All Chapters of Betrayed By My Mate, Now Claimed By The Lycan King : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"So Jakob knew all along," I said. My voice came out flat. "He married you knowing you carried it. He promised me to Sveinn hoping the weak blood would drown the strong. And when my wolf didn't rise, he panicked and tried to bury me instead." Merja nodded. Tears tracked down her cheeks now. "He still thinks he can fix it. The Council has something new in those cages. They call it the Devourer. Older than the Bound. Made to eat Old Blood. They're going to use it on you the second they get close enough. Jakob offered me as bait because he knows you'll come. He's counting on it." I laughed once, short and ugly. "Then he's even stupider than I thought. I'm not the girl he locked in that cell anymore." Merja grabbed my hands. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "You have to be careful, Elva. The power doesn't just give strength. It demands balance. Without the bond fully sealed it will keep slipping. You'll hurt the wrong people. And once the bond is complete… the elders will throw eve

Gunnar crossed the space in two steps and crushed his mouth to mine. This wasn't the kiss in the clearing. That had been need and relief. This was fire. Teeth and tongue and the low growl in his chest that I felt all the way down to my toes. His hands shoved my cloak off my shoulders, then ripped at the laces of my shirt. Fabric tore. I didn't care. I yanked his belt open, shoved his pants down his hips, and wrapped my fingers around him. He was already hard, hot, thick. He groaned into my mouth when I stroked him once, rough. "Elva," he rasped against my lips. "If we do this… the bond seals completely. No going back." "Good." I bit his bottom lip. "I don't want to go back." He lifted me like I weighed nothing and carried me to the big bed. We hit the furs tangled together, clothes half-off, mouths still fighting. His hands were everywhere—sliding over the scales on my ribs, cupping my breasts, pinching my nipples until I arched and swore at him. I dragged my claws down his back

Gunnar drew his sword. "We meet them in the courtyard if it breaks through. Stay linked. Don't let go of the bond." I nodded. The connection between us felt like steel cable now. I could sense every shift in his mood, every plan forming in his head. He felt mine the same way. We moved down the stairs as one, warriors falling in behind us. The gate gave with a final metallic groan. The Devourer burst through, wagons crashing behind it, wolves pouring in after. Green magic poured off the creature in waves. It locked eyes on me and screamed. The sound drilled straight into my skull. "It wants the Old Blood," I said through gritted teeth. "It can smell it." Gunnar bared his teeth. "Then it can die for it." We charged. The bond let us fight like we shared one body. I slammed my palms down and roots exploded under the front wave of wolves, yanking them into the dirt. Gunnar cut through the ones that made it past, sword flashing. When one Council elder hurled a spear of green lightning

Gunnar appeared at my side, shoulder pressed to mine. Blood ran down his side but the bond kept us both upright. We pushed forward together. Roots and sword. Crevices and steel. Every strike fed the other. The Black Council tried one last volley of green lightning. I felt it coming through the bond, turned, and the two of us slammed our hands to the ground at the same time. A single massive crevice ripped open right under their line. Thirty feet wide. Black and hungry. Elders screamed as horses and wolves plunged in. Green magic flared wild but the bond held the power steady. The crevice swallowed half their center and snapped shut with a thunder crack. Jakob was the last one standing near the gate. His eyes met mine across the bodies. For the first time I saw real fear there. Not calculation. Fear. He turned and ran. The surviving wolves broke completely. They poured back into the trees, howling retreat. Our warriors chased them to the treeline but didn't go farther. We weren't s

We left the horses in the trees and moved on foot. Gunnar took point with me right beside him. Sunna and Nina flanked us. The rest of the team spread out in pairs. We slipped past the outer sentries easy. The sealed bond made us quieter, faster, like the night itself bent around us. I felt Gunnar's focus sharpen when we reached the tree line overlooking the camp. Cages lined the back clearing. Most were empty now. One big one in the center still had something moving inside it, something big enough to make the iron bars groan. Merja's note had been right. They were waking something worse. Gunnar's hand found mine in the dark. The bond flared once, steadying us both. "Cave entrance is behind the main building. We go in quiet, find her, get out. If that thing in the cage stirs, we drop the whole ridge on it." I squeezed his fingers. Scales pressed to his palm. "Together." We moved. The camp was half-asleep after the beating we'd given them earlier. A few guards patrolled, but they