All Chapters of Born to shine: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

165 Chapters

140. Still Standing

🍃 Arria POV For one long moment, nothing happened. That was good, I tried to convince myself. As long as Alaric’s enormous form remained there, unmoving, it was okay. It meant he was still fighting. The way his chest rose and fell with deep, uneven breaths, each one rumbling through him like distant thunder, was only further proof. So I stayed on my knee, searching the endless black of his eyes for any sign that he was winning. But there was nothing. Not at first. Then something shifted. Barely. So little that I thought I had imagined it. Still, my heart missed a beat. Then another. And then... a faint thread of gold appeared within the darkness. A broken sound escaped me, and a tear I hadn’t realized I was holding back slipped down my cheek. I watched the miracle unfold as the faint golden hue slowly became a solid ring, dark brown specks appearing within it. Together, the colors steadily burned through the remaining black until there was nothing left of the curse in hi

141. Aftermath

🍃 Arria POV "Can you please stay here and rest,” I pleaded with him. He lifted my chin with his fingers until I met his gaze. Something soft flashed through his eyes, and I thought he would agree just for my sake. “I need to know what happened first,” he still refused me in the end. Then he shifted, gently pushing me back onto my feet as he prepared to stand. In one quick move, I turned and pressed hard against his shoulders, using my own weight to keep him down. In the state he was, I truly believed I had a chance. Surprisingly, he only swayed before standing anyway. Then his arm slipped around my waist and pulled me into his embrace. “Don’t get stubborn, Arria,” he said, his lips brushing my hair. But his voice was controlled and decisive. It wasn’t working like this. Fine. “You don’t really trust me to do it on my own...” I said deliberately, keeping my voice quiet and slightly shaky while my head stayed lowered against his chest. His body stilled. For a moment, he

142. Keep Breathing

🍃 Arria POV “When did you become such a believer?” I asked, genuinely stunned by the idea that divine help would somehow appear out of nowhere against Vaerion, especially when the Goddess had done nothing to stop him for centuries. “We survived today,” he said. “With the help of elves, no less. If that is not divine intervention, I don’t know what is.”

143. What Changed?

🍃 Arria POV Four hours later, the kitchen smelled of stew and fresh bread. Outside the windows, the last of the daylight was fading behind the trees, turning the glass dark enough to catch our reflections. Fenrir stood beside the stove, stirring the pot slowly while I cut bread at the table. I still did not like that he was standing. But at least he had slept. Nowhere near enough—Alaric was still out. But at least some color had returned to his face, and the wound on his wrist was no longer bleeding. I had decided to count that as a victory for now. “When do you think we should expect Stone and his group back?” I asked. “Sometime in the early hours,” he said. “Max said he can do it. So he will. Don’t worry.” “I’ll try.” I took the folder from my backpack and set it on the table. “Now let me finish this.” I took the wooden spoon from his hand. “You go through the report instead.” We were waiting for Melanie before eating anyway, which gave us time to deal with the importa

144. Back

🍃 Arria POV “They have probably found a way to lift the curse...” Melanie’s low voice came from behind us. I hadn’t heard her come in, which was normal for me. Not for Fenrir. He stilled for a moment before his gaze followed mine to the open door, where Melanie stood alone. “Or suppress it,” she added quietly. She didn’t take another step inside. She didn’t reach to close the door either. Her strange behavior had Aron’s name written all over it, and my heart ached for her. That was exactly why I had been worried—not because he would hurt her physically, but because he had a way of breaking someone’s spirit. “We were waiting for you so we could eat together,” I said, already moving toward her with purpose. I caught her wrist, pulled her one step farther inside, then closed the door with a final thud. Then I turned to her and... hugged her. She needed it. The reminder that she belonged here. That she wasn’t alone. That there were no conditions attached. She stilled.

145. Not Aron

🍃 Arria POV His arm shot past me. His hand caught the back of my chair and dragged it toward him until I was close enough for him to lift me onto his lap.One hand slipped into my hair while the other locked around my waist, pressing me firmly against him.That was all it took for the nightmare to begin loosening its hold.His unwavering presence, the heat of his body, and the steady beat of his heart against my ear slowly grounded my erratic thoughts.Logic started pushing through the panic.He was not Aron.He would not lock me away in an empty house simply because he had become Alpha of Oakcrest.Just today, he had forced the curse itself into submission long enough to come back for me through hundreds of guards.He would not betray me.The certainty finally settled inside me, and the frantic beating of my heart began to slow.He was my mate.And I loved him.And even if he would never say the words in return, he had given me something better.You are engraved in my soul, Arria.

146. Mine in Return

🌘 Fenrir POV Alpha Regent. I almost smirked, amused by Aron’s sheer audacity. Those two words belonged to a time no one remembered, buried in scrolls older than even Alaric. But I had been raised to be a king. I knew them very well. Alpha Regent was an administrative position, not a true title. No real claim. No actual belonging. Something you were appointed to do until you were dismissed. An insult to a true-born Alpha. But the smart bastard had played it well. I couldn’t say no. Not unless I wanted to trigger Arria’s trauma all over again and have her watching every reaction of mine for signs of betrayal. If I said yes... Alaric would be furious when he came forward. The only thing that might keep him under control was the fact that it was Arria’s... What? Ordering us? Paying us? Shit. Aron had somehow managed to make our bond sound like a transaction. I respected his brain. I preferred it when he wasn’t using it against me. But I had little choice. Aron woul

147. Official

🍃 Arria POV The moment the words Alpha Regent left Melanie’s mouth, the room changed. Melanie didn’t notice. She kept explaining what Aron had planned—how it protected the ownership of the pack, how it would give Fenrir the authority to command every pack member, use the mindlink, search their minds, and so on and so on. But beneath me, I felt Fenrir’s body tense. His mood shifted. One of his fingers twitched. I didn’t know the full meaning behind those two words, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Maybe not bad. Not for me. But for Fenrir... that was obviously an entirely different story. He said nothing. Somehow, that made it worse. Aron’s plan had managed to trigger my fears and insecurities and make my mate close himself off at the same time. That meant it was bad. Not that I had expected Aron to simply do something good. But in some ways, he had helped. A lot. This, however, clearly wasn’t meant as help. Not entirely. He held too many grudges against Fenrir

148. Defensive Line

🌘 Fenrir POV “Stop tempting me, or we’re going upstairs right now,” we warned Arria. The hesitant look she gave us almost broke my resolve to finally hear the rest of Melanie’s story. “I’ll stay right there,” she mumbled, already pulling away from me. I let her. It wasn’t the right moment. None of this was right. She had done it anyway. To protect me. My gaze dropped to my wrist. The leather bracelet was warm against my skin. Good. “Now,” I said, forcing my mask back into place. “Tell us the rest. Briefly.” Melanie exhaled. She glanced at Arria first. Then at me. Finally, she lowered her head and looked at her hands on the table as she began speaking. “The man who was once supposed to be Arria’s Gamma is acting Beta back home,” she explained. “Teran is in charge until you return.” “Return?” “Aron never said it explicitly, but from everything I saw, he had been preparing Oakcrest to accommodate all of Newmoon and another...” She thought for a moment. “Hundred people

149. The Flame

🌘 Fenrir POV “You can’t be serious,” Melanie exclaimed. “I am.” The burial pyres were already in sight. She stopped and looked at me. “Fenrir, they’ve already lost so much. Why risk it?” The full moon was gone. The curse had been unleashed and wasn’t as hungry anymore. All reasonable excuses. There were more. Arria would be by my side. Alaric and I had connected, which made things easier for both of us. I said none of them. “Those people died defending this pack. They deserve this.” Melanie studied me for a moment longer. Not directly in the eyes. My face. My posture. Everything. Then she exhaled. “You’ve changed a lot,” she said eventually. “You look... more grounded and more terrifying at the same time.” She resumed walking. So did I. Every face turned toward us when we stepped into the torchlight. Heads bowed almost immediately, driven by instinct. Melanie moved aside and joined the long rows of people surrounding the clearing. I continued forward. I cli

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