Semua Bab The Alpha Betrayed Mate: Bab 61 - Bab 70

Pain has a strange way of stretching time.Lying there on the infirmary bed, I could not tell if minutes or hours had passed since Aghata collapsed beside me. My body felt like a battlefield that had not yet realised the war was over. Every breath scraped through my chest. My ribs protested even the smallest movement, and the scent of blood and crushed herbs hung thick in the air.The healers had done what little they could before rushing away to gather stronger remedies. That left only silence, broken occasionally by Aghata’s strained breathing.I turned my head slowly toward her.She lay on the cot beside mine, pale and unmoving. When she had transformed back into her human form earlier, the sight had nearly broken me. Her wolf had fought like a creature born of fury and loyalty. Like a wounded beast defending its last breath.I was glad that they brought her back to my bedside. I wasn’t sure anywhere was safer than my side since Clay left us.She had killed one of Selene’s guards.

The first thing I noticed when I woke that afternoon was the quiet.Not the peaceful kind.The kind that sits in a room like a held breath.The clinic chamber had grown familiar to me over the past few days. The scent of herbs hung thick in the air, mixed with the faint iron smell of blood that healers never quite managed to wash away. My body still ached in ways that reminded me of every moment the beast’s claws had torn into my flesh, but the fog that had clouded my mind since that battle was beginning to lift.Which meant something dangerous.Because the clearer my mind became, the clearer the trap around me appeared.A soft rustling sound broke the silence, and my eyes shifted toward the doorway just as Aisha slipped inside.Her movements were careful, almost cautious. She closed the door quietly behind her before crossing the room.The moment I saw her face, I knew.She had failed.My chest tightened.“You didn’t find him,” I said softly.Aisha stopped beside my bed, lowering her

I lay on the cold stone floor of the palace hall, my wrists bound in heavy chains that dug painfully into my skin. The iron links ran up to a hook in the floor, forcing me into a half-kneeling position that made every breath feel like a punishment.My body still had not fully recovered from the beast’s attack. Every movement reminded me of the wounds that had barely closed. My ribs burned when I inhaled, and my left shoulder throbbed constantly where the beast’s claws had torn through flesh days ago.Yet pain was no longer the worst thing.The worst thing was the silence of the hall.The watching eyes.And the woman standing above me.Selene. I now know that I hated her.She moved slowly across the polished stone floor, the hem of her dark gown whispering against the ground. Her hair was loose tonight, falling like a black river over her shoulders, and her lips carried that same faint smile she always wore when cruelty pleased her.In her hand, she carried a wooden bowl.The smell of

The bell rang like a curse behind us.Once. Twice. Then again.Each echo rolled through the palace like thunder, calling wolves from every corridor, every barracks, every watchtower. The alarm meant only one thing.A prisoner had escaped.And that prisoner was me.Aisha gripped my arm as we ran down the corridor and burst through a side door that led into the outer courtyard. Cold night air hit my face, sharp and merciless, but it also carried the scent of freedom.And the forest.The towering black silhouettes of the trees waited beyond the palace walls like silent guardians.If we reached them, we had a chance.If we didn’t…I pushed the thought away.“Move, Luna,” Aisha whispered urgently.Aghata ran ahead of us, clearing the path, her blade still wet with the blood of the guards we had already left behind. The courtyard stones were slick beneath my feet, and every step sent fire through my ribs.My body had not recovered.The healers had barely stabilised me before they dragged me

The forest had grown quieter after the Darkbreeds finished their hunt, but the silence did not bring peace.If anything, it made the thoughts inside my head louder.I sat beneath the massive roots where Kruger had hidden us, staring through the narrow gaps at the dim silver glow of the moon filtering through the trees. Somewhere beyond those woods stood Silvercrest.My home.My prison.And inside its stone walls was my son.Zach.The image of his small face looking at me with fear and disgust stabbed deeper than any wound I carried.You are the bad woman.His words had not been shouted in anger. They had been spoken with innocent certainty. The kind of certainty only a child manipulated by lies could carry.He believed Selene was his mother.And I had run away.My hands curled into fists against the damp forest floor.“No.”The word slipped from my lips before I realized I had spoken aloud.Aisha glanced at me immediately.“What is it?”I slowly pushed myself upright despite the pain