Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 111 - Chapitre 120

(POV: Alexander) I stood near the center of the Great Hall with a goblet of wine raised in my hand while the musicians played lively tunes and pack members laughed and danced all around us, and I was celebrating my medal presentation alongside Mae, Kaelor, Zareth, James, and Sabriel after the morning awards ceremony concluded, and the noise level in the room was deafening, but hearing everyone talk and joke around made all the stress from the Crimson Moon crisis feel completely distant, and Mae nudged my arm gently and held her goblet up against mine with a proud smile, and she asked me if I was finally getting used to wearing that shiny new medal pinned to my uniform tunic, and I laughed and told her it felt a bit heavy on my chest, but I supposed I could get used to it if it meant I got to stand here drinking wine with her all afternoon. "You better get used to wearing it, because Zareth told me the pack elders are going to make you wear your full uniform to every official council

(POV: James) I grabbed Sabriel by the hand and pulled her away from the noisy crowd inside the Great Hall, leading her through the side doors and out onto the quiet palace terrace where we could finally escape the stifling heat of the banquet and catch some fresh night air, and she stumbled slightly over her boots before catching her balance and laughing as the cool wind hit our faces, and she asked me if I dragged her out here because I was tired of dancing or if I just wanted to get away from the pack elders who kept asking her about training schedules, and I told her it was a bit of both, and I leaned against the stone railing while looking out across the moonlit gardens, and my heart started hammering against my ribs much faster than it ever did during any battle against the cultists, and I reached my hand slowly into my tunic pocket and felt the small velvet box sitting right there, and I took a deep breath to steady my nerves before turning to face her fully under the starlight

(POV: Kaelor) I stepped down from the royal dais and pushed past the gathered tables with my fists clenched at my sides, marching right toward the center of the Great Hall where the uninvited emissary stood with that infuriating smirk plastered across his face, and the rest of the room held its breath as I towered over him, and I demanded to know what gave an outsider the right to burst uninvited into our capital and interrupt a pack celebration, and the emissary just laughed in my face before reaching into his leather belt and pulling out a heavy pouch that jingled loudly with metal objects, and he dropped the bag straight down onto the stone floor where it landed with a heavy thud, and he declared that his pack leader wanted to formally contest my ruling over the disputed hunting grounds, and I let out a low growl that made the glass goblets on the nearby tables vibrate, and I told him that my rulings were final and no stray mutt from the borderlands was going to march into my hall

(POV: Alexander) I stormed down the stone corridor toward the inner armory with my sword drawn in my hand, barking orders at the rushing guards to secure every residential gate before the rogues reached the perimeter, and Mae ran right beside me carrying a heavy satchel filled with emergency medical supplies, and she refused to stay behind in the safety of the palace while the capital faced a sudden invasion, and I turned my head to look at her as we ran and told her she should have stayed in the lower shelter where it was safe, and Mae glared at me and told me to stop wasting breath telling her what to do because the wounded guards were going to need her out here in the courtyard, and I sighed and told her to stay close to my left side so I could keep watch over her while we fought off the attackers, and we burst out into the main courtyard just as the horns blared across the walls, and the guards were scrambling up the stone stairs to take their positions along the ramparts, and Ja

(POV: Sabriel) I kicked the lifeless rogue off the stone ledge with the heel of my boot and spun around instantly with my daggers flashing in the moonlight, cutting down two more attackers rushing across the courtyard toward the medical station where Mae was tending to the wounded guards, and James fought right back-to-back with me, swinging a heavy wooden club with brutal efficiency while cracking jokes about how much he hated uninvited party crashers showing up in the middle of the night, and I told him to save his breath for the fighting instead of wasting it on bad humor, and James laughed and ducked beneath a wild swing from an enemy warrior before bringing his club down hard on the attacker's shoulder, and I sliced my left blade across another rogue's arm to keep them from swarming our position, and the noise of clashing steel and snarling beasts echoed off the palace walls while Kaelor's golden alpha fire illuminated the far side of the courtyard, and I asked James if he was k