All Chapters of SHADOWBORN: The Rise Of The Dragon Wolf : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Chapter 117NyxThe plan was deceptively simple in concept but terrifying in execution, and I spent most of the night lying awake while my mind catalogued every possible way it could go catastrophically wrong.Beside me Alex slept fitfully, his wolf clearly as unsettled as I was about what morning would bring, and I found myself reaching for him through our bond just to reassure myself he was still there.Dawn came too quickly and with it the knowledge that today would determine whether we'd been right about Simon or if we were about to make fools of ourselves in front of the entire pack."Ready?" Alex asked while we dressed in the pre-dawn darkness."No," I admitted. "But I'm doing it anyway.""That's my girl," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.We met Darius and Lucien in the Alpha's study where they'd apparently been planning logistics for hours based on the empty coffee cups and scattered papers covering every surface."The stage is set," Darius announced. "Pac

Chapter 119NyxThat night, back in our quarters after the chaos had finally settled, I couldn't stop thinking about what Simon had revealed and what it meant for finding my father.Alex was already preparing for bed but I sat on the edge, staring at my hands while my mind raced through possibilities and complications."You're thinking too loud," Alex said while coming to sit beside me. "I can practically hear your thoughts spinning.""I need to tell Darius the truth," I said suddenly. "About what I really am."Alex went completely still beside me. "Nyx, no, that's too dangerous, you heard how the pack reacted when Simon mentioned dragons, they were ready to wage war.""Which is exactly why I need to tell him," I insisted. "If we're going to find my father without starting a conflict, Darius needs to know I'm half dragon and that my dad is no longer with them.""Or he'll see you as a threat," Alex argued. "See you as the enemy's daughter and everything we've accomplished will be undon

Chapter 121AlexHours crawled by in that underground prison and each minute felt like torture because I could feel Nyx's fear and determination warring through our bond, could sense her planning something reckless that would probably get her killed."Don't even think about it," I said into the darkness while pulling uselessly against the chains that held me. "Whatever you're planning, don't.""I'm not planning anything," Nyx lied and I felt the deception ripple through our connection like stones thrown in still water."You're a terrible liar," I pointed out. "And I can feel you through the bond, feel you gathering courage for something stupid and dangerous.""It's not stupid if it works," she argued."It's stupid if it kills you," I shot back. "Which is exactly what will happen if you try to force your dragon powers without proper preparation.""My mother's diary said it's possible with you," Nyx said. "Said the mate bond is the key to integrating both sides of my nature.""Yes, with

Chapter 123NyxThree days passed in a blur of healing and rest, three days where Martha and the pack healers fussed over me constantly while my body recovered from the forced transformation that should have killed me.The quarters Lucien had provided were far from the main compound, tucked away in a quiet corner where nobody would disturb us, and I was grateful for the privacy even as guilt gnawed at me for what I'd done to Darius."You need to stop thinking about it," Alex said from where he sat by the window keeping watch like he had since we'd arrived. "What happened wasn't your fault.""I almost killed him," I said for what felt like the hundredth time. "Would have killed him if you hadn't stopped me.""But you didn't," Alex reminded me gently. "And beating yourself up over what almost happened serves no purpose except making you miserable."He was right but knowing that didn't make the guilt disappear, didn't erase the memory of how close I'd come to becoming exactly the kind of

Chapter 125Nyx"Because he used his death to give me you," I explained. "And that's not the action of someone who blamed you for his situation, that's the action of someone who saw potential in a frightened human and chose to transform that fear into strength.""You really believe that?" Alex asked."I have to," I admitted. "Because if I don't believe my father's death had purpose then I'll drown in grief and never surface."We fell asleep still tangled together, and I dreamed of a man I'd never met who had my eyes and my stubborn jaw, a man who smiled sadly and whispered words I couldn't quite hear before fading into mist.When I woke the next morning I felt hollowed out and raw but also somehow more settled, like finally knowing the truth about my father's fate had given me permission to grieve properly instead of holding onto desperate hope that had been slowly killing me."We need to tell Lucien," I said while sitting up. "Need to tell him what we learned about Karl and about how