บททั้งหมดของ The Apex: Ascend or Be Consumed: บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

I gasped quietly as the instructor’s voice echoed in the Hall like rolling thunder. “Today, we will read History books on rebellion.” “As House Pyra’s Initiates, you must learn not just how to wield fire, but how to become fire. You are trailblazers. Revolutionaries. Not meant for mortal skirmishes or petty power struggles. The true flame lies in your defiance. No one should ever control you. You are destined to shake the very foundation of the realms. Remember this: you are not who you think you are… not until you ascend, not until you become Apex.” I exhaled slowly, my chest tightening. Who am I, really? I had always desired to ascend and reach the Apex. Was that because it had something to do with who I was? Would I finally have to start taking the Crucibles seriously? Attending every ball, class, mastering my magic, climbing toward the destiny I truly wanted? Or would I just keep getting slutted out by the very men who ruled this place? My head was swimming with q

Lucan smirked. His hand slid into his pocket as his gaze remained on me. “Why did you think I could teach House Pyra’s students? You can only instruct your own House students. To teach another would be… interesting. Only one person has ever been able to do that.” I wanted to ask if he meant the upriser… but I couldn’t speak.The question stuck in my throat, burning like fire.I swallowed hard, lowering my eyes. It made sense.Such a dangerous woman wouldn't be shackled by the House rules.“Of course,” He added, stepping closer, his arm sliding around my waist in a possessive manner. His embrace was firm, warm, and protective that I nearly leaned in. “I volunteered to be an instructor because of you.”My breath caught in my parched, sore throat after his shocking revelation. I couldn’t understand what he was saying nor could I imagine the weight of it. But I was curious about the reason. I wanted to know why he had taken on the burden of teaching– not for the House–not for power, bu

Lucan lay me down onto the white mattress yet half of me crushed against the wall of muscle he called a chest the moment his weight descended on it. Up close, I noticed what I hadn’t before—Lucan wasn’t seductive like Eryx or beautiful like Corin. He was a true Alpha. His body was carved to be a weapon, each line of muscle honed to lethal precision. Smooth, hard. No wasted flesh. No unnecessary hair. Just brutal perfection. He slid his fingers into me, slow but deep, curling them just right until I pushed back with a strangled moan. His thumb pressed hard against my clit while his other fingers stroked deliberately, hitting that spot that made my legs quake. “Tell me,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. His gaze was locked on mine as his pace quickened. “You want more?” “Tell me what you want, naughty girl.” His fingers stroke faster inside me. He knew more than anyone that I wanted a lot more than the sensation he was currently giving. He was starving of his cock while

Lucan didn’t give me much time to think. His arm slid under me and, before I knew it, the air warped around us. We disappeared. The next breath I took wasn’t in his chamber, but in a cold room that reeked of ash, blood, and herbs. House Vitae. The smell of sickness clung to the air. My stomach twisted when my eyes fell on the hanging bed in the center. Marilynn lay there, pale as parchment, her legs blackened with rot, the wound creeping up to her thigh. Her chest rose only in shallow gasps. Pain clung to her like a shadow. Anyone could see she was desperate for release. It shattered me to see her like this. I had never meant to break her so completely, even if she once sought to destroy me over something so senseless. “We’ve never seen anything like this.” The voice was deep, resonant—neither wholly male nor female. It vibrated through the room like a soft melody. I turned, my breath hitching. A tall ethereal woman stood in the archway. She was robed in shimmering w

“Don’t listen to them,” Lucan said to me, and I raised my head to meet his mesmerized gaze. “One day, they will wish they were you.” I heard him clearly, and I believed every word he said because I trusted the utmost truth in his eyes. Yet all around me, the students’ stares cut sharply and mercilessly. Their curiosity and suspicion looped in the air, winding around me like a serpent tightening its grip. I was scared and depressed. I fear I wouldn't be alive to witness what I could be. “Do you want to go by yourself from here?” Lucan asked softly. I swallowed hard, forcing down the tears that threatened to rise. His arm slipped from around me, and for a moment, I could swear I felt the cold air rush in where his warmth had been. I wanted to shake my head, because I didn’t want to go alone or even be here, but I was still a Blackcroft student. Though my chest ached with the weight of it, I knew being a Blackcroft student was all I’d ever wanted, and I couldn’t depend on Lucan