All Chapters of THE THIRD MATING: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

SERA:Two of my men moved first, Griffin stood his ground.“We don't wanna hurt you, old man, we could just give us what we need and we will be on our way.”His eyes locked on me, ignoring the two men approaching him.Could it be that this old man may not be as weak as he looks, I mean, he isn't showing any sign of fear whatsoever.Then I looked at the wall on the left, my eyes widened in shock.A picture of him in his military uniform, the nameplate beneath it read General Griffin, former commander of the Moonshadow Pack.Different awards on the wall.Before I could warn, the two men were sent flying toward me, but I moved quickly, dodging their heavy bodies.My remaining men looked at him in shock.They all attacked.Griffin then took a deep slow breath and let his wolf come to the surface. His wolf was higher than any of my men.He didn’t wait. He lunged, fangs and claws clipping and slashing my men. One of them tried to let his wolf recede, but Griffin’s jaws clipped his neck, and

**** FOUR MONTHS LATER **** LYRA: Four months had passed since Aldric was freed, yet there had been no sign of him. Not a single sighting. Not even a rumor. It felt strange. Monsters don’t usually hide once they’re free. They hunt. They destroy. They make their presence known. So why was he quiet? Some believed he was gone for good, but I wasn’t convinced. I could feel it, that something was still watching. Today was the 15th of December. A few hours until the Mating Ball. A day meant for love and celebration, for finding one’s destined partner. But all I could think about was the past. The last Mating Ball I attended had nearly ended my life. I lost everything: my ability to conceive, life lost meaning to me without me even knowing what happened. Every time I thought about it, I could still taste the bitter air of that night, still see the faces of Eamon serving me that drink that took everything from me. Everyone else was busy with decorations and dresses, excited whispe

LYRA: But then it happened. A sudden, unmistakable sensation, a scent, like nothing I had ever known. Warm, subtle. It filled the space around me, brushing against my senses, leaving no room for doubt. My breath caught. My eyes flicked toward the entrance from which the scent originated. A hush fell over the room as a figure stepped from the side door. The crowd’s attention shifted instantly. He was dressed in white, a perfectly tailored suit that shined faintly under the chandeliers. The fabric was high-quality, expensive, yet understated. His presence alone demanded notice. I looked higher, to his face, and froze. Golden eyes, Brown hair. Piercing, radiant, impossible to ignore. Every instinct I had screamed at me, confirming what the scent had promised. My chest tightened, but not with fear. Ronan and Silas stiffened, their eyes looking on the same figure. A low murmur ran through the crowd. Heads turned. Whispers grew louder. The room seemed too quiet as he moved toward the ce

LYRA: “Where is my little, perfectly mated star?” my dad exclaimed, coming closer to the door. He didn’t even knock; he just opened the door wide. “Congratul…” His smile vanished. “What’s wrong, Lyra?” he asked, staring at the look on my face. I didn’t respond. Too many thoughts ran through my head; Was the Moon Goddess playing games with me? Was I still trapped in that dream? Maybe I was, and at any moment, I might wake up. “Why is everyone frozen?” Dad barked. “Did that so-called mate hurt you? If he did, I’ll end him myself.” Alpha Jerome rushed into my room with a wide smile on his face. “Let’s welcome the newest mate in the Royal Fam…” His words faltered, his smile fading. “What’s wrong, Lyra?” he asked. “I’ve been asking the same thing since I came here. No one’s giving me an answer,” Dad said. Alpha Jerome turned to Silas and Ronan. “Do any of you boys have something to say?” he snarled. “It’s not them,” I said as tears started running down my face. “That

LYRA: “Wow, Lyra, I’d really love to meet him, I wanna see that lucky Alpha,” Mira said, her voice all excited. “Yeah, that’s why you’re not,” I shot back. “Don’t need history repeating itself.” I wasn’t about to spill that Aldric was a monster. Mira wasn’t trying to steal him, she’d changed but I wanted to dodge the conversation. “Come on, Lyra, I just wanna see who he is,” she said, sounding honest, a little hurt. “Not, like, take him, I am not like that...” “Hope not,” I muttered, turning away. Walking back through the path to the packhouse. I felt bad for snapping, but it worked, she let it go. The plan worked. Later that morning, Alpha Jerome got us all in the packhouse dining room for a meal. The table was set with roast beef, rolls, and mashed potatoes. It smelled good, but my stomach was too tight to eat. It was just us, Ronan on my left, all quiet and tense, Mira on my right, chatting with her Gamma husband, James, across from her. He was laughing with Silas, look