Início / Paranormal / Rejected By My Mate, Claimed By Contract / Capítulo 71 - Capítulo 80

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81 Capítulos

71~ On One Condition

Fiona’s POVI stood in Kael’s private study, slowly letting my eyes roam over the room that hadn’t changed one bit since I left. Everything looked familiar in a way that made my chest ache, as if the months that had gone by between then and now never happened at all. The carved shelves, the hunting trophies that I had always taken time out to polish myself because of how it made me feel, the iron chandelier dripping with wax from candles he never remembered to snuff out, and even the air—all were the same way, like I had never left.A wave of nostalgia hit me in the most unexpected way, and I hated it so much because these were memories I had tried to bury as they were not worthy of reminiscing.Outside the door, Eva and the other five prisoners waited under the watch of the guards. I wanted them inside the room with me, but Kael was against it, so I insisted they keep them by the door because it felt safer that way both for them and my fragile plan.My agreement to come to his study

72~ She’s Out

Derek’s POV“She’s out!”I breathed, the words rolling off my tongue without me thinking. Zeal swung his head towards me, his hot breath washing my ear as he asked, “Where?”“Down there,” I said, pointing at the yard with the telescope still balanced in my left eye. “She’s back to the yard with the six prisoners.”Relief washed through me as I allowed my eyes to follow Fiona as she made her way to the center of the open compound, peacefully with no sign of violence. Since Kael and his warriors led her out of sight, my head had been everywhere, spiraling with thoughts of where he was taking her, what he was going to do with her, and other gory thoughts. My patience got thin to the point where I was ready to ignore Zeal and Xira's wish and launch an attack, because I couldn’t think straight anymore and hiding in the bush wasn’t helping.Just then, Xira rushed up the hill toward us, brushing the twigs and leaves off her clothes as she came to a halt beside us. “They’re in position,” sh

73~ Neutral Ground

Fiona’s POV I didn’t slow down until the forest had completely swallowed us and Moonveil’s wall was far behind. When I noticed that we were on no wolf’s land because of how strangely quiet and untouched the surroundings felt with no scent markers anywhere, I pulled my horse to stop.I stared blankly at the narrowed path ahead, the reins slipping from my now-loose grip, and my heart still thudding hard—not just from the mad rush to get out of Kael’s territory before he changed his mind, but from the shock of seeing Derek. Of all people, he was the last face I expected to see.Eva rode up beside me quietly and reached out, touching my arm in a way that startled me. “Luna, are you okay?” She asked, her voice soft but shaky.“I’m fine,” I said quickly, even though my chest was heavy with a lot that I couldn’t process. I forced a smile and tilted my head a little as I slipped my hand over hers. “How are you holding up? Do you feel good at all?”Eva swallowed hard as her eyes instantly wel

74~ Broken World

Fiona’s POV I held Derek’s stare for the longest, lost in my thoughts even after making a decision that I shouldn’t be making at a time like this because I was obviously not in the best frame of mind.He goes on to ask the question, and before I could focus on that instead and try to talk myself out of not filling in on my arrangement with Kael, I found myself telling him everything.I told him about Kael’s proposal, the alliance he wanted with Silvercrest, the three days deadline he had placed on me to get things done and how the safety of my people were now solely tied to him agreeing to it. When I was done, I allowed my eyes to roam his figure, expecting him to flare up, to snap telling me that I had made a reckless choice, and how I should have trusted him to handle things instead of diving headfirst into a water full of sharks or forbid me from stepping foot in Moonveil again. But none of that happened. He just stood, staring at me with a quietness that somehow hurt more than

75~ What Remains After The Breaking

Derek’s POV“I love you,” Fiona said again, the words echoing in my head like something trapped in an empty room, resounding in a way that made it impossible to pretend I hadn’t heard them clearly the first time.She continued in a soft, steady voice. “I understand how you feel, Derek. Not wanting to love because you’re scared of what might happen next, I understand that more than you think. I’ve been in that place before.”I let a quiet chuckle escape my lips. “There is no way you would ever understand my feelings or what goes on in my world.”“You are only saying that because you want to shut me out, right?” She pulled her brows so tightly together that they creased a little as she studied me.I sucked my tongue, shaking my head. “That is not the case. It’s just facts. I mean, you don’t look like someone who had been betrayed by blood before, or someone who has been robbed of everything they once knew. Everything!”She paused with her eyes fixed on mine with a depth that made me unc

76~ Quiet Knives

Derek’s POV The journey to Silvercrest was supposed to be a long ride, but it felt shorter than it should have, and I knew that was because Fiona was beside me now, and I was no longer racing against time to save her life—at least for now. By the time we made it into my territory, with the sun already on its way back to its resting place, Fiona didn’t waste a second catching her breath. With me walking closely behind her and Mara catching up with us, she went straight into settling Eva and the others into the pack like she had prepared for this moment all her life. She checked them into the empty cottages that had been out of use for a while now—even the ones that were a little worn out—and the shared staff quarters where space was available, making sure no one was cramped or uncomfortable.She reassured those who ended up in the older cottages that they’d be fixed up properly in no time, so they shouldn’t worry themselves about that. Thereafter, she went on to inspect each of th

77~ The Things Hiding In The Dark

Fiona’s POV Sitting through Derek’s emergency meeting with Xira, the head of security, and the supply master left an uncomfortable feeling nudging at my chest. I kept quiet the entire time, choosing only to observe, because I knew better than to speak in gatherings like this, especially one where I know my presence is not fully welcomed by everyone. Still, I found myself studying each person in the room, watching how they reacted to what Derek was sharing with them. The fact that he had called only these three, not the full council of elders or the iron circle, told me everything I needed to know. Derek knew something he wasn’t saying. Something that placed one of them under suspicion, or something that requires only these three to help him corner the spy. My instincts leaned toward the second option because I couldn’t bring myself to think that Xira would betray Derek. She was loyal to him in a way most wolves would only wish for, ready to lay down her life for him if it ever g

78~ A Calculated Movement

Derek’s POVFiona pulled me away from the chaos, weaving us through the wounded and the scattered debris. My mind raced the entire time of the walk, trying to make sense of everything that had happened while still trying to think about what she had to tell me that sounded so urgent.Once we got to the far wall of the training block, with the cries and groans fading into a dull hum, “How are you?” Fiona asked, turning to me. “And how are you holding up?”Her question seemed to have cracked open the box I have been trying to fit all my frustration into as I let out a harsh breath, shaking my head slowly before exploding. “I’m not holding up at all. I’m frustrated as hell, Fiona. I’m still trying so hard to understand how the rogues go in this clean. It doesn’t make any damn sense.”“I… I know,” she breathed. “They took us all by surprise. I mean, that was their plan all along.”“They move like they had lived in the pack with us, avoiding trip lines, even bypassing the early-warning bel

79~ Before the Mask Falls

Fiona’s POV The next morning dragged itself slowly over my restless night, placing a heaviness on my shoulders that I couldn’t shake off. I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts, not with everything I had gone through these past few days, not with the attack that the pack was faced with two nights ago, and certainly not with the thought of a spy sitting so close to us. So, I threw myself into helping the injured at the pack clinic.The healing ward was filled with the nauseous smell of blood, herbs—some dried, some fresh—the murmurs from the healers as they moved in between the beds, along with the groans from the wounded wolves. I moved around with them, offering little help where I could just to make myself feel useful and keep my mind occupied before my haunting thoughts devoured me. I hadn’t seen Derek all morning, but I didn’t have any plans on doing that because I knew he was already setting his plan in motion, and I didn’t want to interfere or distract him. Also, I didn’t

80~ Your Call

Fiona’s POV When I left Derek in the council hall, my mind was still buzzing with everything we’ve uncovered, everything we—Derek—suspected, and everything that could disastrously go wrong within the next twenty-four hours. The moment I found myself back in my chambers, I felt even more sick from the quietness, and I knew I wouldn’t last long sitting idle. So I called Eva and sent her on an errand to go over to the Goldfang pack, which was Miles’s pack, and tell him that I wished to meet with him urgently in the same spot we met last time. I didn’t have his number to reach out to him directly, and asking anyone else would only end up stirring suspicions I wasn’t ready to deal with.Eva returned later that afternoon with positive feedback about him granting my request, and I was so relieved because I direly needed another voice in all of this. As soon as the sun dipped and the shadows of things now stretched longer on the dusty grounds, I slipped away from the pack house and headed

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