Все главы The Lycans Twins Hidden Mate: Глава 141 - Глава 148

"You’re shaking, Alina. Is it the cold, or is it the guilt?"Cassandra’s voice sliced through the silence of the royal corridor like a serrated blade. I didn't turn around immediately. I couldn't. I was too busy trying to shove the crumpled piece of parchment into the waistband of my trousers. My heart was a frantic bird hammering against my ribs, and the metallic tang of fear flooded my mouth. I had seen the seal. I had seen the jagged, messy handwriting of my stepbrother, Damon.I forced my hands to still. I forced my face to become the blank, emotionless mask of the maid they expected me to be. When I finally turned, Cassandra was leaning against the arched doorway, her blonde hair shimmering under the torchlight. She looked perfect. She looked like a Luna. She looked like a lie."I’m just tired, Lady Cassandra," I said, my voice flat. "It’s been a long shift.""A long shift of playing spy?" She stepped into my personal space, her expensive perfume hitting me like a physical blow.

"Look at you. From a King’s bed back to the dirt where you belong."Damon’s voice was like grease, slick and disgusting. I didn't give him the satisfaction of looking up right away. I kept my gaze fixed on the damp stone floor of the cell. It was the same cell where he used to lock me when I didn't scrub the floors fast enough. The smell hadn't changed. It was the scent of rot, old blood, and broken dreams. My stepbrother stood on the other side of the iron bars, his shadow stretching long and jagged across the floor. He looked heavier, his face bloated from too much ale and the arrogance of a stolen title."I’m surprised you haven't killed me yet, Damon," I said, my voice rasping. "Or are you afraid of what the Kings will do when they find out you've touched their property?"Damon laughed, a harsh, braying sound that echoed through the dungeon. He stepped closer, his fingers gripping the cold bars. "Property? Alina, you were a trade. A piece of meat used to settle a debt. And word tr

"Don't touch me! Get back!"I backed away from Sarah, my hand covering my mouth as another surge of that oily, black liquid burned its way up my throat. It wasn't just blood. It was thick, it smelled like sulfur, and it was moving on the floor like it had a mind of its own. My wolf, the fierce creature that had just helped me take down Damon, was screaming in a way I’d never heard. It wasn't a roar of victory. It was a high-pitched, agonizing wail of a creature being eaten from the inside out."Alpha, you're bleeding," Sarah cried, her face white with terror. She tried to step forward with a cloth, but I slammed my hand against the desk to stay upright."It's the mark," I gasped, the words feeling like shards of glass. "Damon... that bastard. He didn't just fight me. He tied his life to a rot."I looked down at my hands. The veins in my wrists were turning a bruised, sickly purple. This was the final revenge of a man who knew he couldn't win fairly. Damon had used black magic, the kin

Kaden couldn't walk.It wasn't that his legs didn't work; it was that his balance was gone. Without the constant, grounding presence of his wolf, he felt like he was floating. We had to carry him into the great hall, laying him on the soft furs in front of the massive hearth. Kael stayed by his side, his hand never leaving Kaden’s arm, as if he were trying to pump his own Lycan energy into his brother through skin contact alone."It’s quiet," Kaden whispered, staring at the fire. "Alina, is it always this quiet for humans?""I don't know," I said, kneeling beside him with a bowl of warm broth. "But you aren't alone. I can hear it for you."I could hear everything now. I could hear the heartbeat of every wolf in the courtyard. I could hear the snow melting on the roof. The power Kaden had given me was massive, but it felt heavy, like wearing a suit of armor that was three sizes too big."The army is still outside," Kael said, his voice grim. "They won't attack yet because they're confu