บททั้งหมดของ The Alpha's Wife, The Lycan King's Obsession : บทที่ 191 - บทที่ 200

Gianna tore through Nolan's chambers with a desperation that bordered on frantic. She pulled every drawer open twice, checked behind every piece of furniture, ran her hands along walls searching for hidden seams that might reveal a secret compartment. Books were pulled from shelves and shaken, their pages fanned in case something had been tucked between them. Rugs were lifted, corners peered under, cushions turned inside out.By the time she finished, the room looked like it had been ransacked by thieves, papers scattered across the floor, drawers hanging open at odd angles, the careful order Nolan had always maintained completely destroyed.She found nothing.Not a single trace of his mother's potion, no hidden vial, no ancient bottle tucked away in some forgotten corner. Nothing that even hinted at where such a thing might be hidden.Refusing to give up, she made her way to his study next, the same room where he had poisoned himself, the room the servants had since cleaned and resto

They didn’t wait for sunrise. Gianna woke Elmund before the first light had even begun to touch the sky, and despite the fresh stitches still tender in his shoulder, he didn’t argue when she said they needed to leave immediately. Her father’s stable master saddled one of Alexander’s horses for them without question, and they rode out through Highmoon’s gates while the household still slept, the cool morning air biting at their faces as they made their way back toward the palace.Gianna’s mind raced the entire journey, turning over the plan that had solidified in her thoughts sometime in the darkest hours of the night. She had watched the healer’s routine closely over the past week, more closely than the woman likely realized. Every afternoon, without fail, the healer left her chambers to gather fresh herbs from the palace gardens and the wilder patches of growth just beyond the walls. It was a habit so consistent that Gianna could practically set a clock by it.That window, however br

Gianna woke up four days later to unfamiliar warmth pressed against her hand and the murmur of voices she didn't immediately recognize. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, her body aching in ways she hadn't felt before, and the first face that came into focus above her made her breath catch in confusion. Pietra. "You're awake," Pietra said softly, relief washing over her features. Gianna blinked, trying to piece together what was happening, why Pietra of all people was sitting beside her bed with such visible concern etched into her face. Elmund appeared on her other side then, his expression tight with worry. "Calm down," he said gently, noticing the panic beginning to rise in her eyes. "You're safe. You're back at the palace." "What happened?" Gianna managed, her voice hoarse and unfamiliar even to her own ears. "Pietra found you," Elmund said. "In the woods. She carried you halfway back before finding help to bring you the rest of the way. If she hadn't found you when she di

Elmund noticed the color drain from her face immediately, and his expression softened with understanding.“You don’t have to come with me,” he said gently. “I’ll get the book myself.”“No,” Gianna said quickly, shaking her head despite the fear still churning inside her. “I should be there. This is my responsibility.”“Gianna,” Elmund said firmly, “you nearly died four days ago. You are still recovering, and you are still carrying a child that needs you healthy and safe. I will get the book. You need to rest.”She wanted to argue, wanted to insist that she couldn’t simply sit by while others took on the risks meant to be hers to bear. But exhaustion pulled at her more heavily than she wanted to admit, and some part of her recognized the wisdom in his words, however reluctant she was to accept it.“Please be careful,” she said finally.“I will,” he promised.She retreated to the chamber and lay down beside Nolan, intending only to rest for a short while, but exhaustion claimed her more

Just when she'd thought everything was finally within reach, the ground stared back at her empty, mocking her with the disturbed earth where hope had briefly bloomed. Four days. Only four days remained, and now she was back to searching for something she'd already found once before.Gianna felt fury building inside her chest, hot and consuming, threatening to burn through whatever remained of her composure.She ordered every servant in the palace assembled in the main courtyard within the hour, standing before them with her arms crossed, her eyes moving across each face, searching for any flicker of guilt, any sign of nervousness that might betray the culprit."Someone uprooted a plant from my private garden," she said, her voice carrying clearly across the gathered crowd. "I want to know who did it. Now."Silence met her demand. No one stepped forward. No one so much as shifted uncomfortably beneath her scrutiny in a way that suggested guilt. She studied them one by one, servants who