All Chapters of Barren? Honey, I'm Just Getting Started: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

- WILLOWThe doors to the Great Hall boomed shut behind us, locking out the chilly morning wind and trapping sixty anxious nobles inside a room that already smelled like old wine, wet velvet, and heavy cologne.I kept my chin tucked down as I slid into the shadows right behind my mother’s carved wooden chair. Around the central marble table, dozens of elderly lords and regional representatives were already muttering among themselves, their jeweled rings tapping nervously against the polished stone.Lord Ronin didn't wait for Noah to officially open the session. He stepped out into the center of the room with a smug expression like he owned the place, smoothing down his dark red velvet coat."Your Majesty, members of the High Council," Ronin began, his voice booming effortlessly off the high stone arches. "I apologize for forcing an emergency assembly on such short notice. But the safety of this realm is under immediate threat."A loud wave of anxious gasps rippled through the older co

- WILLOWThe second the double doors of the Rose Suite clicked shut, the heavy, overwhelming noise of the outer hallways cut off completely.My mother sank into her deep velvet armchair, letting out a long, quiet sigh as she slipped off her heavy silk gloves. "Well. That was certainly more dramatic than our usual Monday council meetings.""Ronin's a complete lunatic," Noah growled, tossing his broadsword onto the round oak table with a loud thud. He leaned over the wood, resting his palms flat against the grain as he looked over at Dexter. "And you... you smashed a two-hundred-year-old carved door off its iron hinges. We haven't even been introduced to each other properly, and you're already wrecking my castle."Dexter shrugged, leaning his heavy shoulder against the stone fireplace mantle and looking totally unbothered. "Your guards were blocking the entrance, Your Majesty. I had a schedule to keep.""I'm not paying for the wood," Noah grunted, though the sharp edge in his voice soft

- WILLOW"Something doesn't add up," Dexter murmured, tossing a ring of heavy brass keys onto Noah's oak desk.He leaned back against the high leather chair, spinning a thick silver duty pass between his knuckles. It glinted under the oil lamps, catching the light as he tossed it up and caught it effortlessly in his palm."What is that?" I asked, looking up from the canvas blueprints spread over the table."It's Captain Kael's high-level pass," Dexter said, sliding the silver coin-shaped token toward Noah. "I pulled it off his belt when we disarmed him in the hall. It grants unrestricted access to every royal armory and back exit in the palace."Noah picked up the silver token, turning it over between his thick fingers. His brows furrowed into a tight line. "This has my royal seal on the back. But I didn't issue this to Kael.""Which means someone in your inner circle signed off on it," I pointed out, pulling my grey hoodie back over my hair. "Ronin's in a cell right now, acting like

- WILLOW"My toes are completely numb," I whispered, leaning my back against the damp stone wall of the vault."Stop moving around so much," Dexter muttered beside me. He was sitting on a wooden supply crate, his dark coat pulled tight, meticulously cleaning under his fingernails with the tip of his iron dagger. "You're kicking up dust.""It's eleven fifty-eight, Dex," I said, pulling my hoodie sleeves down over my hands to keep the chill off my fingers. "I've been staring at this pitch-black tunnel opening for two straight hours. If I don't stretch my legs, I'm gonna lose my mind.""Two minutes," Noah’s quiet, steady voice came from the dark alcove across the room.He was standing right behind a heavy stone pillar, flanked by fifteen royal archers who had their bowstrings pulled half-tight, arrows nocked and ready. Every single guy in that room was holding his breath, waiting for the first sound of leather boots marching through the narrow mountain gap.The old iron clock tower up in

- WILLOW"You're completely out of your mind, Willow," Noah snapped, pacing across the stone floor of the Rose Suite. "Severing the fated mate bond with an ancient blood-magic ritual? Are you insane?""I'm not insane, Noah," I said, leaning my hips against the heavy oak table and folding my arms over my chest. "I'm realistic.""It's suicide," he grunted, stopping right in front of me to glare down into my face. "You don't just tear a fated mate bond from your soul. It's built into your blood. Trying to rip it out manually could stop your heart entirely.""You know what else is gonna stop my heart?" I shot back, raising an eyebrow. "Callum's entire vanguard marching through our back door because he can track my exact position every time I take a deep breath."Noah opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. He slammed his jaw shut and ran a hand over his face with a sharp, furious exhale."She's right, Your Majesty," Dexter spoke up from his spot by the window.He leaned against t