All Chapters of CHASING MONSTERS: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

We hit the Breeding Factory at first light, the kind of grey morning where the world hasn’t decided whether to wake up or die trying. Perfect timing. The factory sat non-descript behind grey walls. Guards paced outside. More than last time, double, maybe triple. Didn’t matter. We weren’t here to sneak. We were here to end it. Shiloh faced forward, jaw set, eyes hard. Ryder, Kofi, and Harris flanked the rear, gear ready. Behind them: Abel’s ten veteran wolves. At our center, Fintan leaned on his staff as if he owned the ground. He hummed under his breath, a low, unsettling sound that made the gravel tremble. “Ready?” I asked Shiloh quietly. She cracked her knuckles. “Born ready.” Ryder exhaled. “Let’s get these people out before we get murdered, yeah?” Harris snorted. “Speak for yourself. I’m too old to die for free.” “Don’t worry,” I said, “you’ll get a heroic burial.” “Over my dead body,” he muttered. Fintan thumped his staff once, and the metal gate screamed as it

(Sophie’s POV)The house sat near the edge of the ancient forest, a long stone building with a wraparound porch, vines curling up the pillars, and windows that hadn’t been opened in years.Perfect.“This will do,” I said, pushing the double doors open with my shoulder. Sunlight hit the floorboards. Dust jumped like startled fleas. “We clean it up, and it becomes home.”Betsy and Agatha exchanged horrified looks behind me.“Your Highness...” Betsy started.“Don’t,” I warned.“But...”“Nope.”Agatha threw a hand dramatically to her forehead. “You shouldn’t be lifting anything. You’re… you know…” She gestured vaguely toward my stomach. “Blessed.”“Pregnant,” I said. “Not dying.”They gasped like I’d said a curse word.“I can still scrub floors,” I added, grabbing a broom.Agatha nearly screamed. “You put that down, Your Highness!”“Not happening.”Betsy stomped over, snatched the broom from my hands, and shoved it into Agatha’s. “If the King walks in and sees her sweeping, we’ll both be

She stared. “You’re serious.” “Deadly.” “That’s a terrible choice of words right now.” “Then I’ll pick another,” I said. “Sophie Hale, you will marry me in one month. We’ll give them the biggest damn wedding this Kingdom has ever seen. Feast, music, vows under the old trees. We’ll put joy in their minds, so they remember how to laugh.” Her breath hitched. “Xavier, your people don’t trust me. Some of them won’t even look at me. I’m a hunter to them. A wolf, yes, but still a hunter.” “They don’t have to trust you yet,” I said. “They will. They’ll see you with their children. They’ll see you fighting for them. They’ll see you standing beside me when we bury Abel and when we rebuild. And if they don’t like it?” I shrugged. “They don’t get to decide who I love.” Her eyes softened at that. “You… love me.” “You really need to ask?” She tried for a joke. “Well, you did throw me in chains the first time we met.” “I’ve upgraded your restraints since then.” Her lips twitched. I dropped

(Shiloh’s POV) The main dining hall of the Wolf Kingdom was loud this morning, voices rising, cutlery clinking, fire roaring in the great hearth. It felt alive in a way I’d never experienced around hunters. Wolves ate like they were fueling machines. Hunters ate as if they were simply surviving another sunrise. Kind of liked it. Ronan slid a plate in front of me, piled with food I definitely hadn’t asked for. “I can serve myself,” I said. “Sure you can,” he said, sitting beside me, “but then you wouldn’t look at me like that.” “Like what?” “Like you want to drag me under the table and ruin me.” I choked. “Ronan.” He grinned, smug and wicked. “You started it.” “I literally said nothing.” He leaned close, whispering against my ear, “Thinking counts.” Heat climbed up my neck. Across from us, Ryder groaned. “Could you two flirt quieter? Some of us are trying to keep food down.” Kofi nodded with a mouthful of bread. “Seriously. Y’all are gross.” Old Man Harris just snorted.

(Shiloh’s POV) Sophie and I walked fast, heads down, borrowed cloaks tight, trying not to look like the future Queen and her… apparently newly endangered maid of honor. After the dressmaker incident, we weren’t stupid enough to parade through the markets in our usual clothes. Sophie had grabbed simple tunics from the Sanctuary, shoved one at me, and said: “Put it on. You look too shiny.” I still didn’t know what “shiny” meant, but fine. The wind was crisp as we took the forest path back toward the castle. Sophie cradled her stomach with one hand, cloak flapping behind her as she half-ranted, half-laughed about the morning. “I swear,” she said, kicking a stone, “the one time I want a normal outing, they throw garbage at me. And poor you, your face! I thought you were going to vomit.” “I was going to vomit,” I muttered. “If that had hit me, you’d be attending my funeral.” Sophie snorted. “At least I froze them.” “You froze them solid,” I corrected. “One of them whimpered.” “He