Todos los capítulos de Mated to the Alpha King: Capítulo 121 - Capítulo 129

Rasmus recovered fast. He feinted left then went right. Winter's shadows moved to intercept but he was already past them. His clawed hand caught her shoulder and spun her around. Pain bloomed hot and immediate. Winter gasped and reacted without thinking. Shadows exploded outward from her body in all directions. Rasmus was thrown back. He hit the ground and rolled, coming up in a crouch. Blood dripped from his arm where the shadow explosion had caught him. They stared at each other across the courtyard. Both breathing hard. Both bleeding. "Not bad for a witch." Rasmus's grin was all teeth. "But you're still just playing with darkness. I'm a warrior." He shifted fully this time. The transformation was brutal. Bones breaking and reforming. Skin splitting to make room for fur. Within seconds, Rasmus stood on four legs, a massive grey wolf with yellow eyes fixed on Winter. The crowd's energy spiked. This was what they wanted. A real fight between wolf and witch. Winter felt her own

Winter woke to voices arguing. Her shoulder throbbed and her mouth tasted like old copper. The room was darker than before. Evening probably, based on the dim light filtering through the single window. Ezekiel wasn't in bed. He was standing near the door speaking in low tones with Jax. Both looked tense. Winter sat up slowly. Vex raised his head from the corner and made a questioning sound. The movement caught Ezekiel's attention. "You're awake." He crossed the room in three strides. "How do you feel?" "Like I fought a wolf and barely won." Winter touched her bandaged shoulder experimentally. "What's happening?" Jax answered before Ezekiel could. "Rasmus and about fifteen wolves left. Packed up and headed east toward the minor territories." "Because of me." Winter's stomach sank. "Because they're cowards who can't adapt to change," Ezekiel corrected. "Good riddance." "Fifteen wolves is a significant loss," Jax said carefully. "And they're spreading word to other packs. About t

Winter looked across the clearing to where Ezekiel stood. His posture was tense, alert, but when he glanced her direction his expression softened. Just for a second. Then the mask came back. "He's still learning how to feel things," Winter said quietly. "Twenty two years of the curse suppressing emotions. It doesn't just disappear overnight." "But it did disappear. Because of you." Alice's voice held wonder. "You broke an impossible curse through sheer stubbornness and love. That's actually incredible." "Morwenna designed it that way. The curse, I mean." Winter turned the dried meat over in her hands. "She could have made it permanent. But she left a way out. Hope disguised as revenge." "Your grandmother was either brilliant or cruel." "Both." Winter thought about the witch she'd never met. The woman whose curse had shaped Ezekiel's entire adult life. Whose blood ran in Winter's veins. "She lost everything in the massacre. Her family. Her people. Her life. And with her last breat

Griselda's village looked exactly how Winter remembered. Small wooden houses clustered together like they were afraid of the forest. Smoke rising from chimneys. The smell of curing meat and unwashed bodies. Everything grey and brown and tired. Winter's stomach twisted. She'd lived here for twenty-three years. Been beaten in that square. Starved in that house with the crooked chimney. Called cursed by every person who walked these dirt paths. "We should scout first." Jax's voice was low. They'd stopped at the tree line, hidden by dense undergrowth. "See what we're dealing with." Ezekiel's arms tightened around Winter's waist. She was still sitting in front of him on the horse. His chin rested on her good shoulder. "How many wolves?" "More than there should be." Jax pointed. "See those three houses on the eastern edge? Those weren't here before. New construction. And that clearing has been set up as a training ground." Winter followed his finger and saw what he meant. The clearing

One of her guards grunted agreement. "Should we help?" "No." Griselda's smile was cruel. "Let them tire him out first. Then I'll finish it myself. Claim credit for killing the unkillable." Winter's shadows responded to her anger. They writhed and expanded. Ready to strike. Beside her, Alice's hands glowed green. Offensive magic. "On three," Winter whispered. "I'll take Griselda. You handle the guards." Alice nodded. Her face was pale but determined. Winter counted silently. One. Two. Thr-- "Well. This is disappointing." the voice came from behind them. Winter spun and her heart stopped. Sophia stood there. Her dark hair was loose. Her eyes glowed with power. And her expression held nothing but cold fury. "Mother." Winter's voice came out strangled. "What are you doing here?" "Cleaning up." Sophia moved past Winter without looking at her. Her attention fixed on Griselda's back. "I've been tracking this bitch for three days. Watching her rally wolves. Spread lies about my daugh