All Chapters of Maeve: Marked By Blood, Chosen By Fate.: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Maeve.The door shut behind her, and the silence left behind was louder than any fight we had faced. My body trembled, my claws still half out, my heart racing with anger and fear.Carson’s arms came around me at once, pulling me against his chest, his voice low and desperate. “Maeve, do not let this break us. Please.”I buried my face against him, my tears hot. “She carries what should have been mine alone. How do I forget that?”He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes, golden and burning with pain. “You do not have to forget. You just have to believe me when I say it was never her. It was always you. Even when I was blind, even when I failed, it was you in my heart. Always you.”His words cracked something in me. My claws slid back, my hands gripping his shirt, clinging to him. “I want to believe you. I do. But when I look at her, I see what you touched. I see what she carries. And I feel less.”Carson’s face twisted, his forehead pressing to mine. “Then let me remind you.

Maeve.I froze when I saw her.Her face. My face.Her eyes glowed silver like mine, her voice echoed like mine, her scent filled the air like mine. It was as if the world had split me in two, one fragile and desperate, the other fierce and burning with rage.And Carson… Carson stood between us, his golden eyes wide, his body trembling, his curse tearing at him until the black veins spread across his chest and neck.“Carson,” I whispered, my claws curling at my sides. “It is me. Do not listen to her.”The other Maeve stepped closer, her voice breaking soft and sweet, almost begging. “No, Carson. It is me. Do not believe her. I am the one who carries your child. I am the one you touched.”Her words stabbed me, sharp and merciless. My claws slid out fully, my wolf snarling inside. “You lie. You are no mother of his child. You are a shadow. A trick.”Carson dropped to his knees, clutching his head. “I cannot— I cannot tell which of you—” His voice cracked, raw, desperate. “The bond… it is

Maeve.The bond screamed louder and louder, every pulse like claws dragging through my chest. I dropped to my knees, clutching my stomach, gasping for air.It was me.The thought wouldn’t leave me. The whisper of the bond, the weight of it, burned me alive.Alia crouched in front of me, her violet eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. “Do you feel it now? He cannot tell. He never could. The beast does not know his mate from his shadow. You bleed because his claws do not care whose flesh they tear.”My head snapped up, silver fire burning in my hands. “You lie!”Her smile curved, calm, mocking. “Do I? Or do you already doubt him? Do you already wonder if his heart knows you as well as his body?”My chest heaved, my tears blurring. “I know him. I know his soul. He would never—”She cut me off, her voice soft, dangerous. “And yet, you felt it, didn’t you? The strike. The pain. He has already chosen wrong.”I staggered back, shaking, fury and heartbreak tearing me apart. “If you think this

Maeve.The pain stopped.One moment the bond was screaming through my chest, searing like fire. The next it went cold. Empty.My breath caught, my claws digging into the stone as I fell to my knees. “Carson?” My voice cracked, raw. “Carson!”No answer. Nothing.I clawed at my chest as if I could drag him back through the thread between us, but the silence was endless, heavy, terrifying.Alia’s laugh filled the chamber, smooth and cruel. “Do you feel it? That emptiness? That is what it feels like when the bond dies.”I snapped my head up, silver flames bursting in my claws. “You are lying. He cannot be gone. He cannot!”Her violet eyes gleamed, calm. “Perhaps he is not dead. Not yet. But you felt it — the bond has snapped. Even if he lives, he is no longer yours.”My tears burned, my chest heaving. “No. He is mine. Always mine.”Alia only tilted her head, stepping closer. “You cling to words, but words are nothing. What matters is blood. What matters is what you carry. That is why Joha

Maeve.Darkness.It wasn’t quiet. It wasn’t peaceful. It was heavy, pressing, filled with whispers that weren’t mine.I tried to breathe but there was no air. I tried to move but my body was stone.“Carson?” My voice echoed, thin, weak, swallowed before it could reach anywhere.No answer. Only shadows shifting, curling around me like smoke.Then a voice came, smooth and familiar. Alia.“You see? Even now, he loses himself. You chose wrong, Vessel. You bound yourself to a man who cannot save you.”I spun, my silver eyes straining against the dark. “You are not real. You are just a shadow.”She stepped forward, violet light bleeding from her hands. “Am I? Or am I the only one who tells you the truth?”My claws sparked faintly with silver flame, weak, fading. “Leave me.”Alia smiled softly. “I am not your enemy. Not truly. I am the one who sees what you are. And what you will be when you stop clinging to him.”A faint sound broke through the dark. My name.Carson’s voice, raw, broken. “M