All Chapters of Claimed by the Ruthless Alpha Prince: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

Another crash, followed by creative profanity that would make a soldier blush.I push through the bathroom door and freeze.Selene is tangled in the shower curtain, clearly having been in the middle of bathing when something went wrong. The curtain is wrapped around her like a cocoon as she struggles to free herself while maintaining modesty. Water drips from her auburn hair, and her cheeks flush with embarrassment.“Don’t look!” She shrieks.The mate bond surges at the sight of her, my wolf practically howling with recognition. Water droplets cling to her bare shoulders, her wet hair falling in dark waves around her face. The clinging fabric outlines curves that make my mouth go dry.“Seth!” Her voice is breathless with panic and mortification. “What are You doing here?”I should leave. Turn around, walk away, pretend this never happened.But my feet seem rooted to the tiles.“I heard you cry out,” I managed, my voice rough. “I thought you were in danger.”She finally frees one arm,

His presence washes over me like a warm blanket, erasing every worry that was spinning through my mind just moments ago. My confusion about having two fated mates, the impossibility of it all—none of that seems to matter when I’m looking into his chocolate brown eyes.“I understand this may be overwhelming,” Zane says softly, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “But I’d very much like to get to know you, if you’ll allow me to.”The gentleness in his voice is such a stark contrast to Seth’s harsh words in the forest. No one has ever asked for my permission like this, never treated my feelings as something that mattered.“I…” I start, then find myself nodding. “I’d like that, too.”His smile is brilliant, transforming his already handsome features into something that makes my insides tingle. “Tell me about yourself. Your family?”I settle more comfortably on the bench, still maintaining some distance but no longer poised to flee. “I come from a family of healers. My parents, my sibling

A WEEK FLIES BY, and suddenly it’s time for my twice-monthly lunch with Astra and Daciana. I settle into the plush cushions of Astra’s private sitting room, the afternoon light filtering through her tall windows and casting everything in a warm, golden glow. This is so much better than the crowded dining hall—just the three of us, plates of sandwiches and fresh fruit spread across the low table, no one else around to overhear our conversation.“You’re glowing,” Astra observes, curling up in her favorite armchair with a cup of tea balanced on her knee. “Why are you in such a good mood?”I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face as I reach for a strawberry. “Can’t I just be happy?”Daciana snorts from her spot on the window seat, already halfway through her sandwich. “She’s being courted, that’s why.”“Courted?” Astra’s eyebrows shoot up with interest, and she leans forward like she’s ready for good gossip. “By whom?”“Zane Radrick,” Daciana says with obvious satisfaction, like

Think about it,” Leon continues, sounding more sober now even though we both keep drinking. “If it were possible, we would know about it. It would have been mentioned at some point. These connections simply don’t work like that. Selene and Zane are both wrong. Whatever they’re feeling, it’s not the fated mate bond.”When he lays it out like that, it does sound suspicious. But…“What reason would they have to lie?” I ask, looking back toward where she stood just moments ago. “If Zane wants her, he could simply pursue her, and Selene”—I hesitate for a moment—“Selene and I have nothing between us aside from the bond that she knows I don’t want.”“There may be another reason. Selene stands to gain nothing from associating with Zane, unless she likes power—and if she wanted power, she would have accepted the titles and lands that Lucian offered both her and Daciana.” Leon’s voice is hard now. “So, it has to be Zane. He wants something from her.”My wolf paces restlessly, worried now. “What

The walk back to my quarters feels endless. Seth carries me like I weigh nothing, his arms steady despite the way his heart is pounding against my side. I want to protest, to demand he put me down, but my feet throb with every slight movement, and the exhaustion weighing on me makes resistance impossible.The fated mate bond thrums between us, alive and insistent in a way it hasn’t been for two weeks. It’s disorienting, like suddenly remembering how to breathe after forgetting you need air. Every point where his body touches mine sends sparks racing under my skin, and I hate it. I hate that my body responds to him when my mind knows better.We finally reach my door, and he pushes it open with his shoulder, carrying me inside without asking permission. He sets me down on the edge of my bed with surprising gentleness, and I immediately try to scoot away from him.“Stay still,” he orders.“I’m fine,” I snap back, but the words sound weak even to my own ears. “I can heal myself.”I press