Semua Bab Contractually Married my ex-mate's father: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Chapter Thirty TwoAriaZane’s breathing was still heavy, the scent of his release lingering in the air between us as he looked at me. His eyes were dark, a mix of the aftermath of his orgasm and that lingering, stubborn pride."I meant what I said, Aria," he rasped, his voice regaining some of its gravelly authority. A couple of minutes had passed, but believe me when I said it did nothing to calm me down. If anything, it made me all the more horny. "I won't touch you. Not until you beg me for it. I know how stubborn you are, princess, but I can wait. I’ve got all the time in the world."I felt a surge of heat—l, not just from the bond, but from the thrill of the challenge. He thought he could outlast me? He thought my pride was my only weapon? A slow, predatory smirk curled my lips, and I leaned back, resting my weight on my heels as I looked up at him."You want to talk about stubbornness?" I asked, my voice dropping to a low, silky hum. "I just proved to you that I’m stable. I pro

Chapter Thirty FourAriaThe word "Checkmate" still echoed in the quiet room, vibrating in the small space between our lips. I was a mess, my hair tangled against the rug, skin flushed, and my breath coming in short, pathetic hitches.Zane didn't seem to bother. If anything, he looked proud of himself , like he was mentally patting himself on the shoulder for a job well done. Zane looked down at me with the eyes of a man who had won everything and was now deciding exactly how to enjoy the spoils.I expected him to stand up, to pull me to the bed, or to finally rid himself of his clothes and end the torture, but Zane didn't move to undress. Instead, he sat back on his heels, his gaze raking over my naked, trembling body with a possessive intensity that made my skin prickle."You think because you came, the game is over?" he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. "We’re just getting to the best part, Aria. The part where I make sure you remember who you belong to when you walk past tho

Chapter Thirty Six AriaThey did not bring me to the grand chamber. Knowing them, that would have been too honest.Instead, I was escorted to a smaller circular room carved from dark stone. It was windowless, soundproof, and suffocating in its stillness. Five high backed chairs curved along the far wall like judges awaiting execution.Mine was alone, and place in the center of it all. If that wasn't deliberate, then I had no idea what else was. It was a single chair beneath a narrow beam of white light, and I almost smiled.Everyone could see what this was. Intimidation through staging, no matter how subtle it was.I walked to it without being told and sat. If they wanted theater, I would not give them nerves.The five elders entered moments later.Dario came first. He did not look at me immediately. His expression was stern, carefully neutral, though I caught the faint tightening at the corner of his mouth when his gaze finally settled on the mark at my throat.Behind him came the s

Chapter Thirty EightAriaThe doors opened again when I pushed them, but this time, I did not hesitate. I walked back into the chamber composed.If they expected flushed skin, trembling hands, softened edges, well, they were disappointed.I did not look at Zane as I passed him in the corridor. I did not look back. I walked to the center of the room and reclaimed my seat without waiting to be invited.The silence that greeted me was thicker than before.Lucien studied me first. His gaze swept over my face, like he was searching for fear or any other disheveled emotion.“Are we continuing,” I asked evenly, folding my hands in my lap, “or is the performance over?”The word performance lingered. While Corvin shifted, Silas cleared his throat, and even though Lucien’s smile returned,it no longer looked confident. It looked strained. The only person who seemed to be proud of me was Matthias.“You seem… remarkably unaffected,” he observed.“I was unaware that emotional imbalance was a requi

Chapter FortyAriaThe palace had a way of pretending nothing had happened. Sunlight poured through tall windows, servants moved with rehearsed grace, and guards stood as they always did, alert, disciplined,and loyal to structure if not to truth.But the air had changed.It had been a day since the forged directive, a day since public accusation, a day since the council announced they would “require time” to investigate.Time. Time was a weapon, and even though I seemed like I was keeping my cool, I feared the said weapon was against me.Zane had been gone since dawn. He hadn’t given me details, only that it concerned the hybrids that had attacked weeks ago. He was hunting them, quietly, relentlessly, and without me.He hadn’t said it outright, but I felt it in the way he redirected questions. In the way his jaw tightened when I offered to help.This was his battlefield, and I was being kept from it. So I walked instead, through the long eastern corridor, past carved pillars and polis