Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

KieraHe was so busy watching my neck that he didn't realize I was already reaching for his crown. I smirked at that thought as we began to prepare for dinner.The dressing room smelled of lavender and the sharp, underlying metallic scent of the palace. I stared at the heap of lace and silk on the bed that Theo had brought for us, and I began feeling the bile rise in my throat."You’re telling me," I said, my voice dropping to a pitch that sounded jagged even to my own ears, "that this is what he expects me to wear to the council dinner?"Elara didn't look up. Her hands were trembling as she smoothed out the sheer fabric. "It’s custom, Luna Kiera. The King must present his chosen partner to the council. It’s a tradition. It’s meant to show his 'triumph.' So How you look, how you move, and, more importantly, how you’re dressed tonight will show your status in the palace and set the tone for your entire tenure here."Susan, who had been leaning against the doorframe, walked over and pi

KieraWe were now alone in the locked room, just the two of us. And when he finally whirled around to glare at me, suddenly, I didn’t feel so bold anymore.The silence in the study was deafening but Alistair still didn't let go of my hand. I thought he was about to snap at me with the way he was glaring at me, but he did not, instead, he just marched me across the room until I hit the edge of his massive, oak desk, and then he spun me around, pinning me against the wood with his body.He was vibrating with adrenaline and his breathing was heavy, ragged as he leaned in, his face inches from mine."What the hell were you thinking back there?" he demanded, his voice a low, rough growl. "You were told to wear what was in your room. Why did you dare disobey me?"I intentionally looked up at him, with wide eyes, and my lower lip trembling just a fraction, because I knew that this was the perfect picture of the terrified, submissive wife that he expected. I dropped my gaze, staring at the

AlistairAfter Kiera stormed out, the study door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence. I paced the floor and inhaled deeply because, the air was still thick with the lingering, sweet scent of her. My muscles were tight, and buzzing with an energy that wasn't just frustration… it was pure, kinetic anticipation.I hadn't felt this alive and turned on in years… And this was the feeling only kiera seemed to provoke in me from the very first day I ever saw her.My mind drifted back to the first night we met. She had been terrified, trembling, but also very curious in my arms. And her eyes had been wide with a pure, unadulterated fear that had hooked me instantly. She was had been so soft, so submissive, and a perfect little omega just waiting to be told what to do. But that wasn’t all…Under that scared submissive lady was a fiery vixen burning and fighting to come out, and only I had seemed to see it.The sex that night had been... explosive. It was raw, carnal, an

Kiera’s povSusan and I spent the next two days buried in the palace archives. Elara had sneaked us in, her hands shaking the whole time, terrified of what would happen if we were caught. But I didn't care about being caught. I cared about staying alive.What we found about the women who participated in the last trials made my blood run cold."Look at this," Susan whispered, pointing to a dusty ledger from fifty years ago. "Another one. 'Lady Isolde, died during trial phase three. Cause: Accident.' And here, thirty years ago. 'Lady Mara, died during phase two. Cause: Drowning.'"I scanned the pages. There were names, dates, and causes of death that were clearly lies. It wasn't just a competition; it was a graveyard. "There are no investigations," I said, my voice tight. "No one ever gets charged. It’s like they just wipe the slate clean and start again with a fresh batch of girls.""It’s not just an accident," Susan muttered, looking pale. "It’s murder, Kiera. And the court just watch

KieraI squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the end, as the cold edge of the steel touched my skin, drawing a thin line of blood.The cold steel bit into my skin. A bead of blood welled up, hot and stinging and I squeezed my eyes shut, my breath hitching in my chest, waiting for the final, severing blow.But It never came.Instead, there was a sound like a thunderclap, a sickening crunch of bone, followed by a scream that wasn't mine.I opened my eyes, gasping for air, waiting to see the new method the attacker was going to use to kill meBut to my utter shock, Alistair was there. He moved in front of me like a blur, or a shadow detaching itself from the night. He grabbed the masked attacker by the throat and slammed him against the practice post with enough force that the wood splintered. The attacker’s blade clattered to the ground."How dare you touch her?!" Alistair’s voice was a low, guttural growl that made the very air vibrate.He didn't wait for a response or waste an more tim