All Chapters of The alpha king's slave mate: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Lyra’s pov I woke up to the warmth of something solid and firm beneath me. For a second, my still-foggy brain assumed it was my pillow, but the steady rise and fall beneath my cheek gave it away instantly. Ronan.His arms were wrapped tight around me, one hand resting across my waist like he’d been guarding me all night. His breath blew pstrands of my hair, warm against the top of my head, and the scent of smoke, leather, and cedar wood wrapped around me. My lips curved into a small smile before my eyes even fluttered open.When I finally stirred, he shifted slightly, loosening his hold just enough for me to tilt my head back. His golden eyes were already open, watching me, quiet and intense like always. But instead of the seeing the tension from last night in them, I saw something softer.“You’re awake,” he murmured, his voice hoarse and deeper because he hadn't spoken all morning.I smiled faintly. “And you’re still here.”He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he leaned down and pr

Lyra’s povI barely had the strength to stand when Ronan wrapped an arm around me and hauled me against him. My ribs had mostly healed, but the ache lingered in my bones, and exhaustion pressed on me with each movements. He didn’t speak, just held me tighter, jaw clenched in that way that said his fury hadn’t faded yet.When I opened my mouth to protest, he silenced me with a look. “No arguments, Lyra. You’re done for today.”I wanted to snap back, but the truth was I was too tired to fight him. So I let him guide me through the corridors, his hand firm at my waist, until we reached his chambers.The moment we stepped inside, the heat from the bath that had been drawn earlier wrapped around me, steam flowing in the air. The massive tub, carved from dark stone that I had never used, gleamed with water that shimmered faintly from oils poured into it, smelling of cedar and wildflowers.Ronan didn’t let me do anything. He sat me down on the edge of the bed and crouched in front of me, his

Lyra povThe world slowed in that instant, the breath caught in my chest as my fist got closer to his face, the voice kept cheering me on.And then—“Lyra!”Ember.She screamed in my head.Her voice was loud and desperate. The sound shattered through the haze of fury drowning me. My vision snapped back into focus, and in that single heartbeat I realized what I was about to do—what I was about to become.With a gasp, I redirected my strike, slamming my fist into the ground just beside Garrick’s head. The force of the blow was monstrous and unnatural. The earth split open beneath my hand, jagged cracks like spider webs spread out in every direction. The sound was deafening, like the sound of an earthquake happening right there in the sparring ring. Dust and dirt exploded into the air, a suffocating cloud that swallowed us whole.Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it—tiny, writhing shadows crawling away from me, hissing and scattering like vermin fleeing the light. And then… that voice.

Ronan’s POVThe moment she ran with tears streaming down her red face, her eyes wild and broken, I froze. My chest clenched so tightly I could hardly breathe. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do.Do I run after her—my mate, my other half, the one the gods gave me? Or do I fall to my knees beside the man who’s been my brother in all but blood?The silence in my head was deafening and tearing me apart.Lyra’s scent lingered, fading with each second she got farther away, but Garrick’s blood was everywhere. The metallic smell of it clung to the air, to my tongue, to my skin. My wolf clawed at me, urging me to chase her, but my heart… my heart was breaking as I stared down at Garrick.I remembered the voice in my head from earlier which was broke, weak, desperate. “Help… me.”I’d been in my office when it hit me. That irritating, itching feeling under my skin, like the world itself was warning me something was wrong. I’d tried to brush it off, but then his voice had ent

Lyra’s POVI didn’t know how long I had been running.The branches whipped against my arms, my face, cutting my skin as I stumbled deeper and deeper into the forbidden forest. My chest burned, each breath felt like fire through my lungs. Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.Not when the image of Garrick’s broken body was still burned into the back of my eyelids.“Monster,” I choked out between gasps. My own voice sounded foreign, broken. “I’m a monster.”The words came out again and again, spilling from my mouth like venom, until they became the only thing I could hear over the pounding of my heart.I collapsed to my knees at one point, my hands shaking violently. I looked down and—gods—his blood. It was still there. Dried into my fingernails. Staining my palms. Smearing my wrists.“No!” I screamed, clawing at my skin. I scraped and scratched until it burned, until it stung, but I could still see it. His blood. His blood because of me.They were on my hands.Te