All Chapters of THE NIGHT MY MATE BURNED ME ALIVE : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I always thought my mate would be the last person standing beside me when the world turned against me.Instead, he was the one who ordered my execution.The iron chains around my wrists rattled as a cold wind swept through the execution square. The sound carried farther than it should have, scraping across the uneasy silence of the crowd. My skin was raw where the shackles had rubbed against it. Dried blood clung to the metal, sticking to every small movement, but I barely felt the pain anymore. Physical suffering had long since stopped being the worst thing happening to me.The entire kingdom seemed to have gathered for my death.Nobles stood beneath embroidered banners. Warriors filled the front rows in polished armor that glinted beneath the moonlight. Servants crowded the edges of the square, whispering among themselves. Children sat on their fathers' shoulders, too young to understand what they were watching but eager for the spectacle all the same.Every one of them had come to

My hands wouldn't stop shaking.I stood in front of the cracked mirror, staring at a face I hadn't seen in five years. The face of a girl who still believed in fairy tales. A girl who thought fate would reward loyalty and love.A girl who had no idea she would one day burn alive.A knock sounded again."Seraphina?" my mother called. "Are you ill?"The sound of her voice hit harder than anything else had.In my first life, she had died less than a year after my rejection ceremony. Accused of helping political enemies of the Crown, she had been dragged from our home and executed without trial.I never got to say goodbye.Now she was alive.Breathing.Waiting outside my door.My throat tightened painfully."I'm coming," I managed.For several seconds, I simply stood there.Then I crossed the room and opened the door.My mother immediately frowned."By the Moon Goddess, child, what happened to your face?"Before I could answer, she reached up and touched my cheek.The gesture shattered so

I read the letter five times before I finally accepted that the words weren't going to rearrange themselves into something less troubling.I know what you did today. Meet me at midnight. Come alone.— Kael BlackwoodThe parchment crackled softly between my fingers. At first, I thought my hands were shaking because of Kael. That would have been simple enough to understand.The truth was worse.I wasn't frightened of the man standing in the present. I was frightened of what his interest meant.In my first life, Kael Blackwood barely noticed me. I had spent years collecting scraps of attention from him like a starving person gathering crumbs from a table. A glance across a ballroom. A polite greeting at a ceremony. A rare conversation that I replayed in my head for weeks afterward.I had built entire dreams around those moments.Yet he had never sought me out. Never sent a private message. Never requested a meeting.Now, only hours after the assassination attempt, I stood in my family's

By the time I reached the drawing room, I had already forced my expression into something calm.Years ago, Vivienne had taught me a painful lesson.Never let your enemies see what you're thinking.The lesson had cost me everything.Sunlight streamed through the tall windows as I stepped into the room. Dust drifted lazily through the golden beams, and the scent of fresh tea lingered in the air.Vivienne sat elegantly on one of the velvet sofas.At first glance, she looked exactly as she always had.Beautiful.Perfect.Harmless.Golden hair cascaded over one shoulder. A pale blue dress hugged her figure flawlessly. Her posture was graceful enough to make noble daughters jealous.In my first life, I had envied her too.Now I knew better.A snake hidden beneath flowers was still a snake.The moment she saw me, her face brightened."Seraphina!"The warmth in her voice would have fooled almost anyone.Almost.I remembered the execution square.I remembered her smiling while they chained me

"What exactly are you?"The question hung in the air between us.For a moment, the only sounds in the study were the steady patter of rain against the windows and the distant rumble of thunder rolling across the capital. I stared at Kael, unable to answer. My heartbeat thudded painfully against my ribs.If only he knew.If only I could tell him everything.That I had already lived through these years once before. That I remembered every betrayal, every mistake, every moment that had led me to the execution square. I remembered standing in chains while the kingdom watched. I remembered the flames consuming my body. Most of all, I remembered Kael—the man standing before me now—giving the order that ended my life.And yet somehow, against all reason, I had awakened five years in the past.How was I supposed to explain that?No one would believe me.Certainly not Kael.I crossed my arms and forced my expression into something calm. "You ask strange questions, Your Highness."His gaze didn