Semua Bab Bound To The Cursed Lycan : Bab 21 - Bab 30

THEODOSA. Nala half-dragged me up the cellar stairs, my legs wobbling like a newborn deer’s. The cabin was empty when we emerged—just dark wood and shadows and the lingering scent that I’d come to associate with Xahen. “Where is he?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Gone,” Nala said, leading me toward the door. “Won’t be back for a while probably.” “Gone where?” “The eastern realm.” She said it so casually, like literally traveling between entire realms was as normal as taking a walk. I stumbled, and she caught my elbow. “That's a whole other realm...” “Yeah.” Nala pushed open the cabin door, and cool night air hit my face. “You know we've got a total of four... the Southern Realm, the Eastern Realm, the Western—” “I know what realms are,” I interrupted, though my head was spinning. “I just didn’t know you could… hop between them, just… like that.” “You can’t,” Nala said. “Most people can’t. But Xahen has me, and I’m a witch, so.” She shrugged like this explained e

THEODOSA. "So your brother has a fire gift?" Afnie asked, leaning forward with genuine curiosity. "That's rare for beta blood." I nodded, cradling the warm cup of tea between my bandaged hands. "Binny's always been different. Stronger. People used to whisper about whether he was actually my father's son because of it." "Was he?" Nala asked bluntly. "Yes. His mother never strayed. But the rumors bothered my father enough that he had a witch verify it when Binny was young." I took a sip of tea. "Turns out powerful gifts just run in her family line." "And your father loves him anyway," Afnie said, understanding in her tone. "Loves him and Pippa both. I'm..." I shrugged. "I'm the bastard daughter from the woman who died giving birth to me. Different mother entirely." Nala's expression softened slightly. "That's why he treats you differently." "That's why he doesn't treat me at all." I smiled, but it felt hollow. "Binny and Pippa got the love. I got a roof over my head and the remin

THEODOSA. I watched the wolf until his ears relaxed. Like he was actually falling asleep now. And then I sat there, trying to make sense of what had just happened. He'd shifted. Dragged me away from Nala and Afnie. Chased me through the forest. Sniffed every inch of me like I was some kind of puzzle he needed to solve. Walked away. And now he was... napping? None of it made sense. But the wolf seemed rather done with me. His breathing had evened out, deep and steady. Both ears were relaxed now. His tail hadn't moved in minutes. I studied him, watching for any sign that this was a trap, that the moment I moved he'd be on me. Nothing. Slowly, I looked up at the hole above me. The moonlight streaming through seemed very far away. I pushed myself to my feet as quietly as I could, my eyes flicking back to the wolf every few seconds. He didn't move. I crept toward the wall beneath the opening, pressed my back against the packed dirt, and tried to find handholds. There weren't an

XAHEN. I did something despite myself and everything I wanted to do to that woman. Instead of violence, I chose an instruction. "Tell me about Theodosa," I said. He blinked at the sudden shift. "What?" "You came all this way for her. Swam through water that should have killed you. Tell me why." He stared at me like I'd just asked him to explain why the sun rose or why water was wet. "Because she's my sister." "That's not an answer. Tell me how she got here," I said, my tone making it clear it wasn't a request. His jaw worked. "Her mate, Prince Narra, threw her in the river. Rejected her in front of everyone and had his friends throw her into the water. She washed up here. That's it." Her mate? I let that information settle, turning it over in my mind with dark curiosity. Theodosa hadn't mentioned that particular detail. She'd said she was thrown in, but not by whom. "So she trespassed because she had no choice," I said, my voice almost conversational. His eyes narrowed s

THEODOSA. His words kept echoing in my head, over and over, like they'd carved themselves into my skull and decided to make a permanent home there. I was sitting with my back against the wall, knees pulled to my chest, staring at nothing. The cellar was dark except for the thin streams of moonlight filtering through cracks in the ceiling. I'd been counting them earlier—seven cracks, each one letting in just enough light to remind me that there was a world outside this cell that I couldn't reach. Now I wasn't counting anything. Just sitting, trying not to think about the way Xahen had looked at me when he'd said what he did. I’d never met anyone like him before. No one so intense. So dark. So downright threatening. The way he walked, the way he talked, hell, the way he smiled. And how on the realm, could someone who carried such an otherworldly dark aura, look as attractive as he did? I shook my head, desperate to clear it. Binny was the priority. Not Xahen's threats. Not the f