All Chapters of His Human Second Chance Mate: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

LENORA The kiss still lingered on me like a burn I couldn’t put out. Even when they pulled us apart. Even when guards forced space between us with rough hands and sharper orders. Even when Orion called my name like he was trying to break through the entire castle just to reach me again. It didn’t leave. It stayed in my lips, in my breath, jnthe way my chest still reacted like he was close enough to touch. And that terrified me more than anything else. “Move,” a guard barked, gripping my arm tightly as they dragged me down the corridor. I didn’t resist because I couldn’t think clearly enough to fight. Every step away from Orion sent a dull ache through my chest, like something inside me was being stretched too far and refusing to snap. My fingers curled into the fabric of my cloak, trembling slightly as I forced myself to breathe evenly. I should have felt relieved. I should have felt grateful for the distance. Instead, my body kept reacting like I was being torn away from some

LENORA I stared at him, my fingers tightening around the cold iron bars between us. “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended, but steady enough to hold. “You said the bond is the only reason I’m still alive. What exactly does that mean, Orion?” He didn’t answer immediately. His jaw shifted, tension carving deeper lines into his expression as he glanced briefly over his shoulder, checking the guards before stepping closer again. His presence pressed against me even through the barrier, the pull between us tightening in a way that made my chest feel too small for my lungs. “It means,” he began slowly, lowering his voice so only I could hear, “that if they kill you… there’s a chance I won’t survive it.” My breath caught. The words didn’t register at first. They hovered somewhere between disbelief and fear, refusing to settle into something real. “…What?” I whispered. Orion held my gaze, unwavering now, his voice steady despite the storm beneath it. “This isn’t

LENORA The walk to the council chamber felt longer than it should have. Cold stone stretched endlessly beneath my bare feet, each step echoing too loudly in the narrow corridor as the guards escorted me forward. Their grips were firm, unyielding, fingers digging into my arms as if I might try to run. I didn’t resist. There was nowhere to go, and even if there had been, my body still hadn’t recovered from the earlier blow. My head throbbed faintly with every step, a dull reminder of how easily I could be broken if they chose to. “Keep moving,” one of them muttered impatiently when my pace slowed for half a second. “I am moving,” I replied, my voice quieter than I intended but steady enough to hold. I refused to give them the satisfaction of hearing fear. The large doors at the end of the corridor came into view, towering and carved with intricate symbols that marked authority and judgment. I had never seen them this close before, but I didn’t need anyone to tell me what waited on t

LENORA “I reject you.” For a moment, I thought I had heard wrong. The words hung in the air, heavy and unmistakable, echoing against the stone walls of the council chamber as if they wanted to make sure I couldn’t escape them. My breath caught somewhere between my chest and my throat, refusing to move as I stared at him, waiting, hoping for something to change. It didn’t. Orion stood exactly where he was, unmoving, his gaze fixed on me now, steady and unreadable. There was no hesitation in his posture, no visible crack in his expression, nothing that suggested he hadn’t meant every single word. My lips parted slightly. “What…?” The bond twisted sharply, not like before, not uneven or strained, but violent, tearing through my chest with a force that made my knees weaken. I staggered back a step, my hand flying to my side as the pain spread, hot and suffocating, like something inside me was being ripped apart without mercy. “No…” The word slipped out before I could stop it, barel

LENORAHeather tried to stop me twice before I even reached the serving trays.Once with her hand on my wrist, gentle but firm, and once with her voice soft, almost pleading, like she could talk me out of what was already happening.“Lenora,” she said quietly, stepping into my path as I adjusted the tray of snacks in my hands. “You don’t have to do this alone. I can ask someone else to.”“I have to do it,” I replied before she could finish.Her brows pulled together. “No, you don’t. This isn’t a punishment detail.”I tightened my grip on the tray slightly, forcing my fingers to stop trembling. “It’s a request from the council,” I said flatly. “Refusing it would only make things worse.”Heather exhaled slowly, frustration flickering across her face. “It’s not a request, it’s a test.”“I know.”“No,” she insisted, softer now, stepping closer again. “You don’t. You think this is about serving her, but it’s not. Xarian’s family doesn’t operate like that. They—”“I don’t care how they oper