Lahat ng Kabanata ng Rising of a feeble mate: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

{Ryanna's Pov}I stepped inside. Losing all the fear and unease behind them. Aurelius sat at the head of a long oak table, surrounded by Elders. A couple I could remember, others I didn't, probably dead. Amongst the familiar faces are Brenna on his right and Councilor Marek on his left. Both of them wore countenances that mixed curiousness with disgust. Brenna’s streaked face looked as though she’d seen too many winters, despite how old she was, and Marek’s reddened cheeks implied at wine still wavering in his veins.The rest of the council members filled the benches along the far wall, wolves who’d once turned their backs on me and watched my embarrassment, but now they watched, waiting for my next move.Aurelius’s stare met mine, his dark eyes filled with hatred and malice. He swept one hand through his dark hair and leaned back so his half-­smile revealed the confidence of a ruler who believed nothing could unseat him.“Ah,” he said, “the ‘Queen of Rogues’ returns. Tell me, Ryanna

{Ryanna's Pov}We moved in silence, boots soft against the moss and leaves, the sharp scent of pine masking ours. We circled the clearing where the rogue pack had made their temporary camp. Tents, makeshift weapon stands, and low-burning fires gave them a sense of safety. False safety.Basten signaled from the western ridge, the first strike ready. Ophelia and Adolph mirrored from the east. Magnus stayed with me and Casper, as the centre force. I crouched behind a broken tree trunk, counting movements. Ten wolves I could see. Probably more hidden.Casper crouched beside me "We move, Mom?"I nodded once. Then I raised my hand.And dropped it.The clearing erupted.Arrows flew from the ridge, catching two guards before they even lifted their heads. Smoke bombs burst along the edges of the pack, swallowing tents and panicked wolves in grey clouds.Basten’s group surged from the west, howling into the confusion, making them believe the attack came from somewhere else. Ophelia ran into the

{Ryanna's Pov}As chaos ensued. I sank to one knee, firing arrow after arrow as rogues scrambled to safety. One massive brute tried to intercept me, but the rock structures from where he stood stopped him from getting a clear shot. I sidestepped, letting the arrow sail. It struck him in the knee and he fell down, roaring in pain. Without wasting time, I shot a second arrow dropping the next bandit rogue and charging Basten from the side.The ridge below was in a frenzy: tents crushed, rogues scattering like panicked animals. Basten and Adolph moved without mercy. Tearing into the flesh of any bandit that dared get in their way. Adolph particularly had a vendetta with them. So he was especially ruthless.Basten was fast and calculated, his curved claws sang through the air as he severed limbs and pierced hearts, each movement refined like a dancer with death for a partner. He spun low, slid beneath the swing of a brute’s hammer, and drove his hand into the underside of the rogue’s jaw

{Casper’s Pov}Ophelia didn’t move.I crouched beside her, my fingers hovering just above her temple where blood seeped steadily into the dirt. Her breathing was shallow, coming in wheezing breaths. I touched her shoulder and she flinched, even unconscious. Her ribs were a mess — caved in slightly on the left, bruises already spread across her side. Her left arm twisted at an angle no arm should ever bend. She looked pale. Broken even.I watched helplessly as the beast that did this to her ran away. I couldn’t leave her here, and I couldn’t chase it either. "Damn it," I groaned as I tore strips of cloth from my tunic… what was left of it at least, to bind her ribs as gently as I could. Every breath made her gasp in pain, but I needed to keep her steady. "Hang in there, Ophelia. I just need to patch you up first."I wrapped the makeshift bandage around her head too, hands trembling as I tied the knot. Enough to calm the bleeding, but not cause more pain.Blood stained my knuckles. Til

{Casper’s Pov}My eyes widened involuntarily, already seeing my life flash before my eyes…But… nothing came. Nothing happened. The beast simply collapsed.Flat on the sand. In an instant, its body deflated like a lantern folding. Maggots, ooze, and all things wrong escaped its now rotten form.An almost physical sigh of relief escaped my body, instantly making me feel lighter.I took in a breath and instantly regretted it. I held back the urge to throw up when the smell… Oh the smell… crawled up my nose and violated my lungs. Yet all I could do was stand rooted, legs weak.A hush fell over the arena. The crowd, the judges, the spectators — everyone was silent.I didn’t move. Couldn’t really… Neither did the beast. The drums had stopped. The horns had gone silent.For a moment, the ceremony felt like a funeral.Then the voices finally rose. Murmurs. Questions. Footsteps pounding the stands. "Is it dead?""Did he kill it?""What even was that thing?""He struck it in the gut — why wo