جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

Kai's POV The dawn did not just break, it shattered. It poured through the high windows of the assembly hall in a flood of relentless gold, illuminating the dust balls and the grim, eager faces of every cadet. I stood at attention, my body a rigid line of discipline, but my mind was elsewhere. It was back in the cold, quiet training grounds, with the taste of her still on my lips. The memory was a brand, a searing, beautiful pain that cut through the formalities of the morning. Aria. Her name was a prayer in my mind, a secret I held against the coming storm. The kiss had changed everything. It had made the bond a living, breathing thing, a tether that pulled at my very soul. It had also made the danger more real, more terrifying than any battle I had ever faced.The Head Alpha, a grizzled old wolf named Torvin, stood on the raised dais, his voice a low thunder that required no amplification. He spoke of tradition, of honor, of the brutal  process that would separate true Alph

Kai's POV The silence in the courtyard was a physical entity. It was heavier than any roar, more deafening than any battle cry. It was the sound of a paradigm shifting. I stood rooted to the spot, my blood singing with a primal, terrifying pride. She stood over Zeke’s broken body, her chest heaving, her knuckles raw. The slender frame of Arden was a lie, a costume draped over the magnificent, furious truth of Aria Silverbane. She had not just won. She had annihilated. She had looked into the face of a blade and a hated enemy, and she had not flinched. She had become the violence she needed to survive.The bond between us was a live wire, humming with her adrenaline, her shock, her fierce, unyielding resolve. I felt it all, a mirror to my own raging emotions. Ragnar was preening, a victorious beast proclaiming the strength of our mate. But beneath the pride, a colder, sharper reality was crystallizing. The careful facade we had constructed was in ashes. She had not just defeated Zeke,

Kai's POVThe noise of the courtyard faded behind the closed door. Our room was quiet. Too quiet. I could still feel Malrick’s cold power in the air. It clung to my skin like frost. My hands were fists. My whole body was tight. I accepted the duel. I would fight Malrick. For her.I turned to look at Aria. She stood by her cot. Her face was pale. Her eyes were huge. She looked so young. The brave warrior from the trials was gone. Now she was just a girl. A girl who was scared for me.“You should not have done that,” she whispered again. Her voice broke.I crossed the room in two steps. I did not stop to think. I pulled her into my arms. She felt small against my chest. She was trembling. I held her tight. I rested my chin on top of her head. Her short hair was soft against my skin.“I had to,” I said into her hair. My voice was rough. “There was no other way. He would have taken you. I could not let that happen.”She buried her face in my shirt. “He will kill you, Kai. He is too strong

Kai's POV The world was a blur of pain my body felt heavy and every breath hurt, the poison was a fire in my veins and I could not move, I could only lie in the dirt then I heard Malrick’s voice it was a ugly sound. He said he had won. He said Aria was his.Then I heard her voice it was clear and strong, it cut through the pain like a knife.She said her name, her real name. Aria Silverbane. She said it for everyone to hear.I tried to lift my head and could not but I could see her she stood between me and Malrick. She was not tall and she was not big but in that moment, she was the biggest thing I had ever seen. She was a queen defending her kingdom.She rejected Malrick she said the words I dreamed of hearing she chose me and told the whole world I was her mate.Her love washed over me itwas a warm, clean wave it pushed back the poison and it gave me strength albeit little but enough.When Malrick lunged for her, my body moved without thought and I put myself between them, I woul

Kai's POVI stood on the balcony and watched her. The morning sun cast a glow on her making her silver hair look like a crown. She stood in the training yard below. Dozens of cadets moved when she spoke. They followed her commands. They learned from her. They believed in her.My body was still sore. The healers said I needed one more week of rest. But my heart felt strong. It felt full.I remembered the first time I saw her. Disguised as a skinny, nervous boy. I thought he was weak. I was wrong. So wrong.She was not a boy and she was not weak. She was Aria. My Aria. The Alpha Queen.The door opened behind me. Head Alpha Torvin walked out. He stood beside me and looked down at the training yard too."She is remarkable," his voice was quiet. "I have never seen anything like it. They follow her without question.""I know," I said not taking my eyes off her."The council has met," Torvin said. "We have decided. The academy will recognize her. Officially. She will have a place here. As an