《Moon Reaper’s Substitute Bride》全部章節：第 11 章 - 第 20 章

~AURORA~The arena is filled with excitement. My breath catches as Cassian steps onto the stage, his tall, powerfully built frame moving with that predatory grace that always seems to command the air itself. Vincent walks beside him, his jaw set like he's already tasting victory and revenge in equal measure.Before I can steady myself, Seraphina walks up beside me. Her dress clings to her curves but her smile is sharp as she lets her gaze drag over me from head to toe. "Well, well," she drawls, loud enough for the nearby Varkas nobles to hear. "I can see you were finally given proper clothes for the event. How generous of your new husband." Her lip curls in disgust, not saying what she was truly thinking. "What exactly did you have to do to earn it? Scrub the toilets in the Reaper palace? Or did you spread your legs for the wolf killer himself?"I keep my eyes fixed on the arena floor, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a flinch. The dress was far more elegant than anything I

~AURORA~"Does your husband have a lover?"Seraphina's question broke through the roar of the arena stands as the fight between Vincent and Cassian intensified. I turned to her sharply, my brows knitting together in genuine confusion."What are you talking about?"A slow, knowing smile curved her lips as she tilted her head toward the crowded spectator stands. "I know a woman in love when I see one."My gaze followed the direction of her finger, and the breath caught in my throat.Lady Elizabeth.She sat in one of the finest seats near the front, far too close for a mere spectator. Her posture was proper, chin lifted, eyes locked onto the dueling ring with an intensity that made my stomach twist. She watched Cassian fight with open possessiveness, as if he already belonged to her body and soul. As if my marriage to him was nothing more than a temporary inconvenience.A sharp pang of jealousy, hot and bitter, flooded my chest, the same vicious sting I had felt the very first time I'

~CASSIAN~The plan had been simple.Get Vincent jealous enough to lose his fucking mind. Push him until the weak bastard finally snapped and fought for Aurora like a real mate should. I knew exactly why he'd let her go in the first place, he was a coward hiding behind his royal title. Terrified the council would kill him for choosing love over the precious peace treaty. He was a fucking weak man. Terrified his own people would turn on him for wanting the woman they'd forced into my bed for everyone's gain.But a true mate doesn't hand his woman over to another man. Not without a war. Not while the bond still burned between them. The jealousy would hit him directly in his veins, and if I played this right, Vincent would do all the dirty work for me. He'd rip her away, reject the marriage, shatter the treaty, whatever it took. And I would finally be free of this cursed union.Free of her.I didn't want to be married to a Varkas princess. I didn't want to be chained to the bloodline t

~AURORA~The moon hung low and beautiful over the Moon Reapers' estate, casting a soft, ethereal glow across the private pool. Zerath had suggested I come here after the long, emotionally exhausting day, insisting I deserved time to relax while Cassian spent the evening catching up with Elias and Elizabeth.Even hearing their names together had sent another unwelcome spike of jealousy through me. The image of the three of them laughing, sharing stories, Elizabeth leaning close to Cassian with that easy familiarity. . .it twisted something sharp in my chest. I tried to drown the feeling in the warm water, letting it lap gently against my skin as I lay down in the shallow end.I couldn't swim to save my life, so I stayed firmly where the water only reached my waist, refusing to venture any deeper. The black bikini the maids had brought me was far more revealing than anything I'd ever worn, two tiny triangles of fabric barely containing my breasts, the bottoms sitting low on my hips w

~SERAPHINA~Every candle flame in the room seemed to flicker with irritation, mirroring the frustration inside my chest. I still couldn't believe what I had witnessed today. Vincent—my Vincent, had lost. Not just lost, but been thoroughly, humiliatingly defeated in front of the entire arena by Aurora's husband. Aurora's husband! The same man that hated our kind and was responsible for many deaths in our Kingdom. The memory replayed in my mind like a nightmare I couldn't wake from: the crowd's roar, the smug satisfaction on Aurora's face, and worst of all, the pitying glances thrown my way from the front row where I had been seated like some fool.In that moment, I'd regretted even being present for the duel. I should have stayed home and gotten a facial instead.He was supposed to be better than this. He was my fiancé. The man I had chosen because everyone else wanted him, especially Aurora. And yet he had let that Reaper brute beat him into the ground while I sat there, ring glint