All Chapters of Bride of the Beasts: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

FENRIC'S POVFor the past few nights, I’d listened to Anwen pace endlessly inside her chambers. Back and forth. Back and forth.Sometimes the footsteps would stop for a while, only for the sound of soft crying to seep through the adjoining wall instead.Every single time, it pulled at something raw inside my chest. Because I knew exactly why she was crying.I leaned back in the chair beside the fire, swirling the liquor lazily in my glass while the sound of her muffled sobs drifted faintly through the stone walls once again.I hated hearing her cry. And I hated that I was the reason for it.But I still intended to see this through. I was going to have what I wanted.If only she would surrender. If only she would give me the one thing I desired most. All her worries about Arlo would disappear in an instant. I could make that happen.Especially now that I’d finally gotten Brammon to agree—though not without conditions.And something about the time Rhydan spent with Anwen the other day s

ANWEN'S POVThe moment Brammon pushed open the balcony doors, both Rhydan’s and Fenric’s gazes snapped toward me. Heat flooded my face so quickly that I barely noticed the cold evening wind sweeping across the balcony.I lifted my eyes just long enough to glance at them before immediately looking away again. Because if I kept staring, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be able to stop.Rhydan stood nearest the balcony railing, dressed in a deep red coat with his usual high collar framing the sharp line of his jaw. The dark copper of his hair had been intricately braided along the crown of his head before gathering at the back, somehow making him look even more aristocratic than usual.Fenric looked entirely different from Rhydan, yet somehow just as striking. His dark coat was impeccably tailored, though not even expensive fabric could fully tame him. The faint scar crossing his eye only suited him more, sharpening the ruggedness that clung to him no matter what he wore.All three of them wor

ANWEN'S POVThe world was shaking.At least, that was what my half-asleep mind concluded as consciousness slowly returned.A steady vibration and a deep, rhythmic rumble dragged me from sleep, tugging me toward wakefulness one reluctant moment at a time. Panic flared instantly.An earthquake, my mind screamed.My eyes flew open.The room was dim, washed in the pale light of early morning. There was no disaster. No collapsing walls. No trembling floor.And yet I could still feel it. The vibration. The rumble.I blinked several times, waiting for the lingering fog in my mind to clear. Then I turned my head slowly, wincing at the dull ache in my jaw.Brammon sat slumped in a chair beside the bed, his feet propped on the mattress. His head was tipped back at an angle that looked painfully uncomfortable. His arms were crossed over his chest, which rose and fell in deep, steady breaths.He was asleep. Actually asleep.I stared at him for a moment before my gaze drifted to the empty space be

ANWEN'S POVFenric swung down from the saddle first, landing gracefully. Then his hands settled on my waist, and he lifted me down from the horse.The moment my boots touched the ground, I turned to him, my heart suddenly pounding far too hard against my ribs. “You… you’re letting Arlo go?” The words came out thin, trembling, as if they weren’t entirely convinced they were real.Fenric looked down at me. His smile held none of its usual teasing spark, no crooked grin waiting to pounce on my fluster.“Your birthday present,” he said.Before I could react, he took my hand and started leading me toward the fortress entrance. “I told you I’d do everything in my power to set him free.”I couldn’t breathe. Not properly. My chest felt too tight, my thoughts too tangled.For weeks, I had started to believe he was only dangling hope in front of me—keeping Arlo’s freedom just out of reach to ensure my obedience.But he had done it. He had actually kept his promise.I stared at him, still strug

ANWEN'S POVMy lips still tingled, swollen from the lingering pressure of the kiss.I could feel the faint sting where his teeth had grazed me, and for a moment I was terrified the old cut on my lower lip might split open again. I lifted trembling fingers to my mouth, brushing lightly over the tender skin as I tried to make sense of what had just happened.Fenric had kissed me. And worse, I had kissed him back. That thought sent a fresh wave of heat rushing into my face. I squeezed my eyes shut. This wasn't how it was supposed to feel.I sat there, frozen in place, my breath uneven and my thoughts hopelessly scattered. I had always imagined that if a monster like him ever touched me that way, it would feel wrong. Violating.Like something I would want to scrub from my skin afterward.Yet when I searched myself for those feelings, I found none of them.Only warmth. Only goosebumps racing across my skin.I was still struggling to process it all when Fenric’s hands settled on my waist