All Chapters of Maeve: Marked By Blood, Chosen By Fate.: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Carson.The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was pain, a sharp tearing in my side and a heavy weight pressing down on my chest that made it hard to breathe, and for a moment I thought I was still in the fight, still locked with Johan, still clawing and bleeding and roaring, but then the silence settled around me and I realized the fight was over and I was lying in the dirt alone.I pushed myself up slowly, every muscle screaming, the world spinning around me, and when I looked down at my hands they were red with blood, mine and his, and the ground where we had fought was torn apart like a storm had ripped through it. The smell of blood was everywhere, sharp and heavy, and it clung to me so thick I thought I would choke on it.Then I remembered her. Maeve.Her scream, the sight of her falling, the blood spilling from her arm, it all came back in a rush that made my stomach twist. I staggered to my feet, my eyes scanning the ground, the trees, searching for her, calling her name

Maeve. The night was long and heavy, the air thick with the smell of herbs that clung to the walls and burned faintly in the back of my throat, and I lay on the narrow bed staring at the ceiling, my thoughts moving in circles I could not escape. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Carson’s face, torn with worry and anger, but then Johan’s words would echo again, steady and certain, reminding me that my strength was not mine alone, that it had come from something I did not yet understand. I turned onto my side, the blanket slipping from my shoulder, and my wolf stirred again inside me, restless, pacing, its voice clearer than it had ever been before. He is lying, it whispered, sharp and angry. You belong to Carson. You know this. But the whisper trembled, as if it too was unsure, and that small tremor sent fear curling tight in my chest. The door opened quietly, and Johan stepped inside, carrying a small bowl in his hands, the steam rising from it filling the air with a bitter s

Carson.The room was thick with the smell of stone and dust and hidden things, the weight of the air pressing down until it felt like it might suffocate me, and Roy stood there in the faint glow of the lantern with the vial in his hand, his body loose but his eyes sharp, watching me as if I were not his Alpha but his prey.I stepped closer, my fists tight, my chest heavy with rage that burned so hot it almost blinded me, and every memory of him standing at my side, of him swearing loyalty, of him fighting with me, shattered under the truth I had just seen.“You were going to poison me,” I said, my voice low but steady.Roy tilted his head, the faint smile never leaving his face. “I was going to save the pack. You have lost control, Carson. You chase a woman who does not want you, you drag us all into war because of your obsession, and soon they will all die for it. I am only doing what must be done."The words cut deep, and my wolf snarled inside me, the sound rising in my chest until

Maeve. The pendant lay heavy on the blanket where Johan had set it, its glow soft and steady like a heartbeat, and I sat staring at it as if the metal itself were alive. My chest still burned from the moment I touched it, the fire still pulsing through me, and my hands shook as if they did not belong to me anymore. Johan stood close, too close, his eyes steady on mine, his voice low and patient. “You feel it now. You cannot deny it. That power belongs to you. It was never weakness, Maeve. It was only waiting.” I shook my head, but the words that should have been sharp broke on my tongue. “No… I… I still belong to him.” For a moment Johan’s expression hardened, his jaw clenching, but then he smiled faintly, as if he already knew the ending to a story I had not yet read. “You say that now. But the bond fades. Soon it will be gone, and all you will have left is what burns inside you.” I wanted to scream at him, to push him back, to end his words before they sank deeper, but then

Maeve.The air shook with the force of our clash, my body colliding with Johan’s, his claws sinking into my shoulders, my jaws locked around his throat. Blood poured hot and bitter across my tongue, my chest burning with fire and rage, and for a moment neither of us gave way. We held each other in that grip of death, two wolves caught in a storm of hate and power, and the room spun around us with the weight of it.My muscles screamed, my body trembling with pain, but the bond pulsed inside me, steady and fierce. Carson’s heartbeat thudded against mine, strong and sure, and it was his strength that poured into me when mine began to fade.Hold on, Maeve, his voice whispered through the fire. Do not let go.I tightened my jaws, my claws raking across Johan’s chest, the sound of tearing flesh loud in my ears. He howled, his body jerking, but he struck back hard, his claws digging deeper into my sides until fire ripped through my veins and I almost collapsed beneath the weight of it.But I