Semua Bab THE LYCAN KING CLAIMED HER: She Becomes His Obsession: Bab 11 - Bab 20

ARIA Inside the envelope was a ring that felt heavier than iron in my trembling palm and I could barely breathe through the tightness crushing my chest. My mother's wedding ring. The thin gold band with the tiny emerald chip she wore every day until Bryson ripped it from her finger and threw it into the fireplace. I had watched her burn her hands trying to save it before he dragged her away. She was alive. The note proved it. Someone had her and they wanted me to betray Kael or watch her die. Forty-eight hours. Just two days to destroy everything or lose the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. The door clicked shut behind Kael as he left for the council meeting after promising that we would talk about the letter when he returned. The silence that followed felt like drowning. My knees gave out and I sank to the floor beside the massive bed that still smelled like him. Hot tears spilt down my cheeks before I could stop them. I pressed my fist against my mouth to m

ARIA The trial arena stretched before me like an executioner's stage and thousands of eyes watched from the stone seats rising on all sides. Every Alpha family in the realm had come to witness this. Not my trial but my defeat. The morning sun beat down on the sand-covered floor and made the metal chains hanging from the ceiling glint like promises of violence. Kael trusted Ryker to keep me safe. He trusted me to survive this without him and I could not let either of them down. Helena discovered that it was not just pain I felt in my ribs but I had broken multiple ribs. So she wrapped my ribs tight enough to breathe but every movement still sent pain lancing through my chest. The healers gave me something for the pain that dulled it to a manageable ache. "You do not have to do this." Ryker appeared at my side with concern etched deep in his features. "We can claim you are too injured and delay the trial." "That would only give them more time to prepare." I straightened despite my

ARIA Fifty Alphas formed a perfect circle around me and their combined power pressed against my skin like physical weight. Each one represented a major pack in the realm. Ancient bloodlines and territorial control and political influence that spanned generations. They watched me with expressions ranging from curiosity to outright hostility. I was supposed to bond with all of them at once. Create temporary magical connections that would prove my ability to lead as Luna to every pack. The fact that this had never been required of any previous Luna candidate told me everything about their intentions. They expected me to die trying. Morgana stood in the council box wearing a smile that made my blood run cold. She knew something I did not and that knowledge sat in her expression like a secret victory already won. "This is insane." Ryker's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. He stood at the arena edge with fury radiating from every line of his body. "No Luna has ever been required

ARIA The healing ward door exploded inward and Kael stood in the wreckage with his eyes burning pure molten gold. I tried to sit up but my broken body protested. Every instinct screamed danger even though this was my mate. The male I loved. Something was wrong with the way he looked at me now. "Why do I feel him in our bond?" Kael's voice came out layered with his beast. "Why does Drake Ashford's presence contaminate what belongs to us?" Confusion crashed over me. "Drake is dead. You killed him in the Wastelands." "Yet I feel his essence tangled in the connection between us." He moved closer and the room went cold. "Did you bond with him during the trial? Was he one of the fifty Alphas?" "No." Fear clawed at my throat. "Drake was not part of the bonding ritual. I do not even know what he looks like." "Liar." The word came out as a snarl. "I can taste his wolf on you. I can smell his claim mixing with mine. How long have you been working with them? Was any of this real or was I j

ARIA My mother recognized me. After years of madness and blank stares she looked at me with clear eyes that filled with tears the moment I stepped into her isolation cell. The shift was so sudden it felt like walking into a different reality. "Aria." Her voice cracked on my name. "My little star. You grew up." I could not move or breathe. The woman who raised me sat chained to a stone wall in the Citadel's deepest isolation ward and she knew who I was. After everything Morgana revealed I needed answers only she could provide. "Mother." I crossed the space between us and dropped to my knees. "How are you lucid? The healers said your mind was too fractured to ever recover." "Someone has been keeping me drugged." She reached for my face with shaking fingers. "To keep me silent." The implications made my stomach turn. "Who would do that? Why?" "People who do not want silver wolves asking questions." She pulled me closer with surprising strength. "People who know what we are capable