All Chapters of Maeve: Marked By Blood, Chosen By Fate.: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Maeve.Carson’s arms were around me when the night fell quiet, his body warm, his lips brushing my hair as he whispered promises I wanted to believe. His voice was low, steady, strong, saying he would never let me go, saying I was his, saying nothing could take me from him. I lay still against him, breathing in the sound of his words, letting them sink deep.But the bond told me something else.It pulsed weak, heavy, uncertain. Each beat carried his love, yes, but also his fear, his doubt, his silence. He kissed me like a man afraid of losing me, but he held me like a man already slipping away.I shut my eyes, willing the bond to steady, willing his fire to stay strong, but no matter how tight I held him, no matter how much I pressed against him, the cracks in him did not vanish.When he finally slept, his breaths deep and uneven, I stayed awake, listening. His body twitched sometimes, his hands clenched as if he fought battles even in dreams. I laid my hand against his chest, feeling

Maeve. I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into the hall. The air was thick, heavy, whispers cutting off when I passed. Wolves looked at me with pity in their eyes, and pity was worse than fear, worse than hatred. My heart slammed hard in my chest. Then I saw him. Rivan leaned against the pillar, his cloak dark, his smile sharp. Waiting. I should have turned away, should have called the guards, should have walked past. But the bond pulled me tighter, warning, burning. “You look pale, Luna,” he said softly, stepping closer. “Is it the sickness in your mornings, or the sickness in your heart?” I froze. “What do you mean?” He leaned close, his voice low, his words sharp as claws. “You carry his child. But you are not the only one.” My stomach turned cold. “You are lying.” Rivan’s smile widened, cruel and slow. “Am I? Ask the maid who warmed your Alpha’s bed when you were too drunk to know who you leaned on. Ask her why she trembles now when she carries life inside her

Maeve.I had never seen him like this.Carson’s eyes glowed wild, his wolf pushing through, his body trembling with rage. His claws were sharp and dripping with Rivan’s blood, his teeth bared, his breath rough and broken. He was not just my Alpha, not just my mate he was a storm of fire and fury, and I was afraid he would burn everything, even me.When I threw myself between them, I felt his claws stop only inches from my chest. Inches. One slip, one heartbeat too fast, and they would have torn straight through me.“Carson,” I whispered, my voice shaking, my tears burning hot. “Look at me. Not him. Me.”His eyes flickered, but they were not steady. The bond screamed between us, hot and violent, carrying his pain, his doubt, his fury. It felt like being cut open from the inside.Behind me Rivan laughed, blood in his teeth. “Strike her. Show her what you really are.”“Shut up!” I cried, my claws snapping out, but I did not move away from Carson. I could not. If I left him, if I gave hi

Maeve.Pain was the first thing I felt. White hot, sharp, burning deep in my side. I gasped, my knees giving out, and the world tilted until Carson’s arms caught me, strong but trembling.“Maeve, no, stay with me,” his voice was broken, raw with fear. His hands pressed hard against the wound, blood rushing hot through his fingers.I clawed at his arm, my breath shallow. “I am here,” I whispered, even as my body weakened.His face was pale, his eyes wild. “You should not have taken that blow. It was meant for me. It should have been me.”I forced a weak smile through the pain. “Then who would save me from myself?”Tears filled his eyes as he pressed his forehead to mine. “I cannot lose you. Do you hear me? I will not lose you.”Behind us Rivan laughed, low and cruel. “So tragic. The mighty Alpha brought to his knees, holding his broken mate. You cannot protect her, Carson. She bleeds because of you.”Carson snarled, his claws flashing, but I caught his face with my trembling hand. “Loo

Maeve.When my eyes opened, all I saw was blood. My own across the floor, Carson’s across his arms, and Rivan’s pooling in thick dark rivers near the shattered wall. My body shook, weak and aching, the wound in my side throbbing, but I was alive.Carson was kneeling beside me, his claws still wet, his chest heaving, his face pale with horror.“Maeve,” he whispered, his hands trembling as he cupped my face. “I thought I lost you. Tell me you are still here.”I caught his wrist with weak fingers, forcing a small smile even through the pain. “Still here. Still breathing. You cannot get rid of me that easily.”He laughed once, but it broke into a sob, his forehead pressing to mine. “You should not have thrown yourself between us. I could have— I almost—”“You didn’t,” I whispered back. “That is what matters.”Behind us, a cough wet with blood echoed. Rivan dragged himself up against the wall, his eyes still burning pale even through the gashes across his chest. He was smiling, blood strea