Lahat ng Kabanata ng MOONHAVEN CHRONICLES: The Captive mate : Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

NayaThe ride back to the mansion is unbearably quiet.No one says a word. Not Tom. Not the guards. Not even my mother.She sits across from me inside the black SUV, her hands folded neatly on her lap, staring out the window as though the passing trees are far more interesting than the daughter she hasn’t seen in years.I steal glances at her every few seconds.She’s real.I keep reminding myself of that because my mind still refuses to believe it. I spent years mourning her. I blamed myself for leaving her behind that night. I carried the weight of abandoning her like a stone tied around my neck, and now she’s sitting less than three feet away from me.Alive.I should be asking her a thousand questions.Why didn’t she come looking for me? Why did she stay with Tom? Did she ever try to escape? Did she think I was dead?Instead, neither of us speaks.The silence stretches all the way back to the mansion, growing heavier with every passing mile. When the gates finally slide open, my st

NayaI leave Tom’s study with my cheek still burning from where he slapped me.The pain doesn’t bother me nearly as much as the words he throws at me before I walk out. They cling to me like smoke, refusing to disappear no matter how many times I tell myself they’re lies.Your mother never wanted you, I begged her to keep you. I laugh bitterly as I climb the staircase toward my room.He’s a manipulator. That’s what he does. He studies people until he finds the one lie capable of hurting them the most, then he throws it at them and waits for it to grow roots.Well, it won’t work on me.My mother is the only person who has never lied to me.She is the woman who wraps me in blankets whenever I get sick. The woman who pretends she isn’t hungry so I can have the last piece of bread. The woman who spends nights sewing torn clothes by candlelight because buying new ones is a luxury we can never afford. That woman doesn’t wake up one morning and decide she doesn’t want her child.No. I know m

TysonThe whiskey burns all the way down my throat. I don’t even flinch. It doesn’t burn enough. Nothing burns enough anymore.I stare at the amber liquid swirling inside my glass before pouring another generous measure. The bottle is almost empty. I vaguely remember opening it sometime this afternoon.Or was it yesterday?The days have begun blending together.Sleep rarely comes, and when it does, it brings nightmares instead of rest. Every time I close my eyes, I see Naya reaching for me. Sometimes she’s screaming my name while invisible hands drag her into darkness. Other times she’s standing in the middle of the forest, covered in blood, looking at me with disappointment in her eyes.The dream always ends the same way. I never reach her. The glass touches my lips again, but before I can drink, someone snatches it from my hand. I don’t have to look up to know who it is.Aiden.He places the glass on the opposite side of my desk and folds his arms across his chest.“I’ve had enough

TysonThe first thing I do when I return to MoonHaven is pour every bottle of alcohol down the drain.I don’t hesitate.The amber liquid splashes into the sink in steady streams while the sharp scent of whiskey fills the room. Bottle after bottle empties until the cabinet that has become my refuge over the past few weeks stands completely bare.I stare at the empty shelves for a long moment.That part of me dies here.The whiskey never dulls the pain. It never quiets my wolf. It never brings Naya closer. All it does is steal another day from me, another day I should spend preparing for the moment she finds her way home.I become ashamed of myself as I remember how I almost destroyed myself with drinking. How Aiden didn’t give up on my stupid ass. I should have seen I was giving up on my mate and entire pack. I remember when I walked to the cabinet and pulled out another bottle of whiskey.Aiden groaned. “Seriously?”I didn’t answer. I yanked the cork free and lifted the bottle. Before

TysonThe moment the gates close behind us, I know the questions will have to wait.They crowd my mind, each one louder than the last. Who takes my mate from the heart of my territory? Who helps them? What do they do to her while she’s gone? How does she escape a place none of my warriors can find? And why… why does my wolf refuse to settle now that she’s finally back in my arms?Every instinct as an Alpha demands answers. Every instinct as a mate demands something else.Take care of her first.I glance at Naya beside me as we cross the courtyard. She’s walking under her own strength, but barely. Every few steps she stumbles, and I tighten my arm around her waist before she can lose her balance.She doesn’t protest, and she doesn’t even look embarrassed. She simply leans into me with the quiet exhaustion of someone who’s been carrying the weight of the world for far too long.My chest aches. I should have been there, I should have found her sooner.Around us, MoonHaven is alive with