Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

LUCAS’S POVThe wooden staff cracked against Kane’s, the impact reverberating up my arms. I twisted, driving forward with another strike that forced my Beta back three steps.Kane blocked, but barely. I could see sweat dripping down his temple as he reset his stance.I didn’t give him the chance to breathe before I came at him again, the staff whistling through the air. He parried, but my next blow shattered his guard entirely.Liora’s face flashed before my eyes, wet hair plastered to her shoulders, water droplets sliding down her skin, those hazel eyes wide with surprise and something else. A reaction that had made my cock harden despite every reason it shouldn’t.I struck again, channeling the frustration into the movement.The image shifted to the day she sat on my horse, pressed against my chest, her body soft and warm, the way she’d looked up at me with those eyes, and the way my name had sounded on her lips.

LIORA’S POV I blinked, certain I’d seen wrong, That smirk couldn’t have been real. Elora couldn’t have just…. She shoved past me, her shoulder connecting hard with mine, and the force nearly sent me stumbling. Her maids followed like a pack of wolves, their eyes cold and gleaming with malice as they swept by. I stood there, my hand still reaching back to feel the torn fabric, my mind reeling. She did this, She tore my gown which meant the warmth, the gratitude, and the promise of family had all been an act. The horn sounded again, more insistent this time. “Lady Liora!” A guard’s voice called from beyond the doors. “You must enter now!” I looked down at the tear. The fabric hung in tatters from my waist, exposing the shift beneath and the bare skin of my lower back. If I walked in there like this, the entire court would see. But what choice did I have? Turn around and run? Refuse to enter? That would be worse than any wardrobe malfunction. I straightened my shoulders, lifte

LIORA’S POVDarren carried me through corridors I didn’t recognize, past tapestries and portraits that blurred together in my tear-filled vision. Finally, he stopped before an ornate door and pushed it open with his shoulder.The room beyond was beautiful, it was spacious and filled with afternoon light streaming through tall windows. A four-poster bed draped in cream silk dominated the space, and I could see doorways leading to what looked like a private bathing chamber and a sitting room.Darren set me down carefully on the bed, his hands lingering at my waist to make sure I was steady before he released me.“Are you hurt?” he asked, crouching down to examine my knees where I’d fallen. “Did you…”“I’m fine,” I said quickly, drawing back from his touch. “Thank you.”He looked up at me, concern etched across his features. “Liora?”“Really, I’m fine.” I smoothed my ruined gown, avoiding his eyes. The humiliation was still fresh in my mind; the fall, the laughter, the way everyone had l

LIORA’S POVI woke to the bite of rope around my wrists.My eyes flew open, panic flooding through me as I tried to move. My hands were bound behind my back, my ankles tied together. And a rough cloth was stuffed in my mouth, gagging me so thoroughly that I could barely breathe through my nose.I struggled, thrashing against my restraints, trying to scream, but only muffled sounds escaped.Where was I? What was happening?The world around me swayed and bounced. I was being carried, I realized, no, dragged along the ground by multiple hands gripping my arms and legs. Shadows danced across stone walls illuminated by flickering torchlight.Then I heard it. Chanting.Low rhythmic and eerie voices, speaking words I didn’t understand. The sound made my skin crawl, I felt fear clawing up my spine. The hands holding me suddenly let go. I was dropped unceremoniously onto the cold stone, the impact jarring through my bones. I tried to roll away, to escape, but someone’s foot pressed down on my

LIORA’S POV The cane cracked against the desk, inches from my hand. I jerked back, my heart leaping into my throat as I stared up at Lady Maelis. “If you cannot pay attention, Lady Liora, perhaps we should extend today’s lesson by another hour.” “I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I was listening, I just…” “Just what? Daydreaming? Wool-gathering?” Lady Maelis’s thin lips pressed into a disapproving line. She was an older woman, rail-thin with severe features and gray hair pulled back so tightly it looked painful. “A proper lady does not let her mind wander during instruction.” I bit back the retort that wanted to escape. It had been three hours already. Three hours of posture corrections, tea-pouring techniques, and the proper way to address seventeen different ranks of nobility. My mind kept drifting to last night. To me almost dying, to my maids laughing around that bonfire. Then to Lucas's lips on mine. The cane tapped against the desk again, lighter this time but no les