Semua Bab FROZEN BONDS: THE HALF-BLOOD'S MATE: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Runa's words cut through the night like a blade, shattering the fragile peace."Rourke—he's not waiting. He's attacking. He's going to burn everything."Stellan's body tensed beside me, his hands still wrapped around my waist. The warmth of our almost-kiss still lingered in the air between us, but it was fading fast, replaced by the cold reality of what was coming."How long?" he demanded."Minutes. Maybe less." Runa was shaking, her face still pale beneath the blood spattered across her cheek. "He gathered his strongest wolves after you went into the temple. He said... he said if the half-blood wouldn't choose, he'd make sure there was nothing left to choose for."Cengiz appeared at my side, his green eyes hard. "Where is he now?""Moving toward the North Star camp. He wants to destroy them before you can reach them. Before Lyra can—" She stopped, looking at me with something that might have been pity. "Before she can do whatever she's supposed to do."I looked at Stellan. His jaw wa

The bond loosened.I felt it in my chest—the chains that had held me for so long, that had pulled me away from Stellan every time I got close, that had reminded me with every heartbeat that I belonged to a dead man. They were loosening. Not breaking, not yet, but loosening.Enough.Rourke's wolves were still retreating, still crossing the line that divided us. Dozens of them, now. More than enough to tip the balance. Rourke watched them go, his face a mask of cold fury, and I saw something in his eyes that might have been defeat.But not surrender. Rourke would never surrender."This isn't over," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "You think a pretty speech changes anything? You think because a few cowards chose your side, you've won?""I think we've bought time," I said. "And time is all we need."He laughed—a harsh, ugly sound. "Time for what? To run? To hide? To watch your pack burn while you play at being Luna?"Stellan moved to my side, his hand finding mine. "Time to break th

The stars were fading when we finally left the ice.Stellan's arm was around my shoulders, supporting me as we walked, though I wasn't sure who was holding up whom. The battle was over, the wounded were being tended, and for the first time in what felt like forever, there was silence.Not peace. Not yet. But silence.We found a spot near the remains of the longhouse, where the fire still burned and the furs were still clean. Stellan eased me down onto one of them, then sat beside me, his hand finding mine."You need to rest," he said."So do you.""I will. Later." He brushed a strand of hair from my face, his touch gentle despite the wounds that covered his hands. "When I'm sure you're safe."I wanted to argue, but I was so tired. The bond was still settling inside me, still finding its rhythm, still learning to beat in time with his heart. Every breath I took felt different now—lighter, freer, like something I'd been carrying for years had finally been set down.I leaned against him,

The Watcher's words echoed in my mind long after it vanished into the darkness.*You cannot run from what you are, half-blood. The choice is coming. And it will not wait for you to be ready.*Stellan held me as I trembled, his arms tight around me, his warmth driving back the cold that had settled in my bones. But even he couldn't chase away the image of that symbol, burning in the Watcher's palm. The same symbol that had been carved into the temple walls. The same symbol that had appeared in my vision, in the darkness, in the moment before the chain broke."What does it want from me?" I whispered."I don't know." Stellan's voice was rough. "But whatever it is, we face it together."I wanted to believe him. I wanted to let his certainty wash away my fear. But as I lay there, feeling the new bond pulse between us, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. Something that would test us in ways we weren't ready for.---Morning came too fast.I woke to the sound of voices—no

Freya's words hung in the air between us.*I hope you're worth it.*I didn't answer. I didn't know how. How could I tell this stranger, this Alpha who'd traveled across frozen lands to fight beside us, that I wasn't sure I was worth anything? That I was just a half-blood girl who'd stumbled into a prophecy she didn't understand?But Stellan's hand was in mine, warm and steady, and through the bond, I felt his certainty. His faith. His love.*You're worth everything,* he said. *And soon, they'll all see it.*---The days that followed were a blur of preparation.More packs arrived. Southern wolves, northern wolves, wolves from territories I'd never heard of. They came because Stellan had asked them. Because they'd heard about the half-blood and the prophecy. Because they were tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of waiting for someone else to fight their battles.And I was at the center of it all, whether I wanted to be or not.Cengiz taught me about the Bozkurt pack, about my fath