Lahat ng Kabanata ng Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Crown: Kabanata 221 - Kabanata 230

Ember Frost’s POVEira remained like that for two days—quiet and distant. She was with me, yet it felt like she was somewhere else entirely. No one dared to say much. We all saw it, but kept silent. It felt like anything we said might break whatever little calm was left. Everyone who knew what we’d found carried the same uneasy silence. And just when it couldn’t feel heavier—The third day came carrying its own troubles. A messenger arrived from the palace carrying a wrapped bundle. He didn’t speak at first. Just stood there, like whatever he had brought was heavier than his words.After a moment, he finally spoke.“The king instructed me to deliver this,” he said, handing the bundle to Elder Anna.We opened it carefully.Inside were sketches.And a note.The note came first.Lilian has woken up. But something is not right.A chill ran through me.“What does that mean?” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.Then I saw the second line.She is not human anymore.My attention

Ember Frost’s POVWe didn’t waste any time and started preparing to head out for Henry.Orion was still organizing people—handing out supplies, checking what we had, making sure nothing was missed.Waiting wasn’t an option. Standing still only made things worse. We gathered more people than usual and set out together. If something was waiting for us out there, we weren’t going in unprepared.Orion stayed back to coordinate things from here. Elder Harriet and Elder Marcus stayed with him, keeping watch over the situation and handling anything that came up in our absence.Elder Anna joined us. With her link to Harriet, she could pass information quickly between both sides without delay, which made her presence more useful out here than staying behind.Everything was set. All that was left… was to move.To my surprise, Eira—still looking a bit out of it—suddenly stepped forward and asked to come with us.Her voice wasn’t fully steady, but there was something firm underneath it.“I can s

Ember Frost’s POVNo one argued with me this time. No one even tried. Whatever differences we had, none of us could stand there and watch Henry die.“That might work,” Ellan said, but his tone didn’t match the words. “There’s still something you’re not seeing.”He stepped forward before anyone could respond. “This is exactly why rushing in blindly will get us all killed.”The air around him shifted as he raised his hand. What he’d been showing us—the shape of Henry’s soul—began to change. At first it just trembled, then it twisted in on itself, losing form. It no longer looked whole… no longer looked human.It turned into something shapeless and uneven, like a mass that had lost all structure. Weak. Barely holding together. The room fell silent.Ellan glanced back at us. “That,” he said, “is what’s left of Henry’s soul.”For a moment, no one spoke. I felt my chest tighten.He went on, more serious now. “It’s not complete. What you’re seeing here… it’s only a piece. A small piece.”Th

Ember frost’s POVElder Anna gave a short nod and stepped closer.For a heartbeat, nothing changed.Then I felt it. A quiet pull, light but steady, settling somewhere deep inside me. The connection had taken hold. “Please step outside. We need room to work.” Eira moved to stand beside me. Axel stopped so suddenly the others nearly stumbled. “Isn’t she coming? Why does she get special permission? Just because of her status?”He jabbed a finger in Eira’s direction, then swept it back toward me.“This isn’t about privilege. We all care about Sir Henry. Don’t act like you’re the only ones trying to save him.”Axel took a step forward again. “If anyone should be here, it’s all of us,” he said. For a moment, no one else spoke.The last bit of patience I had was gone.“I never said anyone cared less,” I replied.My voice stayed even.“If you were willing to sacrifice yourself for him, I wouldn’t argue that.” He went quiet for a moment.But I didn’t give the silence space to turn into

Ember Frost’s POVI knew almost at once that I wouldn’t be able to finish this by myself.What I found inside Henry was far more tangled than I had expected. Every time I thought I had cleared one part of it, something else slipped out of reach. The longer I stayed, the harder it became to keep hold of what I was doing.A sharp ache ran through my head. My breathing turned uneven.Then, suddenly, something tightened around my throat. It felt like an invisible hand closing around my neck. My body convulsed. I heard voices calling my name, but they sounded distant, blurred, as though they were reaching me from very far away. I tried to answer, but no sound came.Then the pressure broke. A violent pull tore me free.I opened my eyes and jerked back.The room felt strangely cold when I came back. For a moment I could only stand there, gasping, trying to steady myself. I was still caught in the memory of what I had seen—and what had happened—the layers, the resistance, the way everything