All Chapters of Rise of the Forbidden Luna: Chapter 21 - Chapter 27

The silence inside the northern tower was the first thing that tipped Alpha Ethan off. It wasn’t a peaceful, quiet silence; it was a heavy, hollow stillness that smelled faintly of cold ash and faded lavender. His large hand froze on the heavy brass handle of Aria's bedroom door. The fated-mate spark that usually crackled beneath his skin whenever he neared her room felt suddenly numb, cold, and dead. A dark, predatory instinct clawed at the walls of his chest. His wolf, midnight-black and feral, growled low in his mind, baring its phantom fangs.Gone. Ethan slammed his boot against the oak door, kicking it completely off its iron hinges. The wood splintered violently across the room, crashing onto the marble floor like shrapnel. He strode through the dust, his pitch-black military cloak billowing behind his massive frame like living shadows. His intense, amber eyes swept the chamber in a ruthless, sweeping

The cold steel of the blade pressed deeper into the sensitive skin of my throat, drawing a tiny, stinging bead of blood. I held my breath, my body locking into a rigid, defensive stance as Alpha Richard’s enforcer gripped my hair tighter, forcing my head back."Tick-tock, Marcus," Richard sneered, his voice dripping with pure, mocking malice as he tapped the territory documents against his polished boot. "What is it going to be? Do you watch your precious little girl bleed out on the dirt floor, or do you sign the papers?""No! Stop! Don't hurt her!" my father roared from the back wall, his weak, battered frame shaking violently as the iron chains rattled against the ceiling. His spirit, which had survived years of brutal physical torture, completely broke the moment my life was put on the line. Tears of pure agony cut through the dirt on his pale cheeks. "I'll sign it! I'll tell you where the royal signet stamp is hidden! Just pull the knife away from my daughter's throat!"An evil,

The palace doors shut behind us, cutting off the rhythmic, deafening roar of the pouring rain outside.I stumbled slightly as my bare feet hit the cold, polished white marble of Alpha Ethan’s grand foyer. My wet clothes were plastered to my shivering frame, sending a bitter chill straight down my spine. But the physical cold was entirely eclipsed by the suffocating weight of the Alpha aura radiating directly behind me.Ethan stepped into the light, his towering, massive silhouette casting a giant shadow over the hallway. He didn't say a word, his chiseled face set in a tight, unyielding mask of stone as his intense, gold-flecked amber eyes tracked my every breath."Take her to the master wing," Ethan commanded, his gravelly baritone sending a violent shiver through the air. "Ensure she is bathed, dressed, and remains within her quarters. If she so much as approaches a window, your heads will roll."The elite palace guards bowed instantly in terrified compliance. I didn't even try to f

The sterile, bitter scent of crushed eucalyptus and antiseptic flooded my senses as the heavy glass doors of the infirmary slid open.True to his possessive vow, Alpha Ethan had not let me step out of the master suite without his shadow looming directly over me. He marched beside me through the pristine, white marble corridors, surrounded by a tight vanguard of elite enforcers. His large hand was anchored firmly on the small of my back, his intense warmth bleeding through my clothes. The sheer forced proximity made my pulse race frantically, a fresh wave of early morning pregnancy nausea fluttering deep in my belly. I clenched my jaw, swallowing down the sickness and locking my icy mask of indifference in place. He cannot suspect a thing, I reminded myself.We stopped in front of the highest-security medical suite at the end of the wing. Two armed guards bowed instantly, throwing the double doors open.My breath caught completely in my throat as my eyes landed on the bed. "Dad," I whi