Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Marked Mate of the Lycan King: Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

TENDING WOUNDSThe morning light in the mountains wasn't like the light in the city. It didn't hit the stone walls and bounce off; it seeped through the cracks of the cabin, soft and dusty.Esmeralda woke up on the floor, her back against the King’s bedframe. Her joints ached. She stood up slowly, her bones popping in the quiet room. The fire had gone out, leaving only a cold, grey pile of ash.She looked at her hands. They were trembling. Don't start, she told herself. If you start shaking now, you won't be able to hold the needle.She walked to the small table in the corner and picked up a basin. She stepped outside to the well, the cold air biting at her cheeks. The water was freezing, but it felt good. It felt real.When she came back inside, Finn was awake. He was watching her, his head tilted to the side."You look like a mess," he whispered. His voice was a little stronger than the night before, but still thin."And you look like a pincushion," Esmeralda shot back, though her v

THE CONFESSIONThe silence in the mountain cabin was heavy, broken only by the crackle of the hearth and the ragged, shallow breathing of the man behind the furs. Finn’s hand was still on Esmeralda’s shoulder, a warm, steady weight that usually grounded her."He’s stable for now, Esme," Finn whispered, his voice thick with a tenderness that made her chest ache. "You’ve done everything you can. Sit. Eat something. You’re trembling."Esmeralda looked down at her hands. They were stained with the dark, metallic blood of a King—a man who had claimed her as a ruse, a man who had used her as a shield, and yet, a man whose heartbeat felt like the rhythm of her own.Finn guided her to the small wooden table, pressing a cup of tea into her hands. He knelt before her, his blue eyes searching hers with a desperate sort of hope. "We’re safe here. The Citadel is leagues away. Once he’s strong enough to sit a horse, we’ll get him to the border, and then... then we can go. Just like we planned. We c

ECHOES IN THE STONEThe carriage ride back to the Citadel had been silent. Not a cold silence, but one filled with the weight of the night they had left behind in the cabin. Demetrius held her hand the entire way, his thumb stroking her knuckles as if to remind himself she was actually there.But as the high, grey walls of the palace loomed over them, Esmeralda felt the warmth from the cabin begin to drain away. The stone wasn't just stone here; it was a cage.They walked through the corridors, the guards bowing low. Every clatter of armor made her flinch. Finally, they reached the heavy double doors of the Royal Chambers."Esme?" Demetrius asked, stopping at the threshold. He felt her hand go cold. "You’ve gone pale."Esmeralda looked at the doors. Her breath felt thin. "This was where I waited for the end, Demetrius. Every time these doors opened, I didn't know if I was going to be fed or executed.""You aren't a prisoner now," he said softly, stepping in front of her. "You are the

THE WEIGHT OF JUSTICEThe morning sun hit the mountain snow with a blinding white light. Inside the retreat, the air was warm, smelling of toasted bread and the last of the firewood. Esmeralda sat at the small kitchen table, her eyes tired but her mind racing. The papers from the night before were still spread out, edges curled from the humidity of the kettle.Demetrius was by the window, sharpening a small hunting knife. The rhythmic shick-shick of the stone against metal was the only sound."You're quiet today," he said, not looking up."I'm just thinking about the omegas," Esmeralda replied, wrapping her hands around a hot mug. "We talked about giving them a voice. But I wonder if they’ll even believe us when we tell them. When you’ve been kicked for so long, you start to bite at any hand that reaches out, even a kind one."Demetrius stopped sharpening and tested the edge with his thumb. "They’ve lived in the shadows because it was the only safe place. Trust isn't something you can

THE KING KILLERThe fire in the hearth was dying down, turning into a pile of glowing orange ribs. Esmeralda sat in the high-backed chair, her feet tucked under her. Outside, the wind was howling, a sound that usually made her feel lonely, but tonight it felt like a conversation.She had an old book open on her lap. The pages were yellow and smelled like dust and dried flowers. It was the book of the First Seers. She had read the same four lines a thousand times since she was a girl.“When the moon bleeds and the earth cries, the King-Killer shall walk the halls of gold. No crown shall stay whole, no throne shall stay tall, for the hand that brings the end is the hand that brings the dawn.”Demetrius walked in, carrying a tray with two cups of herbal tea. He set it down on the low table and looked at the book."Still staring at that old thing, Esme?" he asked softly. "I thought we were done with ghosts for one day."Esmeralda looked up, her eyes bright in the firelight. "I’ve been wro