Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

AMIRA Consciousness came and went in waves. Every time awareness returned, there was a rush of panic. Someone was carrying me. Then the darkness would pull me under again before I could fully wake.When my eyes finally opened for good, I was lying on the ground beneath a thick cluster of evergreen trees. Cool shade covered the area, but bright sunlight slipped through the gaps between the branches above.An entire night was gone."Don't panic. You're not alone," Derrick said from where he crouched in front of me. "Or maybe that makes you panic more. Hard to tell. Either way, it's just us."A weak groan escaped me as I tried to sit up.Leaning closer, he slid an arm behind my back and carefully helped me sit against the trunk of a tree."Water. Food. Eldric said it's important that you replace your energy as fast as possible. You lost too much blood."Without hesitation, I took the bottle and the energy bar.The water disappeared almost as soon as it touched my lips. I drank too qui

DERRICK Amira slept until the sun was long gone.When she finally woke up, the first thing I noticed was the color returning to her face. She looked healthier than she had before she fell asleep. Keeping my eyes on her, I watched as she slowly stood up and stretched. She didn't wobble. Her steps were steady now. The small smile on her face told me she knew she was feeling better too."You think we're far enough from the Clan Borders to shift and hunt?" I asked.Trusting her completely wasn't even an option after everything that had happened.But after last night, I also knew something else.Ignoring her warnings had almost gotten us killed.I'd only been inside Moonshade Woodlands once when I was a kid. That trip had ended badly. We barely made it through two days before we gave up and took the longer route home."Probably," she answered quietly. "I don't really know exactly where we are. But I don't... I don't think we'll run into anything dangerous if we don't move any closer w

AMIRA From the way he spoke, even though his voice sounded casual, I understood what he really meant.The Crimson Eclipse Pack was the closest pack to the Stonehaven Settlement and the nearest place connected to The Kingdoms. Running a simple errand like that was far beneath someone like Derrick. He had gone there for another reason.He had been searching for information."Did you uncover any more hidden secrets about me while you were there?" I asked.A faint smile touched his face."Why, Amira? Is there something you want to tell me?"Instead of answering, I stopped walking and pointed to our left."Do you see that hollow?"He stopped right behind me. He was close enough that I felt his warm breath against the back of my neck. His hand brushed lightly against my waist.Every muscle in my body tightened.Without thinking, I stepped away from him.To his credit, Derrick stayed where he was instead of following me."I see it," he said."Does anything about it seem strange?"He studie

AMIRA Maybe I had mentioned it before without thinking, but this was the first time I had openly introduced Derrick as my mate.To his credit, he did not react at all. The fake name did not surprise him. Neither did the lie about our relationship. He did not even seem bothered when Orion turned out to be a friend of my father's.A close friend."A mate? Well, look at you. Rowan's sweet little girl is all grown up," Orion said with a playful smile that made my stomach tighten. "Any mate of Amira's is a friend of mine. I'm sure you've got her under control. My little Amira used to be a real handful."The words made my stomach twist, but I laughed anyway. Showing even the smallest sign of discomfort would only encourage him. It was already too late to hint to Derrick that he should kill Orion so we could leave.Something about Orion felt wrong.Why was he standing out here talking so comfortably?"She's under control," Derrick answered in a calm voice."I never doubted it." Orion sm

DERRICK The lies came out of Amira's mouth as if they were nothing.While Orion invited Ronan to stay for dinner, Amira started shaking.I knew exactly what she was thinking.My wolves had not returned.It caught my attention that she was worried about them.There was no reason for her to care that much.The truth was, my wolves were fine. If any of them had died, I would have felt it. Ronan had lied to all of us.I still didn't know why.There was no way to tell Amira the truth.The next two hours passed with us sitting at Orion's table like welcome guests.Orion smiled through the entire meal. He seemed happy to tell story after story about Amira when she was younger.Every story made my jaw tighten.Every word tested my patience.Amira never reacted.She listened without arguing.She never looked upset.She never gave anything away.When dinner was finally over, Orion suggested that we stay inside the cabin for the night.I shut that idea down immediately.Then he suggested someth