All Chapters of Claimed by the Ruthless Alpha Prince: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Kael's POVThe emeralds in the delicate silver necklace catch the afternoon light, sparkling like tiny fragments of captured forest. They’re the exact shade of Elara’s eyes—that deep, rich green—which sparkle when she laughs.When she used to laugh.“An excellent choice, sir,” the jeweler says, carefully lifting the necklace from its velvet display. “This is one of our finest pieces.”He’s right. The stones are flawless, the silver work exquisite. I imagine how it will look against her throat, how the green will make her eyes shine the way they used to.I watch Elara through the shop window as the man wraps the necklace. She’s standing perfectly still beside her knapsack, Luna draped across her shoulders like a living scarf, her gaze fixed on some distant point beyond the bustling market square. She looks like a statue—beautiful, untouchable, and completely lifeless.My wolf paces restlessly beneath my skin. A week ago, Elara would have protested when I led her to this jewelry shop. W

Kael's POVThe news should concern me. It should send me racing back to the capital to smooth things over, to play the dutiful prince and heir. Instead, I find myself glancing back at the inn, toward the room where Elara is probably sitting in that careful, quiet way she has perfected.“How is my father handling the pressure?”“He’s furious with you.” Seth steps closer, lowering his voice.“Kael, what the hell are you doing? You’re throwing away everything you’ve worked for.”“I’ll be back in the capital in two weeks.”“Two weeks?” Seth stares at me like I’ve lost my mind.“The Council meeting is—”“In two weeks,” I say firmly. “I’ll be there.”My friend opens his mouth to argue, then seems to think better of it. Instead, he studies my face with the close attention of someone who has known me since childhood.“This is about your mate.”It’s not a question. I start to turn away, but Seth catches my arm.“There’s something else. Lady Zari has heard rumors that you’re traveling with an

Elara's POVLong, evening shadows stretch across my small room, and there’s still no sign of Kael. He’s been gone since morning. I’ve been pacing for what feels like hours, wearing out a path on the wood floor between the window and the door. Each time I hear footsteps in the hallway, my hopes rise, only to sink again when they pass by without stopping.He’s gone. The thought is devastating, even though I’ve been trying to prepare myself for it all day. Of course he’s gone. What did I expect? That a man like him would stay in a place like this, with someone like me, forever?I sink onto the bed, my hands trembling as I pick up one of the gifts he gave me: a small, carved, wooden cat, so intricately detailed that I can see the individual strands of its tail. When he first placed it in my hands, his fingers brushing mine, I thought it meant something. I thought I meant something.“Foolish girl,” I whisper to myself, setting the cat down shakily.Maybe these gifts were his way of easing

Elara's POV“Every gift I give you, you thank me like I’m some stranger doing you a favor. You won’t let me buy you things, you won’t let me protect you without arguing, and you act like you don’t…” He trails off, frustration clear in his voice.“Like I don’t what?”“Like you don’t belong to me,” he says quietly, releasing my wrist. “Like you don’t have a right to be cared for.”Surprise makes me drop the bandage I’m about to wrap around his shoulder.“I—I don’t know how to do that.”His jaw tightens.“Then figure it out.”I resumed my work, but my movements are shaky now.“I thought I was being grateful. I thought that’s what you wanted.”“I don’t want your gratitude, Elara. I want your trust.” His free hand comes up to cup my cheek as I bend over his wound. “I want you to stop looking shocked every time I come back. I want you to expect me to take care of you.”“And what happens when you get tired of taking care of me?” The question slips out before I can stop it, my old fears resur

Elara’s POVThe cold seeps into my bones first. That’s what pulls me from the darkness—this bitter, gnawing chill that makes my teeth chatter before I’m even fully conscious. My head throbs with a dull, persistent ache that pulses behind my eyes with each heartbeat.Where am I?The thought comes sluggishly, like swimming through thick honey. Everything feels wrong. The surface beneath me is a hard, unforgiving stone. The air tastes stale and musty, carrying the metallic tang of old blood and something else I can’t identify.My eyes flutter open to complete darkness.No, not complete darkness. There’s a thin shaft of pale light filtering through what looks like iron bars across the room. Prison bars.I try to remember what happened, but my memories are hazy, fragmented. I was in my inn room, waiting for Kael to return. He had left to meet someone downstairs. Then there was a knock at my door—a man. And then… nothing. Everything goes black after that until this moment.“Luna,” I whisper