Marked By Pain, Crowned By Power のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

Seravyn's POVI froze for a moment as the sound took me by shock, and slowly, I stepped back, taking my hand away from the handle.I stared at the door like it would come down any second from then.Then the knock sounded again, firmer this time.I stepped forward, reaching out again, but my fingers still hovered over the handle as my heart slammed against my ribs.My nightgown suddenly felt too thin and my skin too sensitive. My mind had still been reeling from everything that had happened at the pool—his mouth on mine, his hands on my body, the way I had melted for him.I didn’t move. I couldn’t.A third knock came through, then a low, familiar voice from the other side followed in a lightly rough tone.“Seravyn… it’s me.”Zoriven.I lingered another second with my breath hanging in my throat and my pulse thundering in my ears. My hand trembled as I finally turned the handle and opened the door.He was standing at the other end in fresh clothes but his hair still slightly damp from

Caelrix's POVI paused completely as the air changed around us, suddenly feeling a lot heavier as Exovyn looked to have dug up something different.I picked up another glass and poured myself another drink before walking over to where he was slowly.I took a sip before leaning over his shoulders to see what he was on about.The documents he had were my dad's, documents I never bothered to open go through for once. Documents I kept at the bottom.I stared at the papers with the glass in my hand forgotten after a few long seconds as the liquid inside shook with my hand trembling with barely contained rage.What Exovyn had pulled was layer after layer of old archives, classified records, public documents, private correspondence, and even sealed council minutes. Picture after picture showed Seravyn’s father, a man I had come to know as a tall slouched man, but he wasn't that in these pictures.He looked distinguished with a sharp, intelligent pair of eyes and an authoritative presence, b

Zoriven POVCaelrix.My jaw tightened. The memory of our last encounter — the raw confrontation, the barely contained violence in the clearing — flashed through my mind.I barely let myself lose control like that, I always try to keep things calm, play it cool, stay levelheaded.But that day, seeing him after everything, after all he put Seravyn through, it burned everything in me.I've had my eyes on her from the visits I used to take to The Moon Pack, I've always admired her and when I got to hear of what happened to her, everything in me longed to snap Caelrix's throat in half.So seeing him that day, coming to play hero, like nothing happened. It broke the thread of restraint in me, bending away everything I held together.And watching him put his hands on her, it cracked it all open. If she hadn't rejected him at that moment, I would have lost it.And that push was the least of what I had planned for him.“Alpha,” my Beta called and pulled me back.And now, he's at my door, expec

Seravyn’s POVThe question lingered between us for far too long.I couldn't possibly answer that, but couldn't possibly avoid thinking about it either.I swallowed hard as my heart pounded loudly in my ears, but not with fear this time…But something far more dangerous.For once since I walked away, I can’t tell if I'm still walking forward…Or if I had already begun to turn back.But everything in me felt like I had already made my decision.Not all at once though. There was no sudden shift, no dramatic realization. Everything just settled into me quietly, like something that had been waiting patiently for me to stop fighting it.For the first time in a long while… I wasn’t resisting the idea, I wasn't kicking against the thought.I could feel it in the way my chest loosened, in the way my thoughts stopped clashing against each other. The noise had gone quiet.If I'm going to go back, I'm not going because they asked me to. I'm not going because I had to.I'm going because I want t

Seravyn's POVWhat the fuck?!When did they put a wall her—“Sorry about that, are you okay?”I froze. That voice. When did walls start talking?!They don't, they never did.I stopped abruptly, looking up at the familiar face of Zoriven's which was just as surprised as I was. The hallway was empty except for us and the air thickened instantly, charged with everything that has been happening of recent — the pool, the kiss, the way our bodies had moved together, the way I had almost said yes to leaving.My heart moved violently against my ribs as it struggled to name how it felt. Happiness flickered at first — a warm and instinctive feeling that spread through me at the sight of him. Then guilt crashed in right behind it, guilt from nearly turning my back on him, on them, on the promise of peace they've given me since day one. How could I even consider leaving after everything he’s done for me? After he saved me, sheltered me, made me feel safe?Anger at myself followed, hot and