All Chapters of BOUGHT BY THE BEAST: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

By midday, the corridors of Thorncross had transformed into a river of activity. Servants scurried with trays of food, armor was polished to a shine, and the echo of footsteps on marble floors sounded like distant drums. Yet in the heart of the castle, my chambers felt like a war room, a place where strategy, nerves, and preparation collided.Caspian was at my side, his presence a constant anchor.“Focus now,” he said, adjusting the line of my jacket, the angle of my shoulders. “Tonight they will see only what you allow them to see. Every gesture, every glance, every word must project certainty.”“I feel like I’ve practiced everything twice already,” I muttered, though the corners of my lips lifted slightly. “And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that someone will try to unravel me before the coronation even begins.”He smiled, a dangerous, knowing curve of his lips. “They will try. That is their nature. But every test, every whisper, every shadow they cast, they will find you unbreakabl

The kiss wasn't gentle.Caspian's mouth claimed mine with the kind of intensity that made my knees weak, his hands gripping my waist hard enough to leave marks. The bond flared between us, hot and demanding, and for a second I forgot where we were.Then I heard someone shift in the crowd.Reality crashed back.We were on a stage. In front of hundreds of people. About to have sex while they all watched.Oh god.Caspian pulled back slightly, his silver eyes locked on mine. Through the bond, I felt his need. His possessive certainty. His absolute determination to make this good for me despite the audience."Breathe," he whispered against my lips.I tried. My breath came out shaky.His hands moved to the fastenings of my gown. Slow. Deliberate. Giving me time to stop him if I wanted to.I didn't stop him.The fabric loosened. Slipped from my shoulders. Pooled at my feet in a whisper of silk and silver thread.I stood there completely naked in front of the entire court.Every instinct scre

Blood dripped from my palm onto the stone altar.Hot. Thick. More than I expected from a single cut.The High Priestess caught the blood in a silver bowl, chanting in a language I didn't recognize. The words felt ancient. Heavy. Like they carried weight beyond sound.My hand throbbed.Through the bond, I felt Caspian's rage. His desperate need to stop this. But he stood at the edge of the chamber, hands clenched into fists, forcing himself to stay still.The High Priestess dipped her fingers into my blood.Then she began painting symbols on my skin.My forehead first. Then my cheeks. My throat. Each stroke burned like acid."What the fuck," I gasped."The magic recognizes foreign blood," she said calmly. "Your werewolf lineage resists the lycan ritual. The pain will intensify."Great.She continued painting. Down my arms. Across my collarbone. The symbols glowed faintly as she drew them, pulsing with a sickly greenish light.The burning got worse.Not surface pain. Deeper. Like someth

The Council chamber was colder than I remembered.Or maybe that was just the blood loss.I limped into the room, Caspian on one side, Ezra on the other. My broken leg was wrapped and braced, but every step sent pain shooting up my spine. The symbols from the blood ritual still glowed faintly on my skin, visible through the gaps in my hastily thrown-on clothes.I looked like hell.Good.Let them see what their tests had cost me.The Council sat in a semicircle, seven ancient lycans who'd held power for centuries. Lord Draven at the center, his expression carefully neutral. Beside him, Morgessa's proxy, a thin woman with cold eyes. Three elder house representatives. And Lady Isolde Winters, the only one who looked uncomfortable with what was happening.Lady Seraphine took her seat last, her face unreadable."This session is convened," Draven said formally. "We are here to address the events of last night and determine whether the coronation should proceed as scheduled.""There's nothing

I woke to pain.Not the sharp kind. The deep, throbbing kind that said my body had been through hell and was done cooperating.My hands were wrapped in thick bandages. My wrist was black and purple, spreading up my forearm like a bruise. My broken leg had been reset and braced properly.I was in our chambers. Sunlight streamed through the windows.How long had I been out?Caspian sat in a chair beside the bed, his head in his hands. He hadn't noticed I was awake yet.Through the bond, I felt his exhaustion. His fear. His guilt eating him alive."Hey," I said quietly.His head snapped up. Relief flooded through the bond so intensely it took my breath away."You're awake." He was beside me in seconds, his hands hovering over me like he wanted to touch but was afraid of hurting me. "How do you feel?""Like I fought a demon from the void and won.""You did." His smile was small. Strained. "The healer said you'll recover. The burns will scar. Your wrist, the frostbite damage is extensive b