Semua Bab BARBARIAN: Court Of Thorns And Roses.: Bab 51 - Bab 60

Esmeralda walked slowly through the garden, her steps measured, unhurried, as if she had nowhere else to be. The late afternoon sun filtered through the tall trees, casting broken shadows across the stone path beneath her feet. The garden had always been one of her favorite places in the pack house. It was quiet here, and peaceful. Nothing ever happened in this place unless she allowed it.She held her hands behind her back, fingers lightly clasped together. Her posture was calm, elegant, the kind that came naturally to someone who had been raised to observe before acting. To anyone watching, she would look peaceful. Thoughtful. A lady enjoying the warmth of the day.But her mind was far from peaceful.Plans folded into one another in her thoughts, old schemes adjusting themselves to new obstacles. The situation had shifted faster than she had expected. Caierre’s injury. Alvar’s growing instability. The council’s subtle movements behind closed doors. Everything was happening too quic

Lady Morwen sat at the head of the long oak table, her fingers resting flat against its polished surface, her posture straight but rigid. The council chamber smelled faintly of old parchment and burning oil, a scent she had grown used to over the years. The fire torches along the stone walls flickered softly, casting long shadows that moved like living things, stretching and shrinking as if listening to every word spoken in the room.Around her sat the remaining members of her council. Men and women who had lost lands, titles, mates, children. Wolves who once ruled freely before the Silver Mark Alpha tore through their lives and reduced their packs to ashes. They were fewer now. Thinner and harder, each of them carried loss in their eyes.Morwen’s gaze moved from face to face, measuring them. Some looked tired. Some looked angry. Some looked afraid, though none would admit it aloud. Fear had become a luxury they could no longer afford.“The Alpha grows careless,” one of the elders fin

Caierre froze when Esmeralda smiled and said it was okay.The cup had already slipped from his fingers and broken against the stone floor, the drink spreading across the hem of her dress. He had been ready for her anger. He had expected sharp words, humiliation, maybe even a public scene. That was how Esmeralda always was with him. But instead, she only smiled, calm and polite, as if nothing had happened at all.“I’m sorry,” Caierre said quickly, lowering his head. “I didn’t mean to spill it.”“It was an accident,” Esmeralda replied gently. “There is nothing to forgive.”She even reached out and touched his arm.Caierre stiffened at once.Angel Caierre whispered inside his mind that maybe she had changed, that maybe she was tired of fighting and wanted peace now. Demon Caierre laughed at that thought and called it foolishness. Spiky Horn Caierre only watched her with narrowed eyes, reminding him that Esmeralda never did anything without reason.Caierre slowly pulled his arm away and

Caierre froze when Esmeralda smiled and said it was okay.The cup had already slipped from his fingers and broken against the stone floor, the drink spreading across the hem of her dress. He had been ready for her anger. He had expected sharp words, humiliation, maybe even a public scene. That was how Esmeralda always was with him. But instead, she only smiled, calm and polite, as if nothing had happened at all.“I’m sorry,” Caierre said quickly, lowering his head. “I didn’t mean to spill it.”“It was an accident,” Esmeralda replied gently. “There is nothing to forgive.”She even reached out and touched his arm.Caierre stiffened at once.Angel Caierre whispered inside his mind that maybe she had changed, that maybe she was tired of fighting and wanted peace now. Demon Caierre laughed at that thought and called it foolishness. Spiky Horn Caierre only watched her with narrowed eyes, reminding him that Esmeralda never did anything without reason.Caierre slowly pulled his arm away and

Caierre stood where he was when Alvar called his name.The Alpha’s voice sounded the same as always. Cold. Firm. Controlled. But Caierre heard something else under it. Tiredness. Maybe anger. Maybe pain. He did not care enough to separate them.“Caierre.”He lifted his eyes slowly and met Alvar’s gaze.The Alpha stood near the table in the center of the chamber, one hand resting on the wood. His dark cloak was still on him, his hair slightly loose like he had not bothered to fix it after the council meeting. His face looked sharper than before. Older. As if the last few days had carved new lines into him.Caierre felt his chest tighten.Not because of love.Because of memory.The last time he had been in this room, he had been on the floor, shaking, bleeding, his bond tearing apart inside him while Alvar stood above him and said words that could not be taken back.You are not my mate.The thought burned.Angel Caierre floated at his side, eyes wide. “Don’t let him see you weak,” he wh