BOUND TO MY AWAKENING 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 21 - 챕터 30

The glass terrace doors muffled the grand orchestra down to a low, sweeping hum. Lights from the distant lower town flickered like fallen stars in the misty night.The heavy glass door opened behind me, and Draven walked out onto the stone patio, holding two crystal glasses of chilled water. He stepped beside me, offering a glass."I thought you said you weren't bothered by the crowd," he said softly, his voice deep in the quiet night air."I'm not," I replied, taking the glass with a small smile. "I just needed a minute where nobody was trying to decode my posture."Draven let out a low, quiet breath, leaning his forearms against the stone ledge next to me, looking out into the dark. "They do that to everyone. It gets exhausting.""It makes me miss home," I murmured, my voice dropping into a soft, nostalgic rhythm before I could catch myself. "Real home. Not a stone fortress."Draven turned his head slightly, his eyes fixing on my profile. "Home?""Liam's family," I said softly, a f

"If you are going to stare at the upholstery, at least do it quietly," Elder Vane said without turning his head.He sat beside me in the leather backseat of the sleek, black SUV, his silver hair immaculate, his weathered hands resting over a heavy wooden cane. The vehicle snaked silently down the steep, switchback roads leading away from the Citadel, leaving the grand stone fortress behind in the morning mist."You took me out of the castle at five in the morning without letting Draven know," I replied, looking out the tinted window at the dense pine trees rushing past. "I think a little quiet observation is justified.""If I had asked the Alpha's permission, he would have sent three armored escorts, two scouts, and spent an hour arguing about security protocols," Vane murmured dryly, tapping his cane against the floorboard. "Draven is a capable leader, but he suffers from the delusion that safety is found within stone walls.""And where do you think it's found?""In truth, child.

The damp river mist clung to the hem of my charcoal cloak, down at the private river landing beneath the Citadel’s eastern cliffs, the morning sun had not yet touched the water. The black hull of a low-slung river vessel cut silently through the fog, its muffled engine slowing to a quiet hum as it bumped against the wooden pylons.Two men in dark, unbranded coats threw heavy hemp ropes around the iron cleats. Moments later, a tall figure stepped off the wooden plank, pulling back his hood to reveal sharp grey eyes and pale, silver-blond hair that matched my own."You look remarkably awake for five in the morning, little sister," Cassian murmured."Sleep is a luxury reserved for people without three trade guilds to manage," I replied, stepping forward to meet him. "Did you clear the lower bend without Draven’s border scouts seeing you?"Cassian offered a dry, faint smirk. "Draven’s scouts are looking for rogue shifters along the ridge. They aren't looking for a family cargo transport

The rain beat a steady rhythm against the tall, arched windows of my tower study.Candlelight flickered over the massive oak map table, throwing long shadows across the stone walls.On paper, the Citadel was asleep. In reality, every faction within these walls was quietly sharpening their knives for the Equinox Assembly.A soft knock echoed at the heavy door—three quick taps, followed by two slow ones.I didn't lift my eyes from the map of the border passes. "Enter, Marcus."The heavy oak door creaked open, and Marcus stepped inside, locking the latch behind him. Rain dripped from the shoulders of his leather coat onto the dark stone floor as he pulled off his gloves."The border scouts just checked in," Marcus said, keeping his voice down. "Vane’s private men are still moving along the western ridge. They think they're invisible.""Let them think so," I replied, my voice calm, deep, and steady. "And Lyssandra?"Marcus let out a low huff, stepping closer to the table. "She had a late

The nightmare was always the same, but every night it grew clearer. The smell of burning pine, the copper tang of blood in the dirt, and the deafening roar of a wolf pack closing in. And then... Liam.“Run, Kaela! Don't look back!”I woke up with a sharp gasp, my lungs burning as if I had been running for miles. The silk sheets of my bed were tangled around my legs, soaked with sweat."My lady?" a soft voice whispered from the darkness near the fireplace.The lights came on, illuminating the gentle, warm face of Elara my maid. She was a young, quiet shifter from the lower valleys whom Draven had assigned to my wing weeks ago.Elara hurried over, carrying a copper cup of cool water. "The bad dream again?""I keep seeing him, Elara," I breathed, taking the cup with shaking fingers and drinking deeply. "Liam. Every time I close my eyes, I'm back in the forest the night my pack was slaughtered. I hear his voice calling my name."Elara sat on the edge of the mattress, her soft brown eyes