All Chapters of The Healer and The Beast: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

For the next couple of days, Kael kept a strict, cold distance from me.He made sure I ate—having servants bring trays of food to our chambers at regular intervals. He made sure I rested—checking in periodically to ensure I was lying down, not overexerting myself. He even had the midwife come by twice more to examine me and confirm the baby was healthy.But he didn't talk to me. Not really.His words were clipped, functional. "You need to eat more." "The midwife says your blood pressure is too high." "Try to sleep."Never anything personal. Never anything warm. Just cold, clinical observations delivered in a flat tone that made my chest ache every time I heard it.He didn't sit with me during meals. Didn't hold me at night—he slept on his side of the bed, carefully positioned so we wouldn't accidentally touch. Didn't look at me for longer than necessary.It was like living with a stranger who happened to share my bed.And it was destroying me.I understood why he was angry. I did. I'd

We were both back in our chambers now, spread out bare on the bed with Kael positioned between my thighs.His mouth was on me, touching me, eating me up like a man starved, and all I could do was moan and arch into his touch. My hands tangled in his hair, holding him to me, encouraging him even as pleasure built inside me to almost unbearable levels.Before he'd settled between my legs, he'd been so careful. He had positioned pillows behind my back to support me, to make sure my swollen belly wouldn't cause me pain or discomfort. Checked and rechecked that I was comfortable, that the angle was right, that nothing hurt."Tell me if anything feels wrong," he'd murmured against my inner thigh. "Tell me and I'll stop immediately."But nothing felt wrong. Everything felt perfect. Exactly what I'd been craving for days while we'd been separated by his anger and distance.Now he was paying so much attention to me, his tongue working magic, his hands gripping my hips to hold me steady. He kep

Kael's POVIt had been four days since we left the castle.Four days of following the scent trail from the piece of cloth Lydia had left. Four days of tracking through forests and over hills, following a path that seemed to twist and turn without any clear direction.And still no sign of Marta.I was losing my mind.Not just because we hadn't found her yet—though that was frustrating enough. But because I missed Sena. Missed her with an intensity that was almost physical, like a constant ache in my chest that wouldn't go away.We'd just settled our issues. Just reconnected after those terrible days of distance and silence. Just made love and talked and promised we'd face everything together.And then I'd had to leave.The memory of Lydia in our chambers—in our private space, while Sena was vulnerable and naked and alone—made my blood run cold every time I thought about it. She could have hurt Sena. Could have attacked her, killed her, killed our child.That's why I'd left Callister an

The castle gates came into view just as the sun was beginning to set, painting the stone walls in shades of orange and gold.We were a battered group—bloodied, exhausted, limping. Marta was barely conscious, being carried between two of my warriors. Finn had a deep gash across his arm. I had wounds of my own, though nothing that wouldn't heal.But we were alive. And we had Marta.The moment we crossed through the gates, I heard her."Kael!"Sena came rushing out of the castle entrance, moving as fast as her heavily pregnant body would allow, one hand pressed to her belly, her face a mixture of relief and worry.Vera was right behind her, trying to slow her down. "Sena, please, you shouldn't be running—"But Sena wasn't listening. She reached me and immediately began checking me over, her hands running over my chest, my arms, her eyes taking in every wound and bloodstain."You're hurt," she said, her voice shaking. "You're bleeding. What happened? Are you—" Then her eyes found Marta's

That night, I retired to our bedroom feeling the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on me. My body ached from the fight with Lysander, and my mind was still processing Lydia's surrender and everything she'd admitted to in the throne room.Sena was already in bed when I entered, propped up against the pillows, her hand resting on her swollen belly. She looked exhausted but alert, clearly waiting for me.I undressed quietly and climbed into bed beside her, pulling her gently against me."How did everything go?" she asked softly. "With the questioning?""Lydia confirmed everything," I said. "Every crime, every betrayal. She didn't deny anything.""And what will you do with her?" Sena asked, her voice careful.I didn't want to tell her my plans. Not yet. Not when they were still forming, still taking shape in my mind. So I kissed her forehead gently and said, "Lydia will get the justice she deserves. Don't worry about it tonight."I changed the subject before she could p