Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE ALPHA'S BARGAINED BRIDE : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Larissa POV**The sun was already high, striking gold rays of light, in my room. I was in front of the full length mirror, straightening up the fabric of the emerald gown that I was supposed to put on during the Moonlight Harmony Ceremony. It was now almost a month since I had been received as a Luna, and, in spite of the shades of the past still remaining, the atmosphere between Xavier and me had become quite gloriously harmonious--even sweet. He was more than my friend.I never saw him smile so much as he did in the last weeks. And he would gaze at me as though all the light his world ever needed had come to me. That was enough to make me feel that all those pains endured by me were worth it.This was a special ceremony tonight. It was a solemn ceremony in which the Alpha and Luna came into the full moon to bless the pack. I had heard it referred to by the old ones as the night when destinies are matched. I was in awe of whether or not I was always destined to be here, but now I fel

Xavier POV The fire in my room crackled, but it offered no warmth. I stood by the tall window, my hands clenched behind my back, staring into the night as if the darkness would speak the truth I hadn’t yet found.Larissa.Naked. In the woods. Humiliated.That image—burned into my skull like a curse.I had ordered her locked up. I had turned my back, not even allowing myself to hear her side. The disgrace of a Luna in such a state, before the pack—there was no excuse, no dignity left to protect. And yet… my heart kept replaying the look in her eyes when I walked past her cell.She didn’t plead. She didn’t speak.She just… looked at me. Broken.I cursed under my breath and dropped into the leather chair by the hearth, elbows resting on my knees, fingers buried in my hair.A knock came at the door. Gentle. Feminine.I didn’t answer. The door opened anyway.“Xavier?”Selene's voice floated in like silk on water.I didn’t turn around. “I didn’t ask for company.”“I know.” Her heels clicke

“Ouch…oh” I groan as I slightly raise my head up. The first thing that I can tell is the piercing feeling at the bottom of my skull--a deep pounding that radiates down the neck in waves. My eyelids opened briefly to relapse shut as the dark light pierced on them. All movement aggravated the pounding, every breathing caused my chest to hurt.A moment later I noticed that I lay upon something soft. A bed. Sheets under my arms. The air was warmer, and flavoured a little with pine and something faintly spicy--cinnamon? No… cedarwood.I wasn't out cold anymore. I was’nt lying in the cold dirt of the cell. I wasn’t with the guards.I finally open my eyes.The ceiling made of wood and beams were low and polished. There was only a single window that allowed in muffled daylight. In a corner, beside it, there was a small fire burning in a stone hearth, and the cracking of the fire was the only sound in the room--until a gentle shuffling was heard.I turned and winced, as a sharp strain of pain

Larissa’s POVThe fire had burned lower since Kai left, its light flickering like it was afraid to stand still. Shadows stretched across the cabin walls, reaching for me. I was tired. God, so tired but my wolf wouldn’t let me sink into sleep. Something prickled in the back of my mind, the way the air feels before lightning splits the sky.I didn’t know how much time had passed before the door creaked open again. Not Kai.A woman stepped in, everything pointed out she's either a nurse or a doctor too tired to find out.. balancing a small wooden tray. The steam from the bowl on it curled toward me like ghostly fingers. She was taller than the girl who had brought me water earlier, her shoulders squared under a pale wool shawl. Her hair was pulled tight under a scarf, her face unremarkable—so plain it almost seemed deliberate.“You need to eat, before you take any drug” she said softly, setting the tray on the small table near my bed.Her voice was calm, but it lacked the warmth of someo

The forest was quiet in that way that made every sound louder. My breathing, still uneven. The slow thud of my heartbeat in my ears. The wind combing through the trees above.I sat there on the damp ground, back against the rough trunk of an old oak, staring at nothing in particular. My legs ached from running. My head was heavy with too many thoughts pressing in all at once.A part of me wondered if I should just keep going. Disappear into the darkness and never look back. But another part—one I didn’t like to admit existed—just wanted to stop feeling hunted for one night.The crunch of leaves reached me before his scent did.Kai.He didn’t call my name right away. Just approached slowly, like a hunter afraid the prey might bolt if he moved too quickly. When he finally stopped, it was right beside me.“You’re making a habit of this,” he said softly, his voice low but not unkind.I didn’t look at him. “Of what? Breathing?”His mouth curved faintly at the edge, but there was no real hu