جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 100

Chapter 91Darius POVI couldn't sleep.Celeste was beside me‚ her back turned‚ her breathing steady and slow. She had fallen asleep within minutes of her head touching the pillow‚ completely drained from the confrontation with Elena. I understood. Emotional exhaustion hit harder than physical and she had carried more weight today than anyone should have to.I lay there listening to her breathe and watching the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders in the dim light. The space between us on the bed was careful and deliberate‚ the way it had been every night since she moved into my master's bedroom. Close enough to share warmth but far enough to respect the boundaries she hadn't verbally set but I understood anyway.I thought about how close I came to never seeing this again. Never hearing her breathe beside me. Never watching her sleep with that slight furrow between her brows that appeared when she was dreaming. I almost lost this permanently because of my own blindness and stupidity

Chapter 93 Darius POVMy phone buzzed on the nightstand near midnight.I opened my eyes immediately. Celeste was asleep beside me‚ her naked body curled against mine with one arm draped across my chest. Her breathing was deep and even‚ undisturbed by the vibration. I reached carefully for the phone‚ checking the screen through half-closed eyes.Rylan.He wouldn't call this late unless it was serious. I gently lifted Celeste's arm from my chest and slid out of bed‚ grabbing a pair of boxers from the chair and pulling them on as I moved toward the door. I stepped into the hallway and closed the door softly behind me before answering."What is it?""We have a situation in the restricted wing." Rylan's voice was tense in a way that immediately put me on alert. He wasn't someone who rattled easily but something in his tone told me this was different from a security breach or an escape attempt."Talk to me.""About forty minutes ago‚ the guards on Elena's corridor heard sounds from her cha

Chapter 95Darius POVI was in my office that evening when Rylan walked in without knocking.That alone told me something was wrong. Rylan always knocked. It was one of those small courtesies he maintained regardless of how urgent the situation was‚ a habit from years of military training that he never dropped. So when the door swung open without warning and he stepped inside with that particular tension in his shoulders‚ I set down my pen and gave him my full attention."What happened?"Rylan closed the door behind him and stood there for a moment as if organizing the words in his head before speaking them. His face was carefully neutral but I had known this man for fifteen years and I could see the strain beneath the surface."I told Miranda‚" he said. "About Elena. Like you asked.""And?""She didn't react the way I expected." He moved further into the room but didn't sit. "When I told her Elena was gone‚ she just... stared at me‚ and I thought maybe she was in shock so I called fo

Chapter 97CELESTE'S POVAround three in the afternoon‚ Aurora was starting to flag. Her steps were slower and she was leaning against Darius's leg while we stood near the food court deciding what to do next."I wanna ride the carousel again‚" Aurora said‚ yawning. "The one with the horses that go up and down.""I'll take her‚" Lena offered immediately. She had Ash balanced on one hip and reached for Aurora's hand with the other. "We'll do the carousel and then the little train ride. That should keep them busy for a while."She gave me a look. It was subtle but unmistakable. The kind of look that said go spend time with your husband‚ I've got the kids. Lena had been doing that all day‚ quietly steering the children away at strategic moments so Darius and I could have five minutes alone. I hadn't acknowledged it and neither had she but the understanding was there."You sure?" I asked. "Ash is getting heavy.""Please. This child weighs nothing." She bounced Ash to prove her point and he

Chapter 99Darius POVI had been planning this for weeks.Every spare hour when Celeste was painting in her studio or playing with the kids or having coffee with Lena‚ I was on the phone with Rylan coordinating details. Every lunch meeting that I told her was pack business was actually me driving to the cemetery to check on construction progress. Every late night in my office that I blamed on paperwork was me reviewing designs with artisans I hired from three territories away.Rylan thought I was losing my mind."You called me at midnight to discuss flower species‚" he said during our last call. "Midnight‚ Darius.""Jasmine or wisteria. Which one climbs better in partial shade?""I'm your Beta‚ not a botanist.""Then find me a botanist.""It's midnight.""Rylan."He sighed. "Jasmine. It's hardier and it smells better. Can I go to sleep now?""One more thing. The marble wolf. The sculptor sent two options for the positioning. Lying on its side or curled up with its head on its paws.""