she possessed. She had felt the messenger’s arrival moments before through a burst of dread, and now the dreadful artifact itself seemed to pulse with silent menace. Its feel under her fingertips was icy, as though it were draining warmth from the very air around them.She opened her mouth to speak, to call for Damien and Lucas to secure the area, but words died on her lips as a wave of power slammed into her consciousness. The courtyard vanished behind her eyes, replaced by a vivid tapestry of shadows. She saw a cloaked

Alara pressed a trembling hand to her chest, standing by the fortress’s great doors where she had received Orith’s ominous message mere moments ago. Beneath the torchlit arches, the cold night air clung to every breath, and she sensed the tightening coil of tension in the people around her. Warriors patrolled the courtyard in pairs, scanning every shadow for hidden threats. A pair of guards carefully sealed the main doors, while two more double-checked the bolts and iron bars across the lesser entrances. The entire fortress felt on edge, as if the very stones had become wary of an unseen enemy lurking just beyond their perimeter.Ezra stood a step behind Alara, his presence steady and close. She could feel his watchful gaze sweeping over the courtyard, making sure no other hidden surprises awaited them. His posture was upright and regal, long dark hair shifting with each subtle move, and a faint streak of silver glinted at his temple—a mark of the power he had been gathering since the

Alara sat on the edge of the bed, knees drawn to her chest, the first pale light of dawn pressing faintly against the shutters. She had not slept since Orith’s phantom whisper faded, and every creak in the corridor still made her tense. Ezra knelt on the floor before her, calloused hands resting on her calves as if steadying a fragile vessel. He studied her face with quiet intensity, waiting for her to speak.She drew a shaky breath. “He was in this room, Ezra. Not just a lingering echo. I felt his will scrape across my thoughts. It was as if he was trying to peel back everything that makes me… me.”Ezra’s thumb brushed slow circles over her skin. “You are more than any sorcerer can unravel. He reached out, yes, but you pushed him back. That is strength, not weakness.”Alara swallowed. “What if I fail the next time? What if he turns my magic against us?”“You are not alone,” Ezra replied, voice low and steady. “Your power is yours. Our bond is ours. He cannot sever that unless we let

Sunlight found the fortress hesitantly, tiptoeing through high windows as if uncertain it was welcome after the night’s turmoil. In the Alpha’s private chamber, pale rays reached a window seat where Alara sat wrapped in Ezra’s thick traveling cloak. She had drifted in and out of restless half‑sleep, but dawn drove the last traces of slumber from her mind, leaving fretful thoughts in its wake. Ezra, sensing her stirrings through their bond, slipped quietly from the bed and crossed the floor on bare feet.Alara did not turn, though she knew exactly where he was by the gentle caress of his presence. He didn’t speak at once; he simply gathered her against him, settling onto the window seat with her nestled on his thighs, her head beneath his chin. Through the glass they could see courtyard warriors limping through their morning tasks, moving with a tentative hush that lingered after any great upheaval.“Your heartbeat is too quick,” Ezra murmured, his breath warm against her hair.“I keep

Alara scarcely felt her slippers touch stone as she hurried along the silent corridor, lantern light chasing the last stars from narrow windows. Ezra matched her pace but offered no words—he sensed the urgency of her heartbeat through their bond and let it guide them. She pushed through the infirmary doors and the breath she'd been holding caught in her throat.Cassian sat upright against a bank of pillows, silver-streaked hair combed, new color warming cheeks that had been deathly pale the night before. He looked smaller without chains, yet stronger for the freedom. At the soft squeak of the door, his eyes lifted—amber mirrors of her own—and a fragile smile cracked the solemn line of his mouth.“My spark,” he whispered, voice rough with disuse.Tears blurred Alara’s vision. She crossed the room, skirts whispering like wings, and took both his hands. The old scars on his wrists had faded to white valleys in tanned skin, but new bruises bloomed where shadow-runes had once pulsed. She p