Semua Bab Ruin Me, Alpha: Breaking The Enemy's Daughter: Bab 51 - Bab 60

LeahHours passed in that locked carriage. The sun crept across the sky, shadows lengthening as we continued north. I sat in silence, my mind churning through everything that had happened.Luciana's smile. That brief, calculated expression before the knife was at her throat.She'd known. Somehow, she'd known the attack was coming. Had she arranged it? Paid those bandits to make me look reckless, dangerous?Or was I being paranoid? Seeing conspiracies where there was only my own stupid mistake?The carriage finally stopped as dusk painted the sky in shades of blood and gold. I heard the sounds of camp being madeservants erecting tents, guards establishing perimeter, horses being tended.No one came for me.I watched through the window as Ares's tent went up in the center of the camp. The largest, of coursea canvas pavilion that could hold a dozen people comfortably. Luciana's tent was erected to the east, already lit from within by warm lamplight.Mine was to the west. Maximum distance

LeahThe world narrowed to that single pointLuciana's foot, encased in delicate silk, waiting for me to press my lips to it like she was some goddess and I was nothing but dirt beneath her.My father's face flashed through my mind. Beaten. Broken. Suffering in that cell because of me."Leah." Ares's voice held a warning I couldn't decipher.I looked up at him one last time. Saw the conflict in his eyes, the tension in his jaw. He could stop this. With one word, he could end it.But he didn't.The bond between us pulsed with something I couldn't nameregret, maybe. Or satisfaction that I'd finally be broken completely.I bent forward, my hair falling around my face like a curtain, and pressed my lips to Luciana's foot.The room erupted in shocked murmurs and barely suppressed laughter."There." Luciana pulled her foot away like I'd contaminated it. "See how obedient she can be when properly motivated?"I stayed on the floor, head bowed, shaking with rage and humiliation so intense I cou

I didn't sleep that night. Couldn't sleep with my mind racing through possibilities and fears and the memory of Ares's lips on mine.At dawn, the camp broke with military efficiency. Within an hour, we were back on the road, my carriage still locked, guards still watching my every move.The landscape continued to change. Rocky hills gave way to dense forests, forests to sweeping tundra. And always, in the distance, mountains rose like jagged teeth against the grey sky.The North. Colin's territory. Where everyone hated my bloodline and the summit would either save me or destroy me completely.Through the carriage window, I watched Ares ride ahead on his black stallion. His posture was perfect, commanding, every inch the king he'd stolen his crown to become. Luciana rode beside him on a white mare, her bandaged throat on display like a badge of honor.And I was locked in my carriage, the forgotten prisoner, carrying secrets that could burn down everything.The sun was setting when we f

LeahI woke to an empty bed.The sheets beside me were coldAres had left hours ago, slipping away while I slept. Of course he had. Couldn't risk anyone seeing him leave the prisoner's room. Couldn't risk Luciana finding out.I sat up, wincing at the soreness between my thighs. Physical evidence of my weakness. Of how easily I'd let him in."Stupid," I muttered, pressing my palms to my eyes. "So fucking stupid."A knock at the door made me jump."Princess? I've brought breakfast and drawn you a bath."The same serving girl from last night entered, carrying a tray. Her eyes swept over the disheveled bed, the torn dress on the floor, and something like pity flickered across her face."Thank you," I managed, grabbing a blanket to cover myself.She set the tray down, then moved to a door I hadn't noticeda private bathing chamber, steam already rising from a copper tub."Lord Colin requests your presence in the great hall at noon," she said, not meeting my eyes. "The summit begins tonight,

Leah"Wait," I gasped, Colin's knife still pressed to my throat."Wait?" Colin laughed, the sound echoing through the great hall. "Why should I wait, girl? Give me one good reason.""Because"The words died in my throat as the great hall's doors burst open with a deafening crash.A figure stumbled throughone of Colin's guards, an arrow protruding from his shoulder, blood streaming down his armor in rivulets."Attack!" he screamed, his voice raw with pain and terror. "We're under attack!"The hall erupted into chaos.Colin's knife dropped from my throat as he spun toward the commotion. All around us, wolves shifted, weapons were drawn, and the carefully orchestrated feast dissolved into pandemonium."What's the meaning of this?" Colin roared, his Alpha command rolling through the hall.But before anyone could answer, the windows shattered.Glass exploded inward as arrows rained down into the hall like deadly rain. Screams filled the air as wolves dove for cover. I stumbled backward fro