My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 541 - 챕터 550

ElaraMy hand slid beneath the fur, closing around the ring. My knee jerked beneath it as I stared at Kane. He hadn't moved.I leaned forward, coming out from under my cover, one hand gripping the seat edge. "What I'm going to do? You brought me here! I had no choice, no say, and now you're asking me why I wanted to escape?"Kane turned to look out the window, an impassive mask on his face. The gate houses slid by, lantern light catching in his hair.I felt my voice rising, my words tumbling out faster and louder. "My parents begged you to let me stay. They begged you not to take me. But you didn't care, did you? You just dragged me back like some kind of... like some kind of prisoner!""Like you don't know!" I burst out. "Like you don't know exactly what I wanted when I went to that trader. I wanted to get away from you!"I froze. It was too loud, too raw. I looked at Kane, waiting for his reaction, bracing myself for it. But he just kept staring out the window, his face as empty as

BramMy paws crunched through the snow. The hare's blood still tingled on my wolf's tongue. I reached the burrow where my bundle was hidden, a mound of snow at the base of a twisted root.I shifted back, my bones folding in on themselves, my muzzle drawing back into the nose and mouth of Kael's face, my four legs straightening to two.And now I was standing naked in the snow. The cold bit at my bare skin, but it couldn't make me shiver. My body ran too hot for that. I dug my bundle from its icy bed, shaking the powder from the old coat and tunic.I dressed swiftly. When the coat was on, I strapped the satchel beneath it. The weight of the papers lay against my ribs.It was the reason I walked these woods on two feet, instead of dashing through the woods as a wolf.A wolf couldn't keep them dry in this snow. There was nothing left for me back in Ironmaw, and if I tried to push through the passes, the riders would catch me sure as daybreak.I kept walking. For the first time in all that

LyraDawn came, a chill grey light creeping into the room. I blinked, realizing I'd been staring at Edran's chair by the window for hours. I hadn't slept. I'd lain awake all night, an arm's length away from Nadia's back.I tried not to imagine him in it, before...Nadia stirred. I tensed, waiting."Your father is all I see when I look at you now," she whispered. "I can't bear it, Lyra."My breath caught. I opened my mouth, but no words came. My tongue felt tangled, heavy. My whole body felt heavy, as if I'd been buried under the floorboards."I don't want to see your face again, Lyra. I can't."A sound escaped me. "Nadia..."Silence. She didn't move.I stared at that gap on the carpet. My hand rose, fingers curling to caress her rigid back. But it fell away, returned to press against my own thigh. My gaze caught on the chair, angled to the window. The dent in the cushion.I lay there, unmoving, as the light slowly grew on the wall. The shadows retreated, exposing the rough texture of

SeraI sat at my table by the hearth and unclasped the damp leather satchel. The rough hide was punctured by ragged tooth marks. I reached inside and drew out the first crumpled paper, smoothing it flat on the table-top with a slow press of my palm.Yvara leaned over my shoulder, eyeing the figure scrawled on the page. "Eighteen thousand pieces of silver," she muttered. "Fuck."Fenris took the next crumpled paper, carefully smoothing out its creases. His gaze narrowed as he read the cracked ink, the muscles in his clenched jaw working."Claim to Greyhollow Silver Mine, in the name of Elder Kael," he growled.I pointed at the bottom of the claim: forty parts of the hundred sold, and no name against the sale, only a mark."Do either of you know this?"Fenris said, "No."Yvara held the paper to the firelight, squinted. "I've never seen it."Then I opened the ledger. In its margins, in a rougher hand than the rest of the book, someone had worked the same sums over and over: sixty, and ele

KaneFinally, the big Alpha stirred. He shifted his attention to Elara, ignoring me completely. "What's your name?" His voice was almost kind, and I blinked, taken aback by the gentleness."Elara," she answered quietly, "Elara Ashford." Her voice trembled only slightly.The Alpha inclined his head. "You're welcome here," he said. "I'm glad you could make the journey."Then he leaned closer, breathing in deeply. Elara tensed beside me. He waved a hand dismissively. "You smell odd, woman. Must be those strange fragrances you Southerners wear." His tone was dry, almost playful.Elara remained stiff, silent, though her heart pounded against my side.I stepped forward, the black case clutched in both hands. I could feel his eyes on me, assessing. I set the case on the table between us with a soft thud."Alpha," I said, meeting his gaze steadily. "Thank you for receiving us. I bring greetings from Blackwater pack, and word from the South. It's an honour to finally meet you in person." I gav