All Chapters of Alpha Asher's Forbidden Mate: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The council chamber thrummed with a tension so thick it clawed at my skin. Torches flickered against the obsidian walls, shadows twisting like restless beasts. The scent of iron and old blood hung in the air—an omen of what was to come.Riven stood at one end of the room, his eyes locked on Damien’s with a predator’s stillness. His aura rolled off him in waves—domineering, electric, dangerous. Damien, on the other hand, wore his arrogance like armor. His smirk was razor-sharp, but his eyes… his eyes burned with something far darker than rivalry.The High Elder’s voice cut through the silence. “The challenge has been made. The leadership of Shadowfang shall be decided through the Rite of Blood. But first…” his gaze slid to me, cold and assessing, “…we must hear from the bond-bearer.”Every gaze turned to me. My throat went dry.“Bond-bearer,” the Elder continued, “you have ties to both Alpha Riven and his brother. The council must know—where do your loyalties lie?”The words pierced li

The world tilts as Riven’s bloodied body slams into the earth.“No!” The scream tears free from my throat before I realize my legs are moving—running—toward him. My heart isn’t beating anymore; it’s clawing, battering against my ribs, begging him to breathe, to move, to look at me.Damien stands over Riven, panting, a victorious sneer carved into his lips. “Just like old times—you lose, brother.”Brother.The word is poison. A blade to the gut. A truth wrapped in venom.Riven pushes up on his elbow, spit and blood staining the dirt. “This isn’t over.”Councilor Merek rises from his crescent-shaped throne, his voice booming. “The duel is concluded. Damien remains the rightful heir.”Gasps and murmurs ripple through the crowd. My stomach drops. This was Riven’s chance—his chance to reclaim everything stolen from him.But Damien isn’t done.He points directly at me, finger trembling with hatred. “Before we proceed with celebrations, we must deal with the witch.”The word hits like a slap

The forest swallows me whole.Branches claw at my arms as I run, breath burning in my throat, heart hammering against the cage of my ribs. The night presses close—cold, damp, alive with whispers. Every sound feels amplified: the snap of twigs beneath my boots, the rustle of leaves, the distant howl that doesn’t belong to Riven or Damien.I shouldn’t have run.But staying would’ve destroyed me.“Aria!” someone shouts behind me—one of Damien’s guards, maybe two. Their voices echo through the trees like ghosts chasing my shadow. “You can’t run forever!”They’re wrong. I can try.The council’s words still ring in my head, venom disguised as order: Banish her or forfeit your title, Alpha. And Riven’s face—gods, that broken look in his eyes when he refused to choose. He would’ve burned the world for me, and that terrified me more than anything.Now I’m out here, running from the fallout, from the mate bond, from myself.The forest path narrows, the moonlight slivering through the canopy in

The campfire crackled between us, its golden glow licking the edges of Kael’s scarred face. He looked less like a savior now and more like a ghost pulled from a grave of memories I didn’t know I had. His eyes—storm-gray and hollow—held something ancient. Something that made my pulse stutter.“Start talking,” I said quietly. “You said I’m the Princess of Shadowfang. Prove it.”Kael didn’t flinch. “Your mother, Lyra Shadowfang, was Alpha Queen of this bloodline. The last true heir to the old pack before it was torn apart. You were born under a blood moon, the first in centuries—a prophecy child.”I swallowed, my fingers curling in the dirt. “You’re lying.”“If I were,” he said, leaning forward, “your mark wouldn’t burn with witchfire. Only Lyra’s blood could bear both wolf and witch.”The mention of my mark sent a pulse of heat crawling up my wrist. The brand Selene had left shimmered faintly in the firelight—like veins of ember beneath skin. I tucked my hand behind me, pulse racing.“M

The night presses in around us like a living creature. The clearing is silent—too silent—except for the pounding of my heartbeat and the faint hum of magic beneath my skin.Kael’s hands are steady on my shoulders, grounding me.“Aria,” he says quietly, “look at me.”I force myself to meet his gaze. His eyes are not like Riven’s—wild fire and fury—but deep, steady pools of midnight. Calm. Certain. Like he already knows what’s inside me, even if I don’t.“Your power isn’t the enemy,” Kael murmurs. “Fear is.”Easy for him to say. His world wasn’t ripped apart by secrets. His chest wasn’t marked by a bond he didn’t ask for. His heart wasn’t torn between fate and… whatever this is.I swallow. “What if it destroys everything I touch?”His expression softens. “Then we learn to make it destroy only what deserves to burn.”The mark on my wrist ignites—dark fire rippling beneath my skin like ink coming alive.A jolt of panic bursts through me.“Kael—it’s reacting—”He doesn’t give me space to s