Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

Lucian’s POVI tried my best to keep my attention away from Elara.The grand hall was packed with the most powerful alphas in the realm, their laughter and conversations blending with the music, but my eyes kept drifting back to the staircase where she stood. She had defied my orders. She had walked down those steps in that crimson dress like she owned the entire kingdom, and every alpha in the hall was drooling over her. I should have been pissed. I had told Dana to keep her locked in her chambers for her own safety. Yet all I felt was a sharp twist in my chest that made me want to apologize instead.I forced myself to turn toward Alpha Riven, who was mid-sentence about border disputes. “Your patrols have kept the eastern routes clear this season,” he was saying. “We appreciate the support.”I nodded, smiling the way a king should smile. “Glad to hear it. The packs stay stronger when we work together.” The words came out smooth, but my mind was elsewhere. Elara had shaken my hand off

Elara’s POVI hadn’t even recovered from Liora’s scathing words when Alpha Darius approached me.The venom in her voice still rang in my ears — stealing people’s mates, pathetic, common whore, liar, traitor. Every word had landed like a fresh slap, stripping away the confidence I had forced myself to wear when I walked down those stairs. My hands were still trembling at my sides. I wanted to run, to hide behind the nearest pillar, to vanish into the crowd and pretend none of this was happening. But I couldn’t move. My feet felt glued to the marble floor.Darius stopped right in front of me. His expression was unreadable — calm on the surface, but something darker flickered in his eyes. It unsettled me more than if he had shouted. That same calculating look he had given me the night he rejected me in front of the entire Shadow Wilds. The night he chose Liora and left me to the rogues.He reached out and took my palm gently, as if we were old friends. Then he pressed a kiss to the back

Elara’s POVI needed to break free from his grip.Darius had me pinned against the cold stone wall, his body caging mine so completely I could barely breathe. My heart hammered so hard it felt like it would crack my ribs. I opened my mouth to scream, but the sound died in my throat. Screaming in this palace would be useless. Everyone had tuned down their hyper senses for the ball — it was a civility requirement, a show of respect for the delicate human guests and the fragile peace between packs. No one would come running. No one would even flinch.What was I going to do now?“Please, Alpha Darius,” I whispered, voice shaky. “Let me go. You already rejected me before and you have a beautiful Luna by your side.”He smiled, slow and dangerous, his fingers tracing down my cheek like he had every right to touch me. “Yes, but the Moon Goddess is giving us another chance. This…” His fingertip brushed my jaw, then trailed lower along my neck. “This is the Goddess’ will.”I shivered, but not f

Lucian’s POVThe morning light filtered through the tall windows of the east wing, pale and thin, like it wasn’t sure it wanted to face the day either. I rose early, before the servants had finished laying out breakfast in the great hall. My body ached in places I hadn’t felt in years — the aftermath of forcing the beast back down last night. Every muscle remembered the fight, the rage, the way Elara’s arms had anchored me when nothing else could.I dressed quickly, choosing a plain black shirt and trousers instead of the formal robes. No need to look like a king today. The guests were leaving, and I needed them gone before any more sparks could fly. Last night had been a tightrope walk over a pit of knives. Elara hadn’t just saved her own skin or mine — she had kept the entire seven realms from tipping into revolt. One dead alpha king, especially one second in line to the old ruling hierarchy, and the others would have turned on me by sunrise. My family had held the throne of the sev

Elara’s POV I woke up with a start, the dream still clinging to me like smoke. Yesterday’s corridor flashed behind my eyes again — Darius’s fingers on my skin, the rip of silk, Lucian’s roar, the wall slamming into my back. The pain was real. My ribs ached with every breath. My shoulders felt bruised and tight. Even the simple act of sitting up made my whole body protest. I should have stayed in my room. I should have listened when Dana told me the king had ordered me hidden. Instead I had walked down those stairs in that red dress like I could change anything. Now I was sore all over, inside and out. I managed to swing my legs over the side of the bed and push myself up. The movement pulled at the bruises along my spine. I hissed through my teeth and shuffled to the window, one hand braced on the sill. Outside, the courtyard was alive with carriages rolling away one by one. Alpha Vesper’s black horses trotted past first, then Riven’s smaller coach, then a handful of others whose n