All Chapters of His to protect, theirs to sacrifice : Chapter 51 - Chapter 59

Darius POVThat bastard.The words still rang in my ears as the heavy doors shut behind Caius. I stared at the carved wood long after he disappeared, my fingers digging into the armrest until the leather creaked.*Nice ring. One would almost believe that was the original.*He had looked at my hand. Directly. Deliberately. Then he had the nerve to say it in front of the entire council.My jaw locked. I was certain he had the real ring. There was no other reason for him to throw that line like a blade. Caius wanted me to know he suspected something. The only question left was how much he actually knew.“What did Caius mean by that, Your Majesty?” Elder Coran asked.I dragged my gaze back to the table. The old man’s brow was furrowed, his hands folded too neatly. The others watched me with the same careful curiosity they always wore when they wanted answers without risking my temper.“He is just being Caius,” I said, voice even. “He has always been against me. He doesn’t like me. You all

Zara POVI followed them out the door without hesitation, and for the first time since I had been brought to this place the fear of being seen did not claw at my throat the way it usually did. The corridors beyond Caius’s private rooms had always felt like enemy territory, places where a single wrong glance could end me, yet today something had shifted. The tracker in Sera’s hand glowed faintly as she led the way, and Caius walked slightly ahead of me, his presence solid enough that the usual terror of discovery simply refused to rise. Servants froze in place as we passed. Their eyes widened, trays nearly slipping from their hands, mouths parting in silent shock at the sight of me walking freely at the Alpha’s side. I felt their stares burn across my skin, but I kept my gaze forward, heart beating hard for an entirely different reason.The path the locator pulled us along wound through quieter wings of the palace until we reached a section that sat almost adjacent to Caius’s own quart

Zara POVThe door exploded inward on the third strike, wood splitting and hinges screaming as the heavy panel slammed against the wall. Three warriors poured through the opening first, blades already drawn, followed closely by Cole. His face was set in hard lines of fury, eyes locking onto Caius with open hatred. Behind them more footsteps thundered in the outer chamber; at least half a dozen men had come.Caius moved before I could even scream. One arm shoved me farther onto the bed while his body became a solid wall between me and the doorway. A low, animal growl rolled from his chest.“Stand down,” Cole ordered, voice sharp. “The king demands the girl. Now.”“She stays,” Caius answered. The words were quiet, almost conversational, yet the air around him seemed to thicken. “Take another step and I will end every one of you.”Cole’s lip curled. “You already murdered the only witch strong enough to hold the barrier. Do you think Darius will let that pass? Hand her over and perhaps he

Zara POVSera’s blade held the glowing dagger locked in place, green sparks raining onto the floor between them. The warriors who had dropped through the broken window fanned out at once, engaging Darius’s men with sharp, efficient strikes. Steel rang against steel. Bodies slammed into walls. The room that had already been half-destroyed became a storm of violence.I still could not move. The two men pinning my arms tightened their grip the moment Sera appeared, but one of the newcomers slammed into them from the side. The pressure on my wrists vanished. I scrambled sideways on hands and knees, glass cutting my palms, until my back hit the solid leg of the overturned bed.Caius erupted from the pile of bodies that had held him down. Blood streaked half his face and soaked the side of his shirt, yet he moved as if the injuries meant nothing. He closed the distance to Darius in three long strides. Sera twisted her blade, forcing the cursed dagger wide, and Caius’s fist crashed into his