Chapter 21: The Rogue’s Fever

Aria’s POVThe walk back to the Star Tower was a blur of shadows and pain.Darius did not let go of my hand. His grip was tight. It was hard. It felt like he was trying to hold my soul inside my body so I would not fall apart. But the silver was already doing its mean work. The water that Gilda had thrown was not just water. It was a poison that knew my name.By the time the heavy oak door of the tower clicked shut, I could not stand.My legs turned to water. The world tilted, and the stone floor rushed up to meet me.But I did not hit the ground.Darius caught me. He lifted me as if I weighed nothing at all. He laid me on the big bed, but the velvet blankets felt like sheets of ice against my skin.“Aria,” he whispered.I could not answer.The fever hit me like a physical blow. It was not a normal fever that makes you warm. It was a silver fever. It made me feel like I was being eaten from the inside by tiny, cold teeth.Then the visions came.The room disappeared. The walls of the t

Magbasa pa

Chapter 22: Whispers in the Dark

Rowan’s POVThe air in the hallway was thick with the smell of old smoke and the heavy, angry breathing of the pack. I did not move. I stayed behind the big stone pillar near the healer’s wing. My heart was a drum hitting my ribs.I had just seen the hawk. I had just seen Elena tie a message to its leg. I knew the truth now. The Silver-Claw Pack was coming to take our home because she had told them we were weak.But the danger was not just outside the walls. It was right here.I heard the sound of heavy boots. It was not one man. It was many. I looked around the corner.Hagar was walking in the middle of the hall. He was holding a torch, and the fire made his face look like a mean mask. Gilda was next to him. She was carrying a long coil of silver chain. Behind them were the warriors. They did not look like the brave guards I knew. They looked like hunters who had forgotten who their King was.“The girl must be taken,” Hagar shouted. His voice was like a hammer. “The Alpha has been in

Magbasa pa

Chapter 23: The trial of Utility

Aria’s POVThe air in the courtyard was cold.It was a gray morning. The sun did not want to come out. It was hiding behind the green mist. I stood in the center of the dirt circle, my hands still in bandages. Darius stood behind me. His face was like a mask of stone.The Elders sat on their high chairs. Hagar looked at me with eyes like a hungry hawk. Gilda was tapping her fingers on the wood. Even Hakan, who was usually quiet, looked tired.“The Alpha says you are his mate,” Hagar shouted. His voice was loud. It made the birds fly away from the trees. “But a mate is more than a bond. A mate must feed the pack. A mate must protect the home. And right now, the Rogue is just a mouth to feed.”Darius stepped forward. I could feel the heat coming off his body. “She has proven her heart.”“Heart does not fill bellies!” Gilda yelled. She pointed her finger at me. “If the girl wants to stay, she must show her use. She must do what our own warriors are too scared to do.”Hakan stood up. He l

Magbasa pa

Chapter 24: Blood On The Snow

Darius’s POVThe bond did not just hum anymore. It screamed.I was in the Great Hall, listening to Hakan talk about grain and fire. But suddenly, my chest felt like it was being ripped open. It was not my pain. It was hers. It was cold, sharp fear. It was the feeling of being hunted."Aria," I whispered.I did not wait for the Elders to finish their talking. I did not care about the rules. I turned and ran. I ran out of the castle. I ran past the guards. I ran toward the Gully of Bones.The air in the woods was freezing. The sky was dropping white flakes of snow, but the ground was still green with the Witch’s rot. It looked like salt on a wound. My lungs burned. Every breath was like swallowing broken glass because my wolf was not there to make me strong. I was just a man in boots, running through the mud.The bond was pulsing. It was a dark, frantic beat.I reached the edge of the Gully. I looked down and my heart stopped.Aria was in the dirt. She was not alone. Three men in grey l

Magbasa pa

Chapter 25: The Silent Hall

Aria’s POVThe woods were too cold. The snow was falling, but it did not feel clean. It felt heavy. It felt like the sky was trying to bury us both.Darius was heavy. He was much bigger than me. His armor was cold and hard against my shoulder. I had my arm around him, trying to keep his chest together. The bandages I had made were already red. The blood did not stop. It just kept coming, slow and thick, like the earth was leaking."Step... step... step," I whispered to myself.I was a Rogue. I was used to carrying heavy things. I was used to running until my lungs felt like they were full of fire. But this was different. Every time Darius gasped, I felt a sharp pain in my own chest. The Bond-String was pulling on me. It was tight. It was a lead rope, dragging me toward the castle.We reached the edge of the trees.The fortress of Blackthorn sat on the hill. It looked like a giant grey tooth against the dark sky. The green mist was swirling around the towers. It looked like a sick snak

Magbasa pa

Lahat ng Kabanata ng BETROTHED TO THE CURSED ALPHA : Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 25

Chapter 21: The Rogue’s Fever

Chapter 22: Whispers in the Dark

Chapter 23: The trial of Utility

Chapter 24: Blood On The Snow

Chapter 25: The Silent Hall