Todos os capítulos de The Witch And The Alpha : Capítulo 31 - Capítulo 40

Ilyra POVI thought it would feel like victory.That’s the lie I told myself when I stepped into the temple, when I spoke words that didn’t belong to me, when I pressed my hands against the chest of the man who ended my mother’s life and chose—chose—to save him instead of finishing what blood demanded.I thought there would be relief.Closure.Something clean.There is nothing clean about this.The first thing I feel when I open my eyes is cold.Not the kind that bites your skin and makes you curl into yourself, but the kind that settles deeper, under bone, behind breath. It doesn’t ask permission. It doesn’t leave.I lie still, staring at a sky that looks… wrong.Too pale.Too empty.For a moment, I don’t remember how I got here.Then I do.And I wish I didn’t.My fingers twitch against the ground. Dirt. Real. Damp. I curl them into it like I need proof of something solid.The spell worked.That’s what matters.Isn’t it?I laugh.It comes out thin. Crooked. Not quite mine.“Careful,”

Ilyra POVWe don’t move right away.That’s the first mistake.Or maybe it’s the only honest thing we’ve done since the temple—standing there, too close, pretending distance still exists when something already closed it without asking either of us.I should step back.I don’t.Neither does he.There’s a kind of silence that feels peaceful.This isn’t that.This is the kind that listens.The kind that waits for you to say the wrong thing so it can prove something you don’t want proven.“You’re staring,” I say.I don’t mean for it to sound like an accusation, but it does anyway.His jaw shifts slightly.“You’re not exactly easy to ignore.”That should annoy me.It almost does.Instead, I look away first.Coward.“I need to check something,” I mutter, stepping past him before the moment turns into something worse. Or something I won’t be able to undo.The ground feels uneven beneath my feet as I crouch, pressing my palm into the dirt.Magic isn’t gone.That’s the first relief.It’s there

Ilyra POVI should leave.That thought comes first—clean, sharp, practical. It cuts through everything else like it’s supposed to be enough.It isn’t.I’m still standing here.Still close enough to feel the space where his hand was around my wrist, like something lingered there longer than it should have. Not heat. Not quite.Recognition.I hate that word.“What do you mean it wants me?” I ask.My voice sounds steadier than I feel. That’s something, at least.He doesn’t answer right away.Of course he doesn’t.Vaelor always pauses when the truth matters, like he’s deciding how much of it I deserve.Or how much he’s willing to admit.“I mean exactly that,” he says finally.“That’s not helpful.”“It’s not supposed to be helpful.”“Then try being clear.”His jaw shifts, tension pulling tight under his skin.“When your magic touched it,” he says slowly, “it didn’t push back.”“I noticed.”“It didn’t try to break free.”“I noticed that too.”“It reached,” he finishes.I swallow.“Yes.”“A

Ilyra POVIt finds us too quickly.That’s the first thing I understand.Not guess. Not fear. Understand.Because whatever is moving through the forest right now isn’t searching.It already knows where we are.“Don’t move,” I whisper.Vaelor doesn’t argue.That’s new.That’s how I know this is worse than anything we’ve faced so far.The air changes first.It thickens—not like his curse, not like magic pressing outward, but like something is folding space inward, tightening it around us until breathing feels… optional.I hate that feeling.I remember it.Or—no.Not remember.Recognize.My chest tightens.“Tell me you feel that,” I say.“I do.”His voice is low, controlled.Too controlled.“Is it yours?” I ask.“No.”That should be comforting.It isn’t.Because whatever this is—It’s not bound.It’s not contained.And it’s not hesitating.A branch snaps somewhere to our left.Not loud.But deliberate.I turn toward the sound before I can stop myself.Nothing.Just trees.Shadows.The ki

Ilyra POVHe’s gone.That’s what it looks like.That’s what it should feel like.But the forest doesn’t relax.Neither do I.“Tell me you feel that,” I say quietly.Vaelor doesn’t answer immediately.He’s still looking at the space where that thing—Nyreth—was.Like if he stares long enough, it’ll step back into shape.“I feel it,” he says finally.“Where?”“Everywhere.”That’s not helpful.It’s also not wrong.I exhale slowly, forcing my shoulders to loosen even though every instinct is still screaming.“That wasn’t normal magic,” I say.“No.”“That wasn’t a spirit.”“No.”“That wasn’t anything I’ve ever been taught about.”He glances at me.“Same.”That should be impossible.He doesn’t do unknowns.He survives them.There’s a difference.“We should move,” I say.“We should,” he agrees.We don’t.Not right away.Because something stayed.I can feel it.Not him—Nyreth—exactly.But the space he left behind.Like a mark.Like a door that doesn’t know how to close anymore.“Don’t,” Vaelo