All Chapters of A night with my ex-husband’s step brother : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Lyra's POV The morning air was cold, and that was my first sign that things wouldn't exactly go as I'd hoped. Since my arrival at Blackwater, I'd witnessed more beautiful sunriss than I actually expected, but today was different. Almost as if the sky and nature were confirming that one of my worst fears was going to come to pass today. Alongside the cold was something else, a gnawing feeling in my lower belly that just refused to let me be. No matter how hard I tried to shake it off, it just didn't budge. Come Lyra, calm down. I whispered the words to myself. You're probably overthinking this right now, how bad could things really get? A loud shout was all it took to pull me out of my thoughts. I blinked back to the present and in no time I was able to figure out where the sound had come from. Soldiers lined the courtyard, armor glinting in the early light, with horses restless as if they sensed the storm ahead. The entire place pulsed with inevitability and I hated how fast m

Lyra’s POV The chamber doors groaned shut behind us, swallowing me in shadows and firelight. The council room of Redmoon had always felt imposing, but tonight it was suffocating. Tall pillars loomed like watchful sentinels, the stone floor gleamed under torchlight, and every chair around the curved table was filled by sharp eyed elders whose hostility needed no words.I honestly had no idea how I was supposed to feel in all of this. I wasn't sure I'd ever been actually summoned to the council, but the amount of animosity I got from its members were more than enough to give me an inking on what the hell actually went on behind closed doors. If there was any body the people of Redmoon feared more than the alpha,or even remotely, then it had to be the council. They were known to be ruthless and at one point since Xander and I had gotten married, I could swear I'd heard of cases being reported to the council, and none of them ever ended well, except Xander wanted it to go otherwise.

Lyra’s POV I couldn't see the spot next to me as I marched down the hallway, but I wouldn't say I was the least bothered about that. Why? Because I had much more important things on my plate, like confronting the man who was just about to make a single decision, that was bound to affect all of us. Every space around me buzzed with humans, each and every one of them doing something. While a good number of the servants I'd passed had work to do, the others, had made it their sole responsibility to disperse whatever had been discussed in the council to the others that weren't exactly privileged to get the information first hand. “Did you hear?” I caught a snippet of conversation from one maid I passed. “this week is definitely going to be an interesting one.”“The alpha and his step brother are going to fight.” “And the winner takes it all.” All of this and more were the kind of things I heard with each corner I rounded, and I would be lying if I said the comments didn't make my

Lyra's POV In all my life, I always thought myself to be audacious, at least to an extent, and with everything I'd been through, I honestly thought nothing, absolutely nothing could surprise me anymore. I guess it was my fault I underestimated the moon goddess' prowess when it came to humbling me or putting me in a tight spot, because it happened every time, but somehow, and for some strange reason, I never learnt my lesson. Time seemed to slow to a halt as I stared at the man in front of me. He wasn't standing directly or too close to me, but the way his shoulders tensed and with the deep frown etched into his face, I just knew my greatest fears had been confirmed. Not only had he seen us, I could bet my life that he'd heard every single word Xander had let out. But, I can't be that sure,, right? I tried to convince myself. I tried to convince myself that maybe, just maybe I'd misread the situation and maybe jumped into a conclusion I shouldn't have, so I did the only thing

Xavier’s POV The priest’s voice boomed across the arena, deep and ceremonial, but I could barely make out the words. No matter how hard I tried to focus, I just couldn't. His words swam around me like echoes in water, heavy, distorted, and it also didn't help thst thry soumd like gibberish in my ears. Or worse, a foreign language even. Whatever was wrong with me didn't stop there. It extended to other parts of my body. My tongue felt thick in my mouth, and my pulse was erratic, like it was going haywire, just so ot foyld collapse when i least expected it on the duel ground. What was this? What the hell was going on? The rules of the duel, something about honor, about the goddess’s judgment, and not drawing blood unless it was required, barely touched my ears. They brushes past me the way flies brushed past things didn't interest them. The only thing that was worth mentioning, was probably the pounding of blood against my skull. My chest burned with each breath, and my limbs, my