Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 101 - Chapitre 110

KAEL “Charlotte and Bryan were kind to us,” Emily said softly. Her voice was low, almost careful, like the memory could still hurt her. Her eyes drifted, unfocused, as if she were standing in that old moment again. “We couldn’t use our real names. We couldn’t even think of fake ones. We were too scared to talk to anyone. Every word felt dangerous. They were the ones who gave us names. Christa and Carla. I think, even now, they still believe Gemma and I are sisters.” She paused, then looked at me fully. “Kael, I don’t want you to think I forgot our parents.”The fear in her eyes wasn’t about the past. It was about what I might think of her.“No.” The word left me quickly. My throat tightened, but I forced it steady. “I don’t think that. Not for a second. You don’t need to apologize for surviving. You were children. You did what you had to do.” A breath filled my lungs, heavy and slow. “I’m grateful you’re alive. I would like to meet them. I want to thank them for keeping you safe when

ARIA My lungs felt like they were on fire. Each breath tore through my chest, sharp and dry. Stopping was not an option. Looking back was worse. Whatever waited behind me would catch me the second I slowed down.There was no sense of time anymore. Minutes could have been hours. It did not matter. Strength was draining fast. Soon there would be nothing left. And when that happened, Rook would find me.He was strong enough to lead his own pack. Strong enough to crush me if he got his hands on me.A stream came into view through the trees. Relief hit, thin and fragile. The water reached my knees when I stepped in. Cold. Fast. It pushed against my legs and made me stumble. That was fine. The current would break my scent.Turning upstream, I forced myself forward. Each step hurt. Rocks cut into my feet. The water slipped over open wounds and burned. It felt like knives against my skin.At some point, I would have to shift. My wolf fought better than I ever could in this body. Faster. Stro

KAEL My heart stopped the second I broke through the trees and saw Aria on the ground.A wolf covered in blood snarled over her and leapt.There was no thinking. No weighing options. I threw myself forward and hit him in midair before he could touch her. We crashed hard on the other side of her body. I landed on all four paws. He rolled away, claws tearing through dirt.A knife handle stuck out of his side, catching the last light of the sun.Aria had stabbed him.Pride rose through the fear choking me. She had fought back. She was still fighting.I lowered my head and scraped my paw against the earth. I refused to look at her. If I saw her still and broken, I would lose control. I needed to believe she was alive. I needed that hope more than breath.The wolf—Rook—took a slow step back like he might run.Coward.He wouldn’t get far. He knew it. I saw it in his eyes. Instead of fleeing, he dropped his head and charged.If he had been whole, it would have been a brutal fight. But he wa

ARIA “I know,” he said against my mouth. “You show it in everything you do. I swear you will never doubt that I love you. Be my queen, Aria. Be the part of me that has been missing for too long.”“Yes.” The word came out soft and breathless.Arms wrapped around his neck. His mouth covered mine again, slow and deep, and something inside my chest finally settled. This was joy. Real joy. Not fear. Not survival. Not pretending to be strong. My father had not taken this from me. Victor Blackwood had tried, but he had failed. I had found the one person meant for me.Legs moved over his lap. Bodies pressed close. Skin to skin. His heat sank into mine. Mine. My mate. Until the end of our days, he was mine.“I should let you sleep,” Kael Nightborne growled, though his hands never left me. He did not move me away.The moment he touched me, the tiredness disappeared.“You heal me, Kael. Your touch heals me. I want to feel good.” A small smile curved my lips. His eyes were already dark. “Please.

ARIA The command of the wolf king filled the room. Even my father could not fight it.With a sharp breath, Victor Blackwood dropped to his knees. The sound of it echoed against the walls. For a second, he looked smaller than I had ever seen him. Power stripped away. Pride gone.I walked toward him without rushing. Each step felt steady. Calm.The tattoo hung on the wall behind him. I reached past his shoulder and peeled it away as if it were nothing."You've always been clever," I said quietly. "You knew you had to clean up your image to get what you really wanted. Power. When you became alpha, you cut away your old sins. At least the ones people could see. But you couldn't let it go completely."He stared at the floor, jaw tight."If you had truly let it go," I continued, "you might still be alive. I would never have known it was you. And we would never have gotten a confession out of Rook.""You're wrong."Kael Nightborne's voice came from behind me. Strong. Certain.He crossed the