Semua Bab Oh My Beta!: Bab 111 - Bab 120

Riven’s POV The Shadowmere territory was darker than I expected. Not literally, the sun shone the same here as anywhere else. But there was something in the air, something in the way the trees grew thick and close, the way the paths twisted and narrowed. Something that felt like secrets. “Beta, how much further?” Marcus, the younger warrior I’d brought, not the healer—shifted in his saddle. “We’ve been riding for two days.” “Their pack house should be another few hours north.” I checked the map again, though I’d memorized it before we left. “We’ll arrive before nightfall.” “And then what?” This from Garrett, the other warrior. Older, more experienced, more cautious. “We can’t exactly walk up and ask if their Alpha is alive and harboring a fugitive.” “We observe first. Gather information. If Dominic Thorne is alive, there will be signs—pack activity, Alpha presence, territorial markers.” I folded the map. “If Claire is there, we’ll know.” “And if she is?” Good question. I’d sp

Aria’s POV I sat in the Luna’s private sitting room, a space I’d been exiled from for months, now restored to me as if nothing had happened. Everything here was exactly as I remembered. The cream furniture. The tall windows overlooking the gardens. The portrait of the previous Luna hanging above the fireplace, watching with painted eyes. All of it familiar and utterly foreign at the same time. The circlet sat on the side table next to me. I’d taken it off the moment I’d escaped the formal reception, unable to bear the weight of it for another second. A knock at the door made me look up. “Enter.” Riven stepped inside. He looked exhausted. His hair was still damp, like he’d just bathed. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. His clothes were fresh but hastily thrown on. He looked like he’d ridden himself into the ground to get back here. And he’d still been too late. “You wanted to see me.” His voice was carefully neutral. “Yes. Please, sit.” He remained standing. “I’d prefer not t

Aria’s POV I didn’t sleep that night. I lay in the Luna’s chambers. too large, too empty, too much like a gilded cage and stared at the ceiling while my mind churned through possibilities. Accept Kade’s offer. Dissolve the bond. Walk away from everything I’d fought to reclaim. Or keep the position. Keep the power. Keep pretending this was what I wanted. By dawn, I still hadn’t decided. I rose, dressed in simple clothes instead of Luna regalia, and made my way through the quiet mansion. My feet carried me to a place I hadn’t visited since returning—the library where I’d spent hours during my brief time as Luna before the exile. Before everything fell apart. It was empty this early. Peaceful. I pulled a random book from the shelf and sat by the window, not really reading, just needing to be somewhere that didn’t feel like a stage. “I thought I might find you here.” I looked up to find Elder Cassius in the doorway. “Elder. I didn’t expect—” “May I join you?” He didn’t wait fo

Aria’s POV I moved back to the Cold Palace that evening. Not as an exile this time. As a choice. Olive helped me pack my belongings from the Luna’s chambers—the ones I’d occupied for all of one day before everything changed again. “You’re really doing this,” she said, folding one of my dresses. “Giving it all up.” “I’m not giving anything up. I’m choosing what actually matters.” I looked around the room that had never felt like mine. “This was always temporary. I just didn’t realize how temporary until I stood in front of the Elders and felt relieved when they took it away.” “And Riven?” “Doesn’t trust me yet. Can’t blame him.” I closed a trunk. “But he’s not leaving. At least not tomorrow. That’s something.” “It’s more than something. It’s a chance.” Olive paused. “Don’t waste it, Aria.” “I won’t.” We worked in silence for a while, packing up the remnants of my brief return to power. A servant appeared in the doorway. “Miss Aria, there’s someone here to see you. Says it’s u

Riven’s POV Pain. That was the first thing I became aware of. Not the dull ache of injury or the sharp sting of a wound. This was different. This was fire in my veins, acid in my bones, every cell in my body screaming. I tried to move, couldn’t. Tried to open my eyes, managed only slits. Blurred shapes. Voices, muffled and distant. “—hold him down—” “—fighting the treatment—” “—has to stay conscious for this part—” Hands on my shoulders, my arms. Restraining, not hurting, but firm. Then a new pain, sharper, more focused. Something being injected directly into the wolfsbane-affected areas. I heard myself scream. Or tried to. The sound came out strangled, broken. “I know. I know it hurts. But you have to endure it. The treatment has to reach the poison directly.” A woman’s voice, unfamiliar, clinical. “Two more injections. Stay with me.” Two more. I didn’t think I could survive two more. But I didn’t get a choice. The second injection felt like molten silver being poured