Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 71 - Chapitre 80

The comms unit on my belt buzzed three times, then every screen along the palace corridor flickered and went dark. A second later, a static white light filled the displays.Queen Eleanor froze, her hand gripping my forearm so hard her nails dug through my coat.The screens snapped to a clear video feed. There was no sender tag or location name—just a wide shot of a white room with a steel chair in the middle.My knees buckled as I saw him.Theodore was strapped down to it. Leather belts were pulled tight across his chest, thighs, and wrists. His shirt had been cut open down the front.I could feel my body suddenly freezing, every muscle locking as though my mind could not accept what I was seeing. A sharp gasp tore out of Queen Eleanor’s throat, her entire body trembling against my side, and for a second I couldn't tell if it was her trembling or if the shaking had started in me.In the video, two people in lab coats stepped up to the chair. One pressed a rubber pad against Theodore's

THEODOREAs the door opened slid open, the hallway light stabbed into my eyes. I turned my face away, but it was too late. My vision blurred.A doctor stepped inside carrying a plastic tray. He set it on the table beside my cot.A glass of water and a bowl of gray paste... again.“Eat,” he said. “Morton wants your blood sugar up before the next run.”My stomach clenched as I stared at the bowl. The smell alone made bile rise in my throat.My fingers curled into the mattress, not that again. I am not eating that again.I reached for the tray and knocked it onto the floor.I watched as the glass shattered and the gray paste splattered across the doctor’s shoes.For a second, neither of us moved, immediately I braced myself for the also I know was coming.His hand cracked across my face, the forcr made my head slam against the wall.Pain flashed behind my eyes, right before I tasted blood.“You're not in a palace, Prince.” He wiped his boot against the floor. “You're a test subject. Act

EVANDER'S POVI stared at Odan for a second, then a cold smile touched my lips."Under Article Nine of the Interstellar Defense Treaty," I said, my voice steady, "any allied planet holding critical intelligence regarding the safety of a reigning royal family is legally required to disclose it immediately. Withholding that information to force a political marriage is defined as treason and extortion."Odan’s smile faded, her eyes sharpening. "You're stretching legal terms, General.""I'm not," I replied, taking a step toward her. "If I broadcast a transcript of this meeting to the High Alliance council, how do you think the other systems will react? Kreeds using a kidnapped prince as leverage to force a blood contract with Avindel? Your father’s reputation won't survive the week.""You have no proof of what was said in this room," Odan said, crossing her arms. "It’s your word against mine."I didn't bother answering her. Instead, I tapped my comm unit. "Officer Brian, play the throne r

EVANDER'S POVThe blast doors of the secondary launch bay hissed open, revealing the portal ring suspended in the center of the room.The titanium structure hummed with energy, but the tear in space inside it was chaotic. Purple and white static arc-welded across the frame, throwing erratic light across the steel walls. The air tasted like ozone and copper.“Status,” I ordered, stepping up to the primary observation deck where the team was assembled.Brian leaned over a console alongside two chief engineers, his face pale under the flickering glow of the monitors. He looked up as Penelope and I walked in.“It’s open, General, but it’s completely wild,” Brian said, pointing to a spiking graph on the display. “We ran three test probes through the rift. The first two were crushed by gravimetric shear before they cleared the threshold. The third one made it through, but the telemetry was torn apart. The temporal frequency inside the portal is fluctuating wildly.”Penelope immediately plug

The doors of the grand hall slammed shut, cutting off the noise from the corridor outside.Queen Eleanor stood in the center of the room, wiping her damp cheeks with the back of her sleeve. Her hands were shaking, but her jaw was set tight as she walked straight to the long mahogany desk near the raised dais and pulled out a blank sheet of royal parchment.King Madina stood by the throne, his hand still resting against the reddened cheek where she had struck him. He watched her pull the silver quill from the inkstand.“What are you doing, Eleanor?” Madina asked, his voice rough.“I am writing a formal declaration of dissolution,” Eleanor said without looking up. “I want a divorce.”Madina scoffed as he took a step toward her. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re upset. The stress of this whole situation is getting to you.”“I am completely sane,” Eleanor replied, her voice flat as she dipped the tip of the quill into the black ink. “I am leaving you, Madina. As soon as Evander brings Theodore