Semua Bab Rejected by my cursed mate: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Lucius's POVI was running.The blood was murky on the floor. The moon was low and red, nearly like glare. I could hear a cry in front, so low, interrupted, full of agony."Lucius..."My chest pounded with my ribs.I turned about and peered through the woods. "Who's there?"The voice was repeated, all the more distinctly. "Help me..."I made a thrust, branches lacerated my flesh, thorns tore my arms. Then I saw her.She was on her knees in the mud, with torn clothes and blood on them. She screamed, and her hair clung to her face; her shoulders trembled. Her fingers were clasped about her belly, and the blood between them."No," I whispered.She lifted her head.Her eyes met mine.Pain ripped through my chest."Ari," I breathed.She reached for me. "Why didn't you save me?"I did not know, I said, desperate, going toward her. "I didn't understand. I was sick. I was—"She screamed.The noise ripped me to pieces like nails. Blood sprayed on the ground, black and unending. A little scream

InstinctsAri's POV It was the well-awakened longing of a bond, stinging and piercing, as though it were newly awakened to life after years of slumber. My heart sank like a sore ache, and a moment to live in terror, my illusion passed. “Don’t,” I whispered to myself. “Not now.” The market noise continued--barking of the dogs, people shouting, guards giving orders-- but on top of all that, I heard him standing in one place. Confused. Alert. Hunting. I slipped around two traders who were haggling over dried meat and dodged through a crowd of ladies with their baskets. My heart was even loud enough that I did not know whether he could hear it or not. Then I heard his voice, and he was behind me. “Wait.” My legs almost gave. I forced myself not to react. Not to turn. Not to answer. I took another step. And another. Once more, the illusion changed and responded to my fear. My smell faded, and it became mixed with dozens of other people. I caused my magic to run thin,

Rylan's Next MoveAri's POVI felt it then--the shift. Warriors exchanged glances. Some nodded eagerly. Others looked uneasy.The ones who would die were they.I muttered a spell over my breath, and a shimmer went flashing off. Only to the extent of exposing myself, enough to broaden my vision. The illusion moved forward and was floating near the group like a thin veil.Rylan's voice dropped. There are... quieters amongst us. False hope that clings to them still.A warrior swallowed. "You mean Alpha Lucius."The smile of Rylan did not go to his eyes. I mean, anybody who will stand in the path of the survival of the pack.Cold ran down my spine.When the meeting broke, Rylan pointed to a lesser company--a half-dozen warriors, all of them strong, all of them loyal to him. He made them leave the workout ground for the eastern forest.I walked on behind, heart racing.They paused at the edge of a deep ravine where the bushes were thick, and the sound could not be heard far. Rylan swivelle

The Vision that Converts LuciusAri's POVSlowly, Lucius sat up, with his fears and wonders mingling upon his face. You are not real, you are not real, he said hoarsely. "You're just another trick."She frowned. "I'm real," she said simply.My hands shook at my sides. Keep your head still, I said to myself. "Please stay calm."Lucius made an outreach and drew back his hand, as though he was in fear of her disappearing. "What's your name?"Harriet was wavering in her glow. I sensed her indecisiveness in the relationship that we had."Harriet," she said at last.The name hit him like a blow.Lucius clutched himself and gasped. "That name..." Groaned and pained, his countenance passed. "Why does it hurt?"Harriet stepped closer. Because you forgot, she said to herself."Forgot what?" he demanded, his voice rising.Her little hands stared back at her. "You forgot us."The room trembled. The curse within him is swelling and furious and straining to gulp down the truth. I could even feel it

Council of FireAri's POVMy lungs burned as I ran.The fissure made in the cave wall had swallowed the storage cave, created a dark hole in the stone, and I could still feel the presence of Rylan as a blade in my back. The alarms he had set on his way resounded in the mountain, the low angry ones rustling dust out of the trees as I jumped out into the forest. I ached in my legs, my shoulder seemed to ache, but I made no pause. Fear sharpened my focus. I had endured worse than this.To my right, I said to myself, Left, and went along the road I knew. "Then down."I crouched into deep bushes and crawled into a shallow ravine, dampening my pair of boots. I paced my palm into the ground and muttered a word of prayer. The ground shook, and my tracks were covered sufficiently. Not perfect. But enough to buy time.Time was all I needed.I did not make a beeline towards Harriet. I must not run a risk of leading anybody to her. Instead, I went farther into the farther fringe of Blood Pact ter