All Chapters of THE SLAVE THAT STOLE THE ALPHA'S HEART.: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

POV: SELENA“Your husband or your daughter.”The words echoed through the chamber.I stared at Hope.Her small hand remained raised, the black mark on her palm pulsing like a second heartbeat.Ian stood beside me, completely still.Neither of us spoke.The creature had finally revealed what it wanted.It wanted me to choose.But it had made one mistake.It believed I would accept its rules.“Hope,” I whispered.Her eyes filled with tears.“Mom, please help me.”Every instinct inside me screamed to run to her.I wanted to pull her into my arms, carry her away from this place, and destroy anything that dared hurt her.But Razor's voice stopped me.Don't trust what you see.I swallowed hard.“What is your favorite flower?”The girl looked confused.“What?”“Answer me.”She lowered her hand.“I don't know.”My heart sank.Hope knew.She always picked the little white flowers growing near the river because she said they looked like tiny stars.I stepped backward.“You're not Hope.”The cre

POV: SELENAThe cry came again.A baby's cry.Small.Weak.Yet it filled the entire chamber.Hope's fingers tightened around mine.“Mom.”I looked at her.Her silver eyes were fixed on the open gate.“I remember that sound.”Ian moved closer.“Hope, what do you remember?”She swallowed.“A room.”Her voice trembled.“There was a woman crying. Someone was holding me.”I crouched in front of her.“Who?”Hope squeezed her eyes shut.“My grandmother.”The First Shadow Queen stepped backward.“No.”Hope looked at her.“You were there.”The Queen's face changed.Hope continued.“You were standing beside my mother.”My heart stopped.“Which mother?”Hope looked at me.“You.”I couldn't breathe.“I wasn't there.”“You were.”Hope pressed both hands against her temples.“I saw you.”The darkness around her feet began moving.Ian knelt beside her.“Don't force yourself to remember.”Hope shook her head.“I have to.”A sudden flash filled the chamber.Hope gasped.Then she grabbed my wrist.“Mom

SELENA’S POVThe voice faded, but the last words remained in the chamber.Bring me the child.Hope's fingers tightened around mine.I pulled her behind me while Ian stepped forward, his body blocking the opening of the ancient gate. The black mark on his neck had begun to glow beneath his skin, spreading in thin lines toward his jaw."Ian."He glanced at me."I’m fine."A sharp crack came from the gate.Stone split across the ancient doorway, and a cold wind rushed through the chamber. The torches along the walls went out one after another until only Hope's silver light remained.Kael pushed himself against the wall, one hand pressed against his wound."Whatever is behind that gate," he whispered, "it knows Hope is here."Hope stared into the darkness.Her silver eyes suddenly widened."Mom."I turned toward her."What did you see?"She swallowed hard."Us."The gate shook again.Hope grabbed my arm."We're standing in the same place, but you're not holding me."A strange pressure fil

SELENA’S POVMy own face stared back at me from the darkness behind Ian.For one terrifying moment, I could not breathe.The shadow slowly stepped into the silver light, revealing my eyes, my hair, and even the small scar beneath my left eye. Everything was exactly the same, except for the black veins crawling across her neck.Hope struggled against the older version of herself."Mom," she whispered, "that's not you."The woman wearing the crown smiled."Of course it is."Ian forced himself to stand.His silver eyes remained fixed on the shadow."Selena, don't look at it."I tore my gaze away.The shadow laughed softly."Still protecting her, even now."Ian's fists tightened."Who are you?"The shadow ignored him.She looked directly at me."You have spent all this time believing darkness was something that entered your life."She stepped closer."But darkness never entered you."My fingers curled around the hilt of my sword."What do you want?""Nothing."Her smile disappeared."I wa

SELENA’S POVThe shadow's words echoed through the chamber.My daughter.Hope's fingers tightened around mine.She stared at the enormous figure behind Ian, her silver eyes reflecting the red symbols burning across the walls."She called me her daughter."I pulled Hope closer."Don't listen to her."The shadow slowly lowered its head.Its face was mine, but its eyes were completely white."You still hide the truth from her."I raised my sword."Stay away from my daughter."The creature smiled."You think being her mother gives you the right to keep her?"The stone beneath my feet cracked.A wave of darkness rushed across the floor.I pushed Hope behind me and struck the ground with my sword.Silver light burst from the blade and stopped the darkness before it reached us.Ian remained suspended above the floor.His body was surrounded by black smoke."Ian!"His head turned toward me.For one second, his eyes returned to their normal color."Selena..."I stepped forward."Fight it."His