The Billionaire’s Marked Mate의 모든 챕터: 챕터 11 - 챕터 20

The forest was alive with movement. Mist curled around ancient trees, thick and suffocating, twisting every shadow into something dangerous. Zaria’s heart pounded as she followed Lucien, each step guided by the bond that throbbed with a feral insistence. The Alpha had retreated—but only to lure them deeper. She could feel it, could sense its eyes on her even without seeing them. Lucien moved with a predator’s grace, golden eyes sweeping through the gloom, ears alert to every whisper of the forest. He had shifted back into human form, but the subtle tension in his muscles, the glint in his eyes, reminded her that he was always ready to strike. “Stay close,” he warned, voice low but steady. “They’re tracking us. Every step you take, they know.” Zaria nodded, fists clenched, energy thrumming through her veins. Her mark pulsed fiercely, responding to the unseen threat. The bond tugged her forward, almost urging her to confront what lay ahead rather than flee. She swallowed, trying to s

The forest smelled of blood and damp earth. Shadows clung to the trees like they belonged there, as if the night itself had grown claws and teeth. Lucien’s golden eyes burned through the gloom, sharp as flame in darkness. Zaria stood at his back, her breath ragged, her hand still trembling where she’d dared to touch him despite his earlier command to stay behind.Something worse lingered in the silence—an echo in the woods, a whisper that promised the Shadow Alpha was not alone.Lucien’s chest rose and fell heavily, his power barely contained. He did not look at her when he spoke, his voice low and edged like a drawn blade.“Enough. We leave.”Zaria bristled at the tone, at the dismissal. She had followed him, fought at his side in her own small way, and now he wanted to shut her out again. “Leave? Just like that? After everything?”“Now.” His golden gaze flicked to hers, and for a heartbeat she felt pinned in place by the weight of it. Not anger—no, worse. Fear. His fear, masked as c

The city stretched before her, sprawling lights and faint hums of traffic blending with the pulse of the bond in her chest. Zaria moved like a shadow, unnoticed and untraceable, guided by the pull that had grown urgent ever since Lucien’s helicopter vanished beyond the horizon. Her legs carried her with purpose she hadn’t known she possessed, each step resonating with the unrelenting thrum of the bond. Her senses had heightened overnight—hearing whispers she couldn’t place, feeling air shifts as if the wind itself carried messages. Every street, every alley, every neon glow of the modern metropolis seemed to speak to her, urging her forward. The city was alive in a way that mirrored the estate, but louder, wilder, less predictable. She kept close to the shadows, ducking behind cars and street signs, feeling the invisible tug of Lucien’s presence guiding her. The bond was like a compass embedded under her skin. It throbbed with danger, with urgency, with the undeniable magnetic pull

The chamber still hummed with residual energy, paper fluttering like frightened birds and shadows curling in impossible angles. Zaria’s chest rose and fell with careful breaths, the bond pulsing against her skin as though it were a living heartbeat intertwined with Lucien’s. Every instinct screamed to follow, to act, but this time, she forced herself to think. She pressed her palms against her thighs and slowed her racing pulse. No, she told herself. Panic won’t help. I need to understand this. I need to be useful… not reckless. Lucien’s golden eyes scanned the chamber, protective yet tense, and he subtly shifted to put himself between her and the nearest threat. He hadn’t spoken since the surge, but his gaze carried a silent command: Trust me. Stand back. Zaria clenched her jaw, resisting the magnetic pull of the bond that whispered urgency in her mind. The shadows still moved unnaturally, coiling at the edges of the room like they were sentient. This wasn’t just magic—it was st

The chamber still hummed with aftershocks, the marble floors veined with cracks where the surge of energy had struck. Torches flickered, though no wind touched them, as though the fire itself bent in fear of what had just been unleashed. The Council wasted no time. “Restrain them,” boomed one of the elders, his voice like granite grinding together. Shadows writhed at his command, spilling across the floor like black serpents. Lucien’s hand shot out, his grip firm around Zaria’s wrist—not to drag her, but to anchor her. His golden eyes flickered toward hers, a silent vow in the midst of chaos: I won’t let them break you. But Zaria wasn’t the frightened girl they assumed. She stood straighter, lifting her chin, every inch of her projecting a calm she forced through the storm of energy still rippling through her veins. She knew panic was what they expected. Weakness was what they wanted. Instead, she let her voice slice through the heavy silence. “If this is to be a trial,” s