บททั้งหมดของ CHASING MONSTERS: บทที่ 181 - บทที่ 190

Xavier shut their chamber door with a quiet click, and the moment the sound faded, Sophie felt the shift in him, the softening in his shoulders, the warmth in his eyes that he saved only for her. It still stunned her sometimes that the king vanished and the man remained.“I’m proud of you,” he murmured, brushing his fingers down her arm. “Of you and Shiloh. What you did today… those children, the sanctuary women… the wolves are already talking. They’re seeing you as a bridge between worlds.”Sophie smiled despite herself. “They were just hungry kids, Xavier. Anyone would have helped them.”“Not anyone,” he said, stepping closer. “You.”The way he said it warmed her from the inside out.He kissed her lightly, just a brush of the lips, and she leaned into him, letting herself melt for one breath before a knock jolted them apart.A maid poked her head in. “Princess Sophie? Your wedding dress maker asked me to remind you that your fittings are at sunrise.”Sophie groaned. “Thank you.”Whe

Breakfast in the rogue camp had stopped feeling like chaos and started feeling like dominion.Wolves and rogues moved through the mess area with wary order now, not the scavenging scramble it used to be. They watched him when they thought he wasn’t looking. They straightened when he passed. Power sat on his shoulders like a cloak, heavy and right.And on his knee sat the only thing in this camp that made his chest ache for reasons that weren’t rage or ambition.Scarlett squirmed happily against him, cheeks flushed, fists sticky as she patted his chest in excited little thuds. Her laugh, raw and unselfconscious, cut straight through the rough murmur of warriors talking, mugs slamming, boots scraping.Not his by blood, his by decision.“Easy,” Malik murmured, steadying her as she tried to stand on his thigh. “You’ll fall on your head, little menace.”She squealed in reply.The omega hovered a few feet away, clutching a folded cloth. “Alpha… if you’d like, I can take her now. You have me

(Pandora’s pov)The walls were closing in on her.Not literally, though the room felt smaller each day, but in the way a snare tightens around an animal’s leg with every breath it takes. Pandora had spent her entire life learning how to avoid traps, how to spot danger, how to run before a cage snapped shut.But she hadn’t run fast enough this time.She sat on the edge of the narrow bed, staring at the door that never opened without permission. Two guards stood outside at all hours. Hunters. Her own kind. Men who, a few weeks ago, would have nodded at her with camaraderie.Now they didn’t meet her eyes.They never answered her questions.They didn’t tell her where Lucian was.They didn’t tell her why she was locked up.And they sure as hell didn’t tell her what would happen when this child arrived.She pressed a hand to her stomach. Her belly had grown so quickly she sometimes wondered if something was wrong. Or if the child knew it had to get out fast, before the hunters decided it wa

Sophie woke to warmth and weight and the familiar feel of Xavier’s arm curved over her waist. For a few slow heartbeats, she stayed perfectly still, eyes closed, letting herself drift between sleep and waking. His chest moved steadily against her back, his breath soft at her neck, his palm spread wide over the gentle swell of her stomach. Their baby. Their impossible, too-fast-growing pup. “You’re thinking too loudly,” Xavier murmured, voice still rough with sleep. A smile tugged at her lips. “You started it.” He shifted closer, fitting his body more firmly to hers, pressing a kiss into the curve where her shoulder met her neck. The simple touch sent a shiver through her, a warm pull low in her belly. His hand stroked slow, lazy circles over her bump, as if tracing the life inside. “Big day,” he said quietly. “Unity festival. Training displays. Speeches. Fireworks. Politics.” Sophie could feel his rock-hard member behind her; it matched his rock-hard body that never failed to del

Shiloh brushed against my arm as we slipped between groups of people, keeping our heads low and our pace casual. No one questioned us. Everyone was distracted by the celebration. Good. That was the whole point. She leaned in, voice barely a whisper. “Do you think anyone suspects?” “Not unless they’ve learned to read our minds,” I murmured. “And even then, probably not.” Shiloh snorted softly. I glanced over my shoulder and froze. Just beyond the outer ring of festival lanterns, in the shifting movement of bodies, I saw them. Two figures standing unnaturally still. One tall and lean, posture, mean and sharp. The other was a woman with dark, glossy hair, wearing a red riding-hood cloak and a cruel smile. Lucian. Veronica. My breath stumbled. But someone moved between us, and when I blinked, they were gone. Shiloh caught my sleeve. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” I forced a smile. “Just… a shadow.” But my pulse wouldn’t settle. I shook it off. Tonight was dangerous enough witho