Todos os capítulos de The Rogue King's Mate: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

EZEKIELThe scent of smoke still clung to the walls of my chambers, burnt wood, blood, and failure. My guards knelt before me, heads bowed, armor slick with mud from the forest. Cowards. Not one of them could meet my gaze.“So,” I said, voice low, controlled. “You’re telling me… she’s gone.”The captain flinched. “We searched the forest for days, my lord. Every trail went cold.”Cold. I almost laughed. The sound that left me wasn’t amusement, it was disbelief sharpening into rage. I turned away from them, staring out the tall, cracked window where the moon hung pale and mocking above the courtyard.Kelly.The name itself was poison. Sweet once. Now venom.“She didn’t escape alone,” I said quietly. “You expect me to believe she fought past my walls, my guards, with a child in her arms?”No one answered. The silence was worse than excuses.I spun on them, the hem of my coat slicing through the air. “Someone helped her. Find out who.”“My lord…”“Find. Out. Who.” The words came out a

KAYDENThe fire cracked between us, throwing gold and shadow across her face. I’d been staring at those flames for what felt like hours, pretending their hiss and pop were enough to fill the silence, but they weren’t. The weight of everything unspoken hung heavy in the air.Kelly sat across from me, holding Nevaeh close, her eyes distant, lost somewhere years away. I couldn’t stop looking at her. The same girl I’d once bled for, the same woman I’d thought I’d never see again. Only now, she was different. Hardened. Haunted.I exhaled, leaning forward, elbows on my knees. “Tell me something,” I said finally, my voice rough from holding back too long. “Why him?”Her head snapped up, eyes narrowing slightly.“Why Ezekiel?” I continued, quieter this time. “You knew what he was. What he’d become. And you knew how I—” I stopped myself before the rest slipped out. “You knew what we were.”Her lips parted, but no sound came. The silence stretched.“I just need to understand,” I said, softe

KELLYMorning crept gently through the cracks in the cabin walls, painting soft lines of gold across the wooden floor. For the first time in years, I woke up without that tightness in my chest, the kind that comes from waiting for footsteps outside the door, for someone to remind you that you’re not free.The air smelled like pine and smoke. Calm. Honest.I turned and saw Nevaeh curled up beside me, her little hand resting against my arm. Her skin was warm, her breathing steady. I brushed a strand of hair from her face, and a quiet laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “You’re safe, my love,” I whispered. “You’re safe now.”The words felt strange on my tongue—hopeful. Almost dangerous.I sat up slowly, pulling the blanket around us, and for a moment, I just watched her. The rise and fall of her chest, the faint glow that always seemed to follow her in the moonlight. She was proof that not everything Ezekiel touched had to rot.The door creaked softly. Kayden stepped inside, hai

EZEKIELI stood at the edge of the balcony, staring into the cold night. The moon hung high, smug and silent, watching me lose what little patience I had left. My men had scoured every inch of the forest, every riverbank, every damned den in the north. Nothing. Not a scent, not a trail—just emptiness.Kelly and the child had vanished.At first, the rage burned hot—shattering glass, overturned tables, guards bleeding from my temper. But now… now the fire was turning to ash. Maybe it wasn’t worth it anymore. Maybe letting them rot in the wilderness was punishment enough.“Still brooding, my king?”Eve’s voice slithered through the quiet, soft as silk and sharp as sin. I didn’t turn. She approached slowly, the faint perfume of wild roses curling around her. My brother had loved that scent too—once.“You should get some rest,” she murmured, tracing a hand along my arm. “They’re gone. You’ve punished yourself long enough.”I finally looked at her. “You sound almost sad about it.”Her li

KAYDENThe night had fallen soft and deep, a blanket of quiet settling over the little town. For the first time in years, Kayden felt something close to peace. Kelly and Nevaeh were safe — sleeping under a roof that didn’t echo with fear, breathing air that didn’t smell like blood or smoke.He leaned against the porch railing of the small apartment Raymond and Liana had prepared for them, watching the moon crawl higher through the trees. The silver light washed over the cobblestone paths and rooftops, turning everything calm and unreal. He almost didn’t want to blink, afraid the peace might vanish if he looked away.Inside, through the window, he could see Kelly curled beside Nevaeh. The sight pulled at something deep inside him. The years apart, the pain, the guilt — all of it softened just a little when he saw her smile in her sleep, a faint curve of relief on her lips. He’d never thought he’d see that again.“Guess we made it,” he murmured under his breath. His words came out ro