All Chapters of Dear Mate, You’re Mine!: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

Astra's POVThe message came just after sundown.A simple knock, three short, one long. The usual but my eyes strained on the door. There was never enough vigilance.It was someone amongst the supreme guards. I knew it but…I stood from my desk, a thin curl of steam rising from the untouched coffee on my desk. My nerves were already on edge from Mary’s revelations and the fallout with Jerome. Well, it wasn't necessarily a fallout, but still the last interaction with Jerome had my nerves fraying.When I opened the door, Jorrén’s face was paler than usual, his jaw tight.“We found something,” he said.My lips tightened, "Come in."I left the door open for him and walked behind him after slamming the door shut, gently.“Where?”“The southern borders. Behind the collapsed storage chamber.” He hesitated. “It’s... not just ruins.”Found something at the southern borders? I breathed in deeply.And grabbed my coat. “Lead the way.”The old southern border of the palace had long been dismissed

Astra's POVThe chill of the evening clung to my cloak as I returned to the palace from the outer edge of the palace. It clung even to my skin as I wrapped my hands around myself but perhaps it wasn't all about the chill.My visit to the border settlements had taken longer than expected.Unluckily for me, rumors about the southern border crackdown had flown the entire night and in order to keep it at bay, I had arranged to casually stroll through the border settlements. Maybe if they saw me moving through them, they'd believe that there was really nothing serious.Except, that didn't go so well. Too many questions. Too many people. Too much unrest. And even though I'd tried to reassure them, I could see it in their eyes.Fear.It was bold and glaring.Fear.Fear of what lurked in the shadows. Fear of the unknown enemy. Fear that their ruler was losing control.I stepped into the central courtyard of the palace, my boots echoing against the polished stone. With such a long day, I was h

Astra's POVI had finally managed to fall asleep, drifting soundlessly through this hazy faceless dream when the alarm bells rang.This better be worth it. I groaned and jerked awake instantly. I looked around, realizing I had actually dozed off on the couch in my study but still it was the best and most sleep I'd gotten in a few days and so I was less joyful.The sound was sharp and urgent but something made me pause. It wasn't the usual chime, they one that announced the changing of the guards , nor was it the one I used when I wanted to summon just everybody in the palace. This one was... urgent. Wrong. It was the signal of breach.I leapt out of the couch, my eyes blazed as I reached for the blades I always had hidden under the coats or boots, just as I felt them. The door slammed open, a guard stood there, buckled in his armor with one blade unsheathed."The prisoner," He said, eyes blazing. "He's trying to escape "My ears rang but my feet were already moving.How in the world d

Astra's POVThe tower smelled like scorched metal, damp parchment paper, and something bitter I couldn’t name.I hated it.Not just because it was unpleasant, I mean palaces like this one had their own damp smell bit because places like this were not just on rots but on secrets.I stood near the window, my hands clasped behind my back, and eyes fixed on the fog clinging to the outer courtyard. My guards waited near the door, silent and armored, watching every shadow.Jerome leaned on the wall, arms crossed and his expression unreadable.Between us, on a slab of blackstone, lay the ring.It looked harmless.That was what made it dangerous.A simple band of dull silver, etched with unfamiliar sigils. I had seen a lot of symbols and sigils and yet this I had not seen before. It was too thin to be ceremonial, too heavy to be ornamental.At first, I’d thought it was just another marker, like another symbol to trace back to Hollow Fang.I was wrong.The old man cleared his throat.He was ol

Astra’s POVJerome hadn't let the sanctuary matter die down, he wasn't shouting, he wasn't speaking so much but I could tell, he still wasn't happy and he was planning something.Well, something I knew was that I wouldn't let him stop me. I needed to do this, I had to do this especially if this had a way of stopping this whole catastrophe, this whole chaos. Then I was in full time.I was already in my chamber making sure I had everything I needed. Maps, vial bottles, my silent blades and two extra, the ring. My hands were steady but my heart wasn't.Jerome walked in."You'e serious about this?"I didn't look up from my bag. "I already decided."“You are not going alone.” His boots crossed the floor slowly and deliberately until he stood directly in front of me.I finally lifted my eyes.“This isn’t a negotiation.”His jaw flexed. “Everything is a negotiation when it involves your life.”I turned back to my bag. “The sanctuary is bound to me. Not you. Whatever is hidden there-- whateve