All Chapters of Forbidden by the Triplet Alphas: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

The moon hung low over Blackwood Manor, fat and silver, casting long shadows across the courtyard. Three weeks had passed since the fissure closed. Three weeks since I had opened myself to the darkness and let the souls of the lost find a home inside me. Three weeks of pretending everything was normal. Three weeks of smiling when I wanted to scream, of eating when I felt no hunger, of sleeping when the nightmares waited.But nothing was normal. Not anymore.I could feel them all the time now. My mother’s warmth, like a hand on my shoulder when I was alone. Kaelen’s steady strength, like a second spine holding me upright. Seraphine’s patience, a quiet voice in my mind that reminded me to breathe. Even Marcus—his regret, sharp but fading, like a scar that still ached in the rain. They were woven into my blood, my bones, my breath. I could not escape them. I was not sure I wanted to.And beneath them all, the shadow. Not hungry. Not waiting. Just present, like a sleeping wolf curled in t

The library became our war room.Days bled into nights. Lysander read until his eyes bled, his fingers stained with ink from old books. Theron trained until his claws cracked, the stone walls of the yard scarred with his fury. Cassian stood watch, his grey eyes never resting, his hand never leaving his blade. And I sat at the center of it all, the gold beneath my skin pulsing like a second heart, the shadow inside me whispering secrets I was not ready to hear.The old wolf did not return. The Lycan king did not appear. But I felt them both, pressing against the edges of my consciousness, waiting.On the seventh day, Lysander found something.He called us to the library. His honey eyes were bright with exhaustion and something else—triumph, perhaps, or terror. He spread a scroll across the table, its edges crumbling, its ink faded almost to nothing.The first wolf, he said. Seraphina. She was not just mated to the Lycan king. She was his equal. His match. His only weakness.He traced t

The fortress became our sanctuary, but it also became our cage.Three days turned into seven. Seven days of waiting, of training, of watching the forest for signs of the king. Cassian barely slept, his grey eyes fixed on the horizon, the first wolf's blade never leaving his hip. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, and his movements had grown slower, but he refused to rest. Lysander spent hours deciphering the symbols on the walls, his honey eyes red from lack of sleep, his fingers stained with ink from the old books he had brought from the manor. I sat in the center of the chamber, the crown pressing against my temples, the shadow whispering in my blood, the souls inside me murmuring memories I did not ask for.Theron was the only one who seemed at peace.He trained in the mornings, his body healing faster than any of us expected. The wound from the king's attack had closed, leaving only a silver scar across his ribs. He sparred with Cassian, their blades clashing in the gold ligh

The plain was silent, but the silence did not last.We carried Lysander back to the fortress. His body was light, too light, as if the dagger had taken more from him than the king's shadow. His head lolled against my shoulder, his honey eyes closed, his lips pale. Theron walked beside me, his steps unsteady but his jaw set, his hand occasionally reaching out to touch his brother's arm, as if to confirm he was still alive. Cassian led the way, the first wolf's blade in his hand, his grey eyes scanning the darkness for threats that no longer came.The fortress welcomed us. The gold light pulsed, warm and familiar, and the walls seemed to sigh as we crossed the threshold. The symbols carved into the stone glowed brighter, as if the fortress itself was relieved by our return. We laid Lysander on the stone floor in the center of the chamber, and I knelt beside him, my hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat—slow, but steady."Is he going to be okay?" Theron asked. His voice was rough, raw

The fortress welcomed us back with its gold light, but the warmth we had felt before was gone. The walls seemed darker, the symbols on the stone dimmer, as if the fortress itself was mourning. Even the air felt heavier, pressed down by the weight of what had happened at the academy. We laid Lorna's body in a small chamber off the main hall, wrapped in a white sheet, her hands folded on her chest, her face peaceful for the first time since I had known her. The crown I had taken from her sat on a stone pedestal nearby, its thorns still dark with dried blood, pulsing faintly.Cassian stood guard at the entrance, his grey eyes fixed on the forest beyond. His hand rested on the first wolf's blade, but he did not draw it. His shoulders were tight, and I could feel his tension through the bond like a wire pulled taut. Theron paced the length of the chamber, his claws scraping the stone floor in a rhythm that set my teeth on edge. Lysander sat beside me, his hand on my knee, his honey eyes wa