All Chapters of MARRIED TO THE LYCAN KING: CHOSEN BY THE MOON: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

KEIRA’S POVI opened my eyes to soft light filtering through familiar curtains, the steady scent of pine and Magnus that clung to the sheets. The bed under me felt like the one in our private rooms and the walls carried the same dark wood paneling I knew by heart. For a moment I simply lay still and catalogued every sensation. My wrists ached where the ropes had bitten deep. My ribs protested with a dull throb each time I drew breath. The left side of my face felt tight and swollen. Yet the mattress cradled me with a gentleness the cold storage floor had never offered, and the quiet of the room wrapped around me like a second blanket.I turned my head to the side and found Magnus standing near the window with Torin at his shoulder. I could see worry carved deep lines across Magnus’s face and his shoulders stayed rigid as he spoke in a low voice. Torin answered in equally quiet tones, but I could not catch the words. The sunlight painted the side of Magnus’s face in gold and shadow.

KEIRA’S POVI sat against the headboard with the sheets tangled around my legs as the shaman’s words circled through my head like a broken record. What you are looking for is right in front of you. He had spoken the phrase more than once, each time with that same calm certainty that left no room for doubt, yet the meaning stayed locked away from me. The White Wolf. The words sat heavy and useless. I had no face to attach to them, no name, and no direction. He never pointed toward a person or a place or even a territory. He only left the riddle hanging in the air and expected me to understand. I pressed my palms hard against my eyes until dark spots danced behind the lids and tried to force the pieces together, but every attempt slipped sideways. Frustration burned low in my chest. The more I turned the sentence over the less sense it made. Exhaustion pulled at my shoulders and the back of my neck. The single clear thought that remained was simple. I needed to find that shaman again

KEIRA’S POVI opened my eyes to the soft glow of evening light filtering through the curtains and the quiet of the room pressing in around me. For a moment I lay still and tried to measure how long I had slept. The last clear memory was the solid warmth of Magnus’s arms around me and the steady beat of his heart under my ear before sleep pulled me under. Now the other side of the bed lay empty and cool. The absence hit me hard and sharp. Fear rose fast as I remembered the dead girl in the bathroom and the way she had reached for me. What if that figure returned while I’m alone in this room? I threw the covers aside and swung my legs over the edge of the mattress. My bare feet hit the floor and I crossed the room in quick strides. I pulled the door open and stepped into the corridor just as one of the maids approached with a tray in her hands. “Where is my husband?” I asked before she could speak, my voice shaking with fear. She stopped and lowered her eyes. “His Majesty is in his

KEIRA’S POVThe kiss lasted until the need for air forced us apart. I kept my hands fisted in the front of his shirt as I felt the steady rise and fall of his chest under my palms. His forehead rested against mine for a long moment as the heat of his breath brushed my lips. The corridor around us stayed quiet except for the distant sound of footsteps somewhere deeper in the house. He drew back just enough to look at me. The intensity in his eyes had softened but the hold of his hands at my waist remained firm. “I’m no longer avoiding you, Sunflower,” he whispered, kissing my cheek. “Can we go upstairs now?” “Yes,” I whispered, nodding my head as I let him take my hand. His fingers closed around mine with firm pressure that grounded me against the lingering shake in my legs. We walked side by side toward the stairs. The stone steps felt cool under my bare feet and the banister slid smooth beneath my free hand as we climbed. He matched his pace to mine and never once loosened his gr

KEIRA’S POVI threw myself against the door the moment the bolt slid into place on the other side. My fists struck the heavy wood in rapid succession as the impacts sent sharp jolts up both arms. “Magnus, open this door,” I begged, my voice cracking as tears threatened to fall down my eyes. “Let me in. Please. You promised me that you wouldn’t lock me out again. Don’t do this to me.” His voice came back rough and strained. “Stay away from me. All of you stay away from this room.” Just then footsteps pounded up the corridor behind me. Torin appeared at a run with two guards close on his heels. He took in the scene in one glance and stepped to my side. “My king, what is happening in there? Open the door.”Magnus’s answer tore through the panels louder than before. “Do not open this door. No one should come in here. Please, listen to me. Keep everyone clear of this room and take her downstairs.”I spun toward Torin and gripped his forearm. “He is in pain. Something is inside with him.