Semua Bab Torn Between Two Moons: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Akira’s POVThe cold air stung my cheeks as I stood in the courtyard, with the crisp wind swirling pine needles across the ground while the sun struggled to pierce through the dense canopy above. I tightened the thick riding cloak around my shoulders, though it did little to calm the trembling deep within me.Servants bustled around the yard, checking stirrups, tightening saddle straps, and distributing weapons that gleamed in the light. War banners displaying the Emerald Pack’s crest — a silver wolf crowned in black — fluttered above the stables. The atmosphere buzzed with a palpable energy: a mix of excitement and impending violence.Kaïdën’s horse was restless at the front, a massive black stallion pawing the ground as if it craved blood too.I tried to avoid looking at him — the King — but it was impossible not to feel his presence. Even without him saying a word, his aura was like a command pressing against my skin.I noticed Lyrien near the armory, fastening the clasp on his dar

Akira’s POVSleep was like a pesky intruder that night, sneaking in after Kaïdën brushed his lips against my throat one last time, leaving a cold mark that lingered long after he walked away.He didn’t pull me into his bed or draw me close the way he sometimes did, especially when the night felt more threatening than any enemy. No, he simply told me to rest, as if that held meaning in this place.So, I tried to follow his order.Curled up on the far side of his massive bed, I wrapped a thin blanket around me like armor. The moonlight flooded in through the open balcony doors, casting a silver glow on the rough stone floor and bathing Kaïdën’s broad back in that cold light as he stood at the threshold—a mix of wolf and man, caught between gentleness and danger.Sleep came in fits and starts. When it finally pulled me under, my dreams tangled together: the dead man’s glassy eyes staring back from the clearing; Kaïdën’s whispered threats in my ear that felt like promises; Lyrien’s hand b

Akira’s POV Once the council hall emptied, the silence that followed felt like the stillness before a storm—charged and heavy. Kaïdën kept his grip on my wrist, his thumb moving lazily over my pulse, almost like he enjoyed feeling my heartbeat skip against his skin. My knees threatened to give way, but I locked them in place, keeping my spine straight and shoulders stiff as he studied me. The firelight behind him cast sharp shadows across his jaw and cheekbones, catching in his eyes—the unnatural gleam of the Lycan King, both terrifying and strikingly beautiful. “You spoke well,” he said, his voice a mix of iron and silk. It felt like praise, yet it also felt like a leash. Not trusting myself to speak, I lowered my head instead. Obedience felt easier than the risk of saying something wrong. Kaïdën reached up with his other hand and tucked a strand of silver hair behind my ear. His knuckles brushed my jaw so lightly that it made the threat in his touch stand out even more than a

Akira’s POVSmoke lingered in my hair long after we left the rogue camp, its scent intertwining with my cloak, a reminder of the burnt timber and singed fur that marked me in ways Kaïdën's brand on my neck never could.The ride back was silent. The warriors either spoke in low growls or not at all. Even Lyrien, usually brimming with quiet defiance, kept his gaze fixed on the dark trees flashing by, lost in thought or maybe fury. Perhaps it was both.Kaïdën led the way, his posture rigid, black furs brushing against his horse. Every now and then, he'd look back to check that I was still where he’d positioned me — half a horse's length behind him, just close enough for everyone to remember I belonged to him.I should have felt safe. No one would touch me, not with Kaïdën’s scent on my skin and his cold threat of death hanging over the forest like a blade.But honestly… I felt anything but safe.As dawn broke, the gates of the Emerald Pack emerged from the mist, and the guards opened the

Akira’s POVAs dawn broke, the courtyard behind Kaïdën’s fortress buzzed with energy, much like a nest of hornets. Warriors clad in black leather and iron bracers formed loose circles, sharpening their blades and testing spears against the frosty ground. This was the Blood Guard — Kaïdën’s elite fighters. His loyal monsters.And now, it seemed, they were my new family.My breath formed clouds in the frigid morning air as I stepped through the gates. The fur cloak that Lyrein had draped over my shoulders last night offered little protection against the chill that seeped into my bones.I felt their gazes the instant I crossed the threshold — dozens of eyes. Some were curious, some sneering, and quite a few already labeling me a failure.“She’s the breeder, isn’t she?” a man with a scar cutting across his brow muttered to the brute next to him.“The king’s pet? Just a runt among wolves?”They didn’t bother to whisper softly. They wanted me to hear every word.Keeping my chin up, I tucked