Semua Bab CHOSEN BY RUIN: Bab 41 - Bab 50

Xaden’s growl rips through the space between us, low and violent, and I feel it more than I hear it—his anger surging into me like a storm breaking through my veins.Before I can even think, he pushes.My back slams hard against the wall, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs, and his body cages mine in an instant. His fangs are out now, and before I can process what he’s about to do, he drags them across my arm.Pain tears through me.A broken whimper slips from my lips as the sharp edges of his fangs slice into my skin, not deep enough to tear through completely, but enough to burn, to sting, to make my knees weaken beneath me.My body reacts on instinct—fight, run, survive—but I don’t move.Because I can feel him. Pain insanely mixes with pure desire. For him.The betrayal he feels. The suffocating weight of it. Years of being trapped inside something he never chose. It crashes into me so violently I almost gasp from it, my own emotions tangling helplessly with his.He’s los

“Wait. What?” I ask, confusion clouding everything else.Xaden doesn’t even slow down as he begins to walk away again. Always walking away.“You heard me.” He says.I stare at his back for a second before hurrying after him.“Why would you even say that?”He finally stops.When he turns, his blue eyes settle on me with that same unreadable intensity that always makes me feel like he can see far more than I want him to.“You’ve been carelessly siphoning powers.”My brows pull together. “I have not.”“You have.” His answer is immediate.I fold my arms, wincing slightly when the movement pulls at the wounds on my wrists.He continues, “You don’t even know when you’re doing it. That’s the problem.”I frown. “How can you tell?”He steps closer. Close enough that I become painfully aware of him again.“You can’t feel it yet because something is wrong with you.” His eyes search mine with serious intensity.My stomach tightens.“What do you mean…something is wrong with me?”“I don’t know yet.

XADENI stand still at the entrance of the hall, watching as Darian exchange greetings with the wolves’ elders with the kind of relaxed familiarity I have never cared to master. My gaze narrows at his hair. It’s no longer blond. It’s black like mine.The sight doesn’t sit well in my chest. “Welcome, Alpha heir.”“Welcome, Apex.”I nod once to acknowledge the greetings, before making way to the table where they are all seated. Mother is busy attending to the guest Alphas seating around the table. This is why I detest gatherings like this one. I am already seeing faces I would rather not want to have anything to do with.“And there is Xaden. It’s always a pleasure to see you, Son.” Alpha Kol, my father’s only brother greets me.I almost scoff at the sound of him using the word ‘Son’ for me. The same son he was desperate to make his daughter’s betrothed. He had wanted me for my cousin, ‘Matilda’He wanted her to be Luna of MoonBound. They are all obsessed with the power and respect t

Darian frowns immediately, confusion tightening his features. “Xaden asked you to go to dinner with him?” he asks, his voice carrying a sharp edge with it. Shit. I mentally curse myself for not paying proper attention to his features before now. But his hair— “Your hair color… I mistook you for Xaden,” I say quickly, trying to recover from the shock. Darian’s expression shifts, displeasure passing through his eyes before he answers. “I’ve always had dark hair. I dyed it blond and cut it short so people could tell us apart.” There is bitterness in his tone, subtle but unmistakable, and I realize instantly that this is not a topic he enjoys revisiting. I can’t help but wonder at the back of my mind if he and Xaden share some kind of resentment. “Oh… so how was your mission?” I ask, forcing the conversation elsewhere. “Fine,” he replies curtly, but his gaze sharpens on me again. “Xaden wanted you to come to the pack’s dinner with him?” Jealousy is written all over hi

Darian doesn’t hesitate to reply, lifting his chin. “Zolya,” he says sharply, “I think you should focus on finding your own mate instead of waiting around hoping Xaden will claim you someday, because from the look of things, he won’t.”Color drains from Zolya’s face instantly, her chest heaving.“Xaden is my best friend,” she says quickly. “I had never possessed such thoughts towards—”“Now don’t get too emotional, Darian,” Xaden interrupts smoothly, his gaze shifting back to me. I lower mine immediately. “Zolya only stated a fact. Someone like Hannah would never have my attention.” Then his voice turns cold. “Not even in her wildest of dreams.”For a second, everything inside me goes quiet.My eyes lift to his and our gazes lock. I squint.What is Xaden trying to prove with his demeaning words?Darian leans back slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips.“Are you sure you’re not the one getting emotional, Xaden?” he says without raising his voice. It almost feels like a normal conversati