جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 120

Christie’s POVThe sun soon came up on the northern mountains, but there was no light in the room. The dawn didn't bring the sound of birds or the usual hustle of the estate. Instead, there was a heavy, suffocating silence. Lyon was standing by the window, his silhouette dark against the gray sky. He hadn't slept. He hadn't even sat down. He was a statue of muscle and tension, waiting for the first blow to land.I sat on the edge of the bed, my lab coat pulled tight around me. The adrenaline from my declaration in the hall had faded, leaving behind a cold, hollow ache. I had told him I loved him. I had told him I was ready to cut out the rot. But as the minutes ticked by, I realized that the rot in this house didn't always come with a blade. Sometimes, it came with silence."It’s past dawn," I said. My voice sounded raspy. Lyon turned his head slightly. His amber eyes were dim, shadowed by a week of exhaustion. "They haven't breached the door. Ren says the elders are still in the se

Lyon’s POVThe heavy oak door was the only thing standing between me and a hallway full of my own people. I could hear every single one of them. I stood perfectly still in the middle of the room. My ears picked up the sound of boots shifting on the stone floor outside. I heard the fast, shallow breathing of the young guards. Their heartbeats were erratic and loud. They were terrified of me. They knew that even behind a locked door, I was the most dangerous creature in this house.The suite felt small. The air was getting thin. I looked at my hands. My claws were starting to push against the skin of my fingers. Every instinct I had told me to break the door down and end this. I could kill everyone in that hallway before they even had time to raise their weapons. I had spent my life being the strongest, the fastest, and the most lethal. It would be easy.But I didn't move.I knew that if I opened that door and started a slaughter, I would lose. Not the fight, but the war for my pack’s f

Lyon’s POVThe silence in the room was broken by the sound of many feet shuffling in the hallway. I didn't need to see through the wood to know who was out there. I could hear the heavy, slow breathing of older men. Then came the sound of a throat being cleared. It was Silas."Lyon," Silas called out. His voice was loud, intended for the guards to hear as much as me. "The council is here. We have brought the Great Ledger of the North. We have been reading through the ancient codes of succession and the laws of the bloodline. You are in direct violation of the foundational oaths you took when you accepted the crown."I didn't answer. I stood by the door with my arms crossed. Christie was behind me, her eyes fixed on the wood. She looked tired, but she was listening closely."The law is clear," another elder shouted. "An Alpha who refuses the council’s guidance and chooses a human over his heir is a man who has abandoned his people. According to the Third Scroll, we have the right to de

Lyon’s POVThe wood of the door groaned as Kael kicked it again. I knew his scent. I had taught him how to hold a spear when he was barely a teenager. Now, he was outside my door, shouting about how I had grown soft. He and the others were only this brave because they knew I didn't want to kill my own blood. They were banking on my restraint."Open up, Lyon!" Kael shouted. "We aren't the elders. We don't care about your stories of the Great Frost. We want a leader who doesn't hide behind a human woman. If you won't come out, we’re coming in to drag her out ourselves!"I looked at Christie. She wasn't shaking. She was standing by the bed, her eyes fixed on me. She knew what was about to happen."Stay behind me," I said.I didn't shift or even growl. I reached out and pulled the heavy iron bar back. I did it slowly, letting the sound of the metal scraping echo through the hallway. Then, I turned the handle and pulled the door open.The hallway was full of men. Kael was in the front, his

Christie’s POVThe car ride from Lyon’s penthouse to my house was quiet. I sat in the back of the car he sent, watching the city streets pass by. My mind was still back in the mountains, but my body was exhausted. All I wanted to do was walk into my room, close the curtains, and sleep for a whole day. When the car pulled up to the driveway, I took a deep breath. I knew that walking into this house meant dealing with a different kind of war.I opened the front door and stepped inside. I dropped my bag by the door and started walking toward the stairs. I didn't even get to the first step before I saw her.Anna was sitting on the sofa in the living room. She had a magazine in her lap, but she wasn't reading it. She was looking at the door, waiting. As soon as she saw me, her face twisted into a scowl. She looked at me with bad eyes. She looked like she was looking at something she wanted to throw away."So, you decided to show up," Anna said. Her voice was sharp and loud. "Where have you