Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

Rain Over AshesPOV: MilaThe cell had grown colder after Irene had left, though the temperature itself had not changed. The chill came from somewhere deeper, from the hollow space inside my chest where every promise I had ever believed in had just been ripped away. I sat on the rough stone floor with my back pressed to the wall, my knees drawn up close, and my arms wrapped tightly around them as though holding myself together might keep the pieces from falling apart completely. My shoulder throbbed in steady waves, the arrow wound was still hot and swollen beneath the torn fabric of my shirt, with blood still seeping in slow, and stubborn pulses that left dark stains spreading across my chest. The chains had been removed, but the raw marks around my wrists burned as though the iron were still there, reminding me how easily freedom could be taken.Irene’s voice lingered in the quiet like smoke that refused to clear. She had promised to help. Promised to return tonight with someone w

Shadows in the Rain Lucien POVI returned to my chambers with heavy steps, and the weight of the day pressing on me like though I had carried the entire pack on my shoulders. The door closed behind me with a soft click, and I walked straight to the window, pulling back the thick curtain to stare out into the night. Rain fell steadily, while turning the grounds below into a blurred mess of puddles and shadows. The drops hit the glass in a constant rhythm, and I stood there watching them slide down, with my breath fogging the pane slightly. My mind kept going back to Mila who was locked in that cell, while waiting for a sentence that could end her. I had not gone to see her since they dragged her away. Not once. Every hour that passed without me there felt like a betrayal, but I had my reasons. The seer’s warning echoed in my head about the pain in my chest when I was with her by the stream, and the way my wolf had gone silent right when we were closest. I had thought she was my ma

The House by the HillPOV: MilaIt had been a long night since I had escaped from the cell, and I had been running without stopping for what felt like hours. I did not know exactly where I had ended up, but the trees around me had grown thicker with every step, and my legs hurt so much that each movement sent sharp pains up my thighs. My shoulder wound had started bleeding again from the jolting, and the rain from earlier had left me soaked and shivering. The border was far behind me now, and the forest had swallowed everything familiar. I pushed forward anyway, with one foot after the other, until the ground started to rise into a gentle hill. Up ahead, through the dense branches, I saw a house nestled close to the edge of a thick forest. The house looked old and simple, made of dark wood with carvings on the door that showed strange symbols I did not recognize. There were lanterns that hung from the eaves, glowing softly in the night, and smoke rose from a stone chimney. It remin

The Carriage and the CrestPOV: MilaMy hands were bound tightly in front of me with rough rope that dug into my wrists every time the carriage hit a bump. The young driver was gone—I had not seen him since the crash. Kael and his guards had pulled me from the wreckage, lifted me into this new carriage, and started moving again. The inside was dark and narrow, with the only visible light coming through a small slit in the wooden side. I sat on the hard bench, with my shoulder still bleeding slowly, and head aching from the fall. Rain tapped on the roof above me, steady and cold.I kept stealing glances at Kael. He sat across from me, with his arms crossed, and eyes fixed on the floor. He looked older than I remembered with gray in his hair, deeper lines around his mouth—but the way he held himself was the same. Steady. Quiet and dangerous when he needed to be.I remembered the day he found out. It was in the barracks, late at night after training. I had been changing in a corner, th

The Sound of the WhipPOV: MilaThe first lash cracked through the air and landed on the boy’s back. He cried out, with his body jerking forward. I stood frozen, with my hands clenched at my sides, watching the red line bloom across his skin. The second lash came right after. There was another cry, then another line. I counted them in my head—one, two, three—each one hitting harder than the last. The boy’s shirt hung in shreds now, with blood mixing with the rain that still fell in steady sheets. Four. Five. Six. His shoulders shook and his head hung low. Seven. Eight. Nine. I lost track after that as the sound blended into one long, and awful rhythm that filled the courtyard. My stomach turned and my legs trembled. I wanted to scream at Kael to stop, but the words would not come out.Then my knees gave way as I dropped to the ground, with mud soaking through my dress, and my hands sinking into the wet earth. I was shaking so hard my teeth chattered. Tears burned my eyes, but I di