Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

SeraMina didn’t talk much while she helped me clean up. She dipped a cloth in warm water and wiped the dirt and dried blood from my face. Every time the fabric touched a bruise, I winced. My body felt like it had been put through a meat grinder. My ribs were stiff, and my arms felt heavy, like they were made of lead. I was furious. I wasn't just tired; I was vibrating with a deep, ugly resentment toward Yvara. She hadn't been training me. She’d been using me as a punching bag."You're presentable," Mina said quietly, stepping back. She looked at my split lip and sighed.I didn't thank her. I just turned and limped toward the door.Breakfast wasn't in the Great Hall. A guard led me to a smaller room deeper in the fortress. It was quiet and warm, with a fire crackling in a stone hearth. A table was already set with bread, meat, and bowls of thick porridge. Fenris was already there. He sat at the head of the table, cutting into a piece of steak with a heavy knife .He didn't look up whe

SeraBy training day three, my body had reached a state of constant, dull vibration. Every muscle felt like a guitar string pulled too tight. But the movements were finally starting to make sense. When Yvara stepped in, I didn't just flinch and wait for the impact. I braced. I planted my heels and kept my center heavy, just like she’d been shouting at me to do for the last forty-eight hours.The pain wasn't getting better. If anything, it was worse because Yvara saw I could take it and decided to hit harder. Every strike felt like being swung at with a heavy lead pipe. But I was anticipating now.Yvara lunged, a straight jab aimed at my nose. I didn't back away. I shifted my weight, brought my forearms up in a tight V, and took the hit on my bones. It rattled my teeth, but I stayed standing. Yesterday, that hit would have put me on my ass ."Again," Yvara barked.She swung a low, sweeping kick. I dropped my weight, blocking with the side of my shin. It stung like a burn, but I didn't

SeraI didn't feel the laces tightening across my ribs, even though Mina was pulling them hard enough to make me wince. My body was on autopilot—arms lifting when she nudged them, chin tilting when she needed to reach a fastener. My mind was stuck in the dirt of the training yard, picturing a seven-year-old boy with hands covered in blood that wasn’t his.Mina was rambling. Something about Yvara’s mood, something about the cold. I didn't hear a word of it. I was just looking at my own hands, palms up, wondering how much blood they could hold before I broke."Are you even in there?" Mina asked, pausing with her hands on my waist."I’m fine," I said. The lie felt thin, like old parchment.Mina didn't push. She’d learned by now that I wasn't going to open up just because she asked. She finished the last of the ties and stepped back, looking me over. "You look presentable. Go eat. Real food this time, Sera. You’re going to need the energy."She left, the door clicking shut behind her. I t

SeraI could still feel the heat of his breath on my skin when I reached my door. It was a physical weight, sticking to my lips like honey. My legs felt like they were made of damp straw, shaking with every step I took away from that breakfast table. I leaned my shoulder against the stone wall of the corridor for a second, just to steady the world. He had said he wanted to fuck me. He had said it with the same flat, brutal honesty he used to describe anything. But his eyes didn’t lie. I saw the truth in them.I pushed through my door, my hand slipping on the iron handle.Mina was sitting on the edge of the mattress. She looked up immediately. She had that expectant look on her face, like she was waiting for a report. Then she saw me. Her eyes narrowed and she stood up."What happened?" she asked.I closed the door. I didn't turn around. I just leaned my back against the wood and stayed there. My lungs felt too small for the air in the room.Mina walked toward me, her boots clicking so

FenrisThe leather bag was old. It was cracked in several places, leaking thin streams of sand onto the stone floor every time I hit it. The heavy chains groaned, a high-pitched metallic scrape that echoed in the small, windowless space. This was the belly of the mountain, a place the torches barely touched. The only sound was the rhythmic thud-thud of my knuckles hitting the hide.I punched harder. I wanted the ache. I needed the sharp, white-hot sting in my wrists to drown out the memory of how Sera’s pulse had hammered against her neck when I leaned in earlier. I could still smell her—that Southern scent of citrus and something soft—clinging to my skin."What did the bag do to you?"I didn't stop. I didn't turn around. I just drove a left hook into the leather, making the bag swing wild.Dimitri walked into my peripheral vision. He leaned his shoulder against the damp stone wall and crossed his arms. He looked exactly the same as he did the morning he rode out to the battle that ki