Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 71 - Chapitre 80

Elara’s POVI stayed in my chambers for the next couple of days, seeing no one but Gaius.The physician came every morning and every evening, his hands gentle as he checked the fading bruises along my ribs and back. I told the maids I was still healing. Whether I meant my body or the raw, aching thing in my chest, I wasn’t sure anymore. I ate alone. I slept in fits. I stared at the same patch of ceiling until the light changed and the shadows moved across it like slow accusations. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the corridor again — Darius’s fingers on my skin, the rip of silk, Lucian’s roar, the wall slamming into me. I stayed because leaving felt impossible. Facing him felt impossible. So I hid, the way he had once ordered me to.On the morning of the third day I had just finished breakfast alone — a tray of fruit and bread I barely touched — when a knock sounded at the door. I nodded to the maid. She opened it.Kylan stepped in, his usual easy smile nowhere in sight. He looked tir

Lucian’s POVThe chamber was so quiet I could hear the fire pop in the hearth.Elara stood inches from me, hands still pressed to my chest, eyes shining with unshed tears and something fiercer. Her question hung between us like a live wire.Do you love me?I swallowed hard, throat tight. The words I had locked down for weeks tore free before I could stop them.“I love you,” I said, voice rough and low. “I love you so much it hurts. I love you so much I feel like I still would if we weren’t fated mates. I love you so much that these past few days without seeing you has driven me mad.”Her breath caught. I kept going, the confession pouring out like blood from a wound I could no longer cauterize.“I love you enough to see that I am a danger to you, Elara. You’re the bane of my existence… the object of my desire. Do you know how much I’ve had to hold back each time from claiming you? From giving you my mark so that every wolf in the realm will smell me on you and know that you’re mine?”H

Lucian’s POVI woke up with Elara in my arms.The first rays of dawn slipped through the heavy curtains of my chambers, painting the room in soft gold. She was curled against my chest, her head tucked under my chin, one leg thrown over mine. The torn red dress from the ball had been replaced by one of my silk shirts that hung loose on her frame, the sleeves rolled up, the collar slipping off one shoulder. Her breathing was slow and even, warm puffs against my skin. For the first time in days the beast inside me was quiet — not chained, not fighting, just… resting.I didn’t move at first. I just held her, letting the weight of her body anchor me to the bed, to this moment. My hand traced lazy circles along the curve of her back, careful of the fading bruises I could still feel under the silk. She stirred, a soft sigh escaping her lips, and pressed closer, returning the cuddle without waking fully. Her nose brushed my throat. Her fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt like she was a

Elara’s POVThe eastern garden felt smaller every time I stepped into it.For the past three weeks I had come here every morning, rain or shine, determined to make something — anything — happen. Today was no different. Gwen stood a few feet away, arms crossed, watching me with that calm, patient look he always wore. The same look that was starting to drive me insane.“Try the light orb again,” he said quietly. “Focus on the center of your chest. Pull the energy up, then push it out through your palm. Slow and steady.”I nodded, even though my stomach was already twisting. I planted my feet, closed my eyes, and reached for that spark I knew was supposed to be inside me. The one the Fate Sisters had shown me in the vision. The one that had glowed white when I pinned Dana during training. I pictured it, willed it, begged it.Nothing.I opened my palm. A faint flicker of white tried to form, then sputtered out like a candle in the wind. My hand stayed empty.Gwen didn’t sigh. He never did

Elara’s POVThe next day came in a blur.I woke before the maids, already dressed in the same simple training tunic and breeches I had worn the day before. My body still ached from days of training and frustration, but the restlessness in my chest was worse. I knew what today was. Lucian had said it yesterday in the garden — we were going outside the palace walls for training. Open air. No stones pressing down on me. I didn’t know if it would help, but I was ready to try anything.A soft knock came at the door. I opened it myself.Lucian stood there, dressed plainly like me, hair still damp from washing. His eyes met mine for a long second, searching, before he nodded once.“The horses are ready,” he said. “Gwen and four warriors will ride with us.”I stepped out without a word. We walked side by side through the quiet corridors, boots echoing. Neither of us spoke about the kiss from few weeks ago. Neither of us spoke about the way I had pulled away. The silence felt heavy, but I didn