Lahat ng Kabanata ng The prophecy’s reject: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

Zylia’s POVThe world erupted.Shadows moved, teeth bared, claws cutting through mist.The Lycans struck like a tidal wave, low growls vibrating the ground beneath us.“Zylia, get down!” Killian barked, pulling me behind a jagged rock.His claws glinted in the pale light, slicing through the nearest attacker before it could reach us.I dropped to the earth, heart hammering, silver threads flaring beneath my skin.The pulse of the bond with Killian was frantic, insistent; warning, guiding, tethering me to life.The vision from earlier flashed right in my head for a second…and disappeared.Mason lunged beside me, blade flashing. “Step back!” he hissed, slashing another Lycan away.His eyes caught mine for a brief second, amber light sharp with something I couldn’t name.Protectiveness? Desire? Or jealousy of Killian’s claim? Probably all three.I swallowed hard, shaking. “Mason… watch…”“Don’t talk!” he snapped, blocking a swipe meant for me. His jaw was tight, and every muscle screamed

Killian’s POVThe first light of dawn filtered through the trees, weak and pale, but enough to show the forest still teeming with shadows.Zylia stirred against the tree, silver threads under her skin pulsing faintly as she stretched, wincing slightly.She’d slept, but the exhaustion still lingered like a weight on her shoulders.“Morning already,” Mason muttered, rubbing his eyes, still standing guard. “Feels like we only just closed them.”Raven shook her head, scanning the forest. “Don’t get too comfortable. Wolves, rogues, whatever else lurks here, they don’t sleep like we do.”I stepped closer to Zylia, hand brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. “You rested?” I asked, voice low. My claws flexed lightly at my sides, alert even in the soft light.She gave me a faint smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “A little. I’m… ready.” Her voice was quiet, still hoarse from the previous night’s adrenaline.Mason’s gaze narrowed, glinting green. “Ready? Don’t tell me you’re actually

Zylia’s POVThe forest opened like a curtain being drawn back, revealing the faint glow of torches ahead.Relief hit me so suddenly my knees almost gave out.Raven moved first, signaling the others, her bow still ready, while Killian’s hand hovered at my back, steady but protective.We’d finally made it, the Rogue camp.Smoke curled into the night air, and tents rose from the forest floor, rough but standing, lit by firelight that danced against makeshift barriers.The scent of wet pine, steel, and cooked meat filled the air.Murmurs rippled as the Rogues noticed us, faces turning, whispers following like a rising tide.“Mason’s back,” someone said.“With Raven,” another whispered, and then quieter still, “and the Alpha…”My chest tightened.I caught the way a few Rogues bowed their heads when their eyes met Killian’s.Even here, far from his pack, his presence demanded reverence.His aura hummed through the air, wild and magnetic, unsettling even the wind.Killian ignored them all, g

Killian’s POVThe night had settled over the camp, deep and quiet, but I couldn’t sleep.Not yet.The fire outside cast a muted glow through the tent’s canvas, flickering over Zylia as she lay curled beneath the blankets.Every breath she drew pulled at me, tethered me in ways I didn’t want to admit.Even in slumber, she held an unshakable strength, though I could see the exhaustion pressing down on her shoulders, the faint tremor in her hands.I stayed just beyond her reach, but close enough to feel her warmth, to hear the soft rise and fall of her chest.My claws rested lightly against the ground beside me, a half-hearted measure of readiness.The world outside was dangerous, yes, but right now, danger wasn’t in the shadows, it was the storm of my own thoughts, the doubts that gnawed at me relentlessly.She didn’t know I was watching her.She wouldn’t, not yet.And maybe it was better that way.I didn’t deserve her.I never had.Her eyes held stars, her smile held hope, and her pres

Zylia’s POVThe path to the hunting grounds was quiet.The trees whispered above me, the kind of sound that felt like memory, soft, familiar, and almost kind.The early light had turned gold now, slipping through branches and glinting off the damp leaves underfoot.Every step I took slowed, heavy with the weight of what I was about to say.I thought I’d be running back to Killian when I left Raven.My heart had burned with it, that fire, that pull.But as I reached the clearing and saw the training posts in the distance, I stopped.Mason sat there.On a fallen log, elbows on his knees, head down, hands clasped together like he was holding himself back from breaking something.Or maybe from breaking down.For a long moment, I just stood there, watching him breathe, watching the tension ripple through his shoulders.He must have sensed me, because he looked up. His eyes; clear, hurting, locked on mine, and something inside me twisted painfully.“Zylia,” he said, voice low, roughened aro