Lahat ng Kabanata ng FATEBOUND: Mated to my step-brother: Kabanata 101 - Kabanata 110

Gianna.The words settled heavily in the room.Gianna can’t come.For a second, nobody spoke.I just stared at Marcus quietly while something cold twisted slowly inside my chest. Not exactly a shock. I think part of me already expected it. Expected the protection. The hiding. The carefulness.Still hurt though.Because no matter how logical it sounded, it still felt like being left behind.Beside me, Ivan went completely still.“No,” he said flatly.Marcus exhaled slowly like he already knew that response was coming. “Ivan.”“She’s coming.”“It’s too risky.”My jaw tightened faintly.There it was again.Risky.Dangerous.Unstable.Every conversation lately somehow circled back to what I was becoming.Mum shifted awkwardly near the counter before speaking carefully. “Baby, maybe Marcus is right. Just this once.”Just this once.I looked down briefly at my hands.The room suddenly felt too warm.Too small.And the worst part?A tiny selfish part of me wanted Ivan to keep fighting. Wante

Gianna.Nobody spoke.Not immediately.The words seemed to hang in the air long after Ivan said them.The Alpha transition will begin today.I could feel it.The shift.The exact moment everyone in the room realized this wasn't some heated disagreement anymore.This wasn't a discussion.It wasn't a debate.Ivan had made a decision.And now the entire council had to decide what to do with it.The silence lasted maybe three seconds.Then the room exploded."This is reckless.""You cannot make a decision of this magnitude emotionally.""The curse alone should delay the transition.""What happens if she turns rogue?""Enough."The single word cracked through the hall.Every voice died instantly.Ivan hadn't even raised his voice.He didn't need to.The authority behind it seemed to wrap itself around the room and squeeze.Silence followed immediately."You've said I've been avoiding responsibilities," Ivan said evenly. "You've said I've been creating delays. Well, here I am."His eyes swe

Gianna.The room remained quiet.Marcus leaned forward first, resting his forearms against his knees."What exactly happens during the ritual?"The Seer's expression grew serious."The curse binding Gianna and Ivan cannot be removed while they remain connected to this world."My stomach tightened immediately."What does that mean?" Mum asked."It means both of them must cross over."Silence.The kind that makes your ears ring.I frowned."Cross over where?"The Seer's eyes settled on me."Between life and death."Nobody moved.Nobody even breathed.Beside me, Ivan's hand tightened around mine."What?" I whispered."I already mentioned it before. The ritual requires both of you to enter a temporary death."The room exploded."Absolutely not."Mum was already shaking her head."No."Marcus stood so quickly his chair nearly tipped over."Find another way.""There isn't one," the Seer replied quietly.The room fell silent again.Painful.Heavy.Unbelieving.The Seer continued."The curse

Gianna.Darkness.Not the kind that comes with closed eyes.The kind that feels alive.Breathing.Watching.Waiting.For a long moment, I didn't move.Didn't think.Didn't feel.I simply existed.Floating somewhere between nothing and something.Somewhere between life and death.Then pain crashed into me.My eyes flew open.A gasp tore from my throat as I bolted upright.Air rushed into my lungs.Cold.Sharp.Painful.For a second, I could only sit there.Breathing.Trying to understand where I was.The ground beneath me felt damp.The air smelled strange.Like rain and smoke and something older.Something that didn't belong in the world I knew.Immediately, something felt wrong.Terribly wrong.The silence felt wrong.The air felt wrong.Everything felt...Wrong.I looked around quickly.Trees.Fog.Moonlight.Nothing else.No candles.No ritual circle.No Seer.No Mum.No Marcus.No Ivan.My heart stopped."Ivan?"My voice sounded small.Weak.The darkness swallowed it whole.Nothin

Gianna.I tried not to panic. This wouldn't be the first time the curse tried to make me think I wasn't going to find my way to Ivan.But to my surprise the usual voices weren't here, and the thought distubed me.I closed my eyes trying to think of the next memory, to make an attempt.But when I did. I was immediately taken to the memory.My brows knotted tightly. Why was that so easy?“Ginger.” A voice called from behind me, I turned and my hands flew around his neck, as I leaned into Ivan's embrace.“I know. I know.” He simply said, like he understood everything I couldn't fit into words right now.We pulled apart and walked over to the side of the pool where memory versions of us sat. I was in Ivan's lap as he told me about Roselyn.“It was the first time you were vulnerable with me.” I said, our eyes fixed on the scene unfolding in front of us.“I've never told anyone about her before. I don't think my dad ever understood the damage it did to me.”“I feel really special now.” I sa