Todos os capítulos de HIS SUBSTITUTE MATE’S REVENGE: Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 30

"Tristan, stop staring at the floor," I spat, my voice echoing with a cold indifference that felt like a jagged blade in the sterile air of the medical wing. "Whether you bleed out on this tile or in your Dominion Tower is entirely your own issue. You could lose every drop of Alpha blood in your veins for all I care; it wouldn't move me one bit."Tristan’s golden eyes widened, the pupils blowing out in genuine shock. I had never spoken to him with such raw disdain before—not in the years I spent playing the dutiful, silent Luna of the Cheshire Territory.Selene Voss’s brow furrowed in practiced disapproval. She turned to me, her tone laced with that high-society pack reproach she loved so much. "Lyra, how can you be so heartless? The Alpha cut himself while trying to provide for you. Shouldn’t you show at least a shred of concern for your mate?"I let out a sharp, jagged scoff, genuine amusement dancing in my eyes. "Concern? Really, Selene, let’s not be theatrical. How did the great A

"Tristan, if you take one more step toward me, I’ll scream for the Enforcers and have you charged with breaking the Moon-Bond laws!" I gasped, my voice raw and jagged from the night's screaming match. "Get out! Leave this territory and never return!"I retreated until my back hit the headboard of the bed in the guesthouse, clutching the heavy fur quilt to my chest as if the pelt of a dead beast could shield me from a living Alpha. Tristan didn't stop. He moved with that predatory grace, his golden eyes blown wide with a cocktail of regret and possessiveness that turned my stomach."Lyra, listen to me—"I didn't let him finish. My hand closed around the heavy brass lamp on the nightstand—a vintage piece heavy enough to crack a skull. I hurled it with every ounce of Ashford spite I possessed. The lamp clipped his shoulder and shattered against the wall, the sound of breaking glass echoing like a gunshot in the small room.Tristan winced, a low, guttural groan vibrating in his chest, but

"Lyra, this is the opening we’ve been hunting for," Damien’s voice crackled through the receiver, buzzing with the kind of kinetic energy that only came from a successful heist. "Victor has agreed to a shadow-project under a Northern Sector shell company. Tristan’s legal hounds at Crowne Dominion won't even find a scent trail. We’re finally bypassing the Alpha’s blockade."I clutched my burner phone, the cool metal feeling like a lifeline against my palm. "Damien, I can’t... I don't even know how to repay this. You’re literally putting your House on the line against Tristan for me.""Bond yourself to the Cross bloodline and we’ll call the debt settled," a voice like grinding glaciers cut through the night air.My heart didn't just skip; it plummeted. I whirled around, my eyes widening.Tristan stood ten paces away on the balcony of the Cross estate, his silhouette cutting a jagged line against the moon. He was dressed in a charcoal tactical suit, the silver Crowne crest on his lapel c

The air in the master suite was stagnant, smelling of old bonds and fresh betrayal. I stood by the mahogany door, my reflection in the vanity mirror looking like a ghost from a fallen House. Sweat matted my hair to my forehead, the fever from the bond-strain burning through my veins like molten silver."How many times do I have to repeat myself? I don't want to eat," I hissed. My voice was a brittle thread, snapping under the weight of my own exhaustion.Tristan’s predator-mask slipped. The lethal Alpha who had dragged me here by my throat vanished, replaced by a man whose eyes were suddenly blown wide with a confusing, golden concern. He moved into my personal space, his hand reaching out to press against my burning skin."Your scent is off, Lyra," he murmured, his voice a low rumble of worry. "Are you falling into a fever-chill?"I jerked my head away, the rejection sharp and cold. My skin still felt bruised from where he had handled me during our last confrontation. The stress had

Thank you, Regina. The Alpha’s legacy and the stability of the Crowne bloodline are the only things that matter to me," Selene stated firmly. She kept her gaze pinned to the floor in a show of false submission, a slow, predatory warmth radiating from her as she basked in the Matriarch's approval.The two women moved into the formal sitting area of the Cheshire Estate, their voices rising and falling in a rhythmic melody of pack politics and old blood ties. The sound echoed through the high ceilings, a comfort to the Enforcers standing guard, signaling that the "true" order was returning.Upstairs, I remained sprawled across the bed, the heavy silence of the master suite acting as my only shield. The muffled laughter from the floor below drifted up like smoke, but I refused to let it choke me. I knew Regina Crowne had never seen me as anything more than a placeholder—a biological necessity to keep the Ashford territory under their thumb until a more 'suitable' Luna could be installed.