All Chapters of Mine to keep, mine to break : Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

Nalini  The morning after the Moon Goddess’s vision, the academy was suffused with a strange, tense energy. I felt it the moment I stepped into the council chamber—every gaze, every hushed whisper aimed at me like invisible arrows. The bond pulsed faintly beneath my skin, resonating with both Myron and Timothy even though we were separated by distance. My wolf throbbed, restless and alive, reacting to the stares and the murmur of old, rigid traditions being challenged in real time. I walked carefully, head held high, trying not to let my fear or awe show. The council members were arrayed in their usual semicircle, robes brushing the marble floors, faces as inscrutable as stone. Yet their eyes—some sharp, some wide, some narrowed with suspicion—followed my every step. I could feel the tension coiling in the room like a snake. Alpha Reuben sat at the head, his posture impeccable, yet his eyes f

Nalini  The dorm room felt smaller than ever. Bare walls, heavy curtains, and the ever-present weight of the council’s judgment made every breath feel like it needed to be measured. I sat on the edge of the bed, hands wrapped around my knees, feeling the faint warmth of the mark on my neck. It pulsed slightly, almost like a heartbeat of its own, syncing with the rapid beats of my chest. Even in confinement, I could sense them—Myron and Timothy—through the bond. It was sharper now, more insistent. They were restless, frustrated, protective. My wolf stirred, her claws tugging at the edges of my consciousness, desperate to break through the walls of the council’s restrictions. I pressed my hands to my glowing mark, trying to steady the storm within me. Every time I tried to concentrate on my lessons, my mind drifted to them. I could feel Myron’s frustration like fire licking at my skin, Ti

Nalini The moment we crossed the invisible boundary of Alpha Thane’s territory, I felt it.It wasn’t something I could see, not really, but my body reacted before my mind could catch up. The air thickened, humming low, like the land itself was breathing. My wolf stirred deep inside me, not in panic this time, but in wary awareness—ears pricked, muscles coiled, senses flaring as if she had finally stepped onto ground that recognized her.The carriage slowed, then stopped. Alpha Thane stepped down first, his presence immediately rippling outward. Wolves emerged from the shadows of towering pines and stone-built structures, their movements sharp, disciplined. They bowed—not exaggerated, not fearful, but respectful. The kind of respect given to an alpha who had earned every ounce of loyalty.I hesitated before stepping down, my fingers gripping the edge of the carriage. For a brief, shameful second, I wanted to run back into it, to retreat into the small, familiar cage of the academy whe

Nalini Belonging is a strange thing. You don’t notice its absence until it begins to return, piece by careful piece.Days in Brownclaw folded into one another with a rhythm I was still learning. Mornings began with mist clinging low to the earth, the forest breathing softly as if reluctant to wake. I learned which paths dipped beneath old roots, which clearings caught the sun first, which stones near the river were warm enough to sit on without shivering. The pack moved with instinctive coordination—no shouted commands, no rigid hierarchy forced into every breath. Power here was present, yes, but it wasn’t wielded like a blade against the weak.That alone unsettled me.I kept waiting for the other edge to drop. For kindness to reveal itself as a test I would fail.It didn’t.Instead, I found myself given space. Choice. A concept that felt fragile in my hands, like glass.My wolf responded to that freedom with curiosity rather than fear. She stretched within me, testing the borders of

Nalini Myron left, but he didn’t really leave.That was the cruel truth I learned in the hours that followed.Even after the forest swallowed his scent and the training grounds slowly returned to their usual rhythm, he lingered inside me—beneath my skin, in my pulse, in the strange ache that sat permanently in my chest now. The bond refused to quiet. It thrummed softly, like a warning bell I couldn’t silence no matter how hard I tried.I went back to the guest quarters Alpha Thane had given me, my steps slow, my thoughts tangled. Brownclaw’s pack members bowed or nodded as I passed, their respect still unfamiliar, still unsettling. A few stared openly. Others whispered. I caught fragments.“The lost princess…” “Double-bonded…” “Moon-blessed or moon-cursed…”Each word landed like a pebble against glass—small, persistent cracks spreading where I pretended I was strong.Inside my room, I shut the door and leaned against it, pressing my palm to my chest as my wolf stirred uneasily.He ca