جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 200

The next morning, I woke with a dull headache, feeling queasy. I dressed quickly and headed to the common area where fighters gathered before training.Alessandro was there, sitting at a table with Margot and Katya.“Isabella,” Margot said when she saw me, “we heard about Lucia. I’m sorry.”I sat down across from them. “Do any of you know the name of the person she fought?”“I think his name is Diego,” Katya said.“Diego?” I repeated.“One of the male fighters,” Alessandro explained. “He’s been here almost two years. Brutal fighter. Lars likes to mix things up sometimes, put women against men when he thinks it’ll be entertaining.”“Where is he?”“Isabella, don’t,” Margot warned. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not worth it.”I stood. “Where is Diego?”Alessandro sighed. “East wing. Room 428. But you need to let this go. Diego was just following orders.”I didn’t respond. I turned and walked away, their voices calling after me.I went straight to Lars’s office. Lars was at his desk, re

I stood in the shadows of the upper deck, watching through the reinforced glass as Arthur took another brutal hit to the ribs. My brother, the mighty Alpha of the Moonrise Pack, was being ragdolled like a child’s toy.I watched with grim fascination. This was Arthur, the golden son, the perfect heir, reduced to this: beaten, drugged, humiliated in front of hundreds of spectators who jeered and laughed at his suffering.The commentators were having a field day.“Is this really the strongest alpha in Northern Europe? Because I’m not seeing it.”Another punch landed. Arthur went down hard, face-first in the sand. The referee started counting.I couldn’t let him die now. I have plans that without him won’t come to fruition; as much as I loved seeing him suffer, I still needed him to be alive and well for a while.The fight ended with Arthur unconscious, Lars standing over him making a speech about him being a fraud. Then they dragged Arthur away, and I knew what was coming next. I’d been

"I’m sorry I dragged you into this,” I said, my voice rough from the beating I’d taken.Aurora sat beside me on the cold concrete floor of the cell, her hand warm in mine despite the chill that permeated the dungeon. Her face was bruised, one eye swollen nearly shut.“I’m fine,” Aurora said softly. She squeezed my hand gently. “Between this journey and everything else, I know we’ve had a lot of problems, but we’ve grown closer to each other.”I couldn’t help but laugh, though it sent a spike of pain through my broken ribs. “You call this fine? We’re locked in a dungeon, beaten half to death, and Lars is probably deciding right now whether to kill us or make us fight again for his entertainment.”“We’re together,” she said simply. “That counts for something.”“I am making you this promise, Aurora: if we are able to escape this place, I will make sure to make Lars suffer for what he did, and I will serve his head on a plate to you.”“Shhh, let’s get out of here first,” Aurora said.“You

Aurora, it’s been a long time since we talked.My wolf. Eos. I’d almost forgotten what her voice sounded like.“Yeah, you ghosted me,” I thought back, surprised at how easy it was to slip into this mental conversation. “Where have you been?”“Ghosted?” Eos’s tone carried amusement. “All those combat moves you were busting out during fights, who do you think imprinted those into your muscle memory?”“Wolves can do that?” I asked.“You’re not just any wolf, Aurora. You’re descended from a direct line of the original shifters. You have their strength and experience in your body. It’s in your blood, in your bones. When you needed it most, I gave you access to what your ancestors skills.”The revelation stunned me. “Wow. That’s cool.”Eos’s presence felt warmer now**. “I’ve always been here, even when you couldn’t hear me. Waiting for you to be strong enough for me to speak to you again.”Before I could respond, the darkness shifted. Light filtered in, pulling me back toward consciousness.

“Mum, what is this?” I stared at my mother, disbelief and anger warring inside me. “This is the emergency you called me for?”She crossed her arms. “This is an emergency. You’re thirty years old, Njord. When are you going to marry?”“I’m not ready yet.”“When will you be ready?” Her voice rose. “You know we bad bloods have to marry young. You don’t know if you’ll die soon, if you’re caught by people like—”She stopped herself, but we both knew what she was going to say.“I will not be caught,” I said firmly.“You don’t know that!” She stepped closer, her eyes blazing. “Every day you’re out there—helping people escape, fighting against the slave trade, you’re risking your life. At least give us grandchildren before something happens to you.”“So that’s what this is about? Grandchildren?”“It’s about family!” she snapped. “About not throwing your life away on some foolish crusade that will get you killed.”I felt my jaw clench. “It’s not foolish. People need help.”“And what about what