All Chapters of The Rise Of The Midnight Heir : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

SELENESelene kept running.Deeper.Farther.Until the sounds behind her finally disappeared.But she didn't stop immediately.She knew trained rogues could track scent.So she deliberately crossed a shallow stream, walked through muddy terrain, and climbed across fallen trees to confuse her trail.Only when she was certain the sounds had completely vanished did she finally slow down.Her breathing was heavy.Her legs trembled slightly beneath her.But her eyes remained sharp.She had escaped.For now.The forest stretched endlessly around her.Tall trees rose like silent pillars into the darkness, their branches intertwining overhead and blocking most of the moonlight.The air was cold.Damp.Still.Every distant rustle sounded louder than it should.Every crack of a branch made her wolf lift its head.Selene forced herself forward.She couldn't afford to stop in the open.She found a concealed rocky area beneath enormous roots and slipped inside.The roots formed a natural shelter ar

The forest had gone quiet.The bodies of the rogues lay scattered among the trees, some twisted against the roots, others motionless beneath the pale wash of moonlight.Selene barely noticed them anymore.Her eyes were fixed on the man standing several paces ahead.He had his back to her.The same broad shoulders.The same dark clothing.The same long, dark-brown hair moving gently with the night breeze.His sword hung at his side as though the slaughter that had just taken place meant nothing.He was already walking away.Selene's brows drew together."Wait."He didn't stop.Something inside her tightened.She didn't understand it.There was a strange pressure in her chest, almost like her heart had suddenly forgotten its own rhythm.She took a step forward."Who are you?"Nothing.He continued walking.Selene's irritation rose."Show me your face."This time, he stopped.Slowly...The stranger turned.And Selene forgot what she had been about to say.For one suspended moment, she sim

"Red Claw?”Kaelen's voice was different.Only two words, but Selene caught the change immediately.She studied his face.“What is it?”He looked away.“Nothing.”“That didn't look like nothing.”Kaelen remained quiet for a moment before turning back to her.“I've heard of Red Claw.”Selene waited.“They say it is powerful.”A faint, proud smile touched her lips.“It is.”“The strongest territory among the known packs.”Her smile grew slightly.“That is also true.”She didn't tell him who she was.Not yet.There was no reason to.A man she had met only hours ago had already displayed abilities she couldn't explain. He had walked through a group of trained rogues as though they were nothing. He had suppressed a bond she had never seen another wolf resist.She couldn't simply hand him her identity.If he discovered she was the heiress, what would stop him from using that knowledge against her?Nothing.So she kept that part of herself hidden.Kaelen seemed satisfied with her answer.“My

Mira had stopped pretending she was fine.She stood before Darius, her composure slowly cracking beneath the weight of a mother's fear.“How long are you going to sit here, Darius?”Darius remained silent.Mira stepped closer.“She is our daughter.”“I know.”“Then act like her father.”His eyes hardened.“You think I don't want her back?”“I think you're allowing your history with Varek to stand between you and Selene.”The words struck deeper than she intended.Darius looked away.For several seconds, the room remained silent.Then he finally spoke.“Then we find a way to get her.”Mira's breathing steadied.“And if Varek refuses?”Darius slowly lifted his eyes.Something cold had settled behind them.“Then we will not ask with gentleness.”Rogan straightened.Darius rose from his seat.“We storm his territory.”The chamber went still.No one questioned him.No one dared.Darius turned toward the warriors.“Prepare the strongest wolves. We move when I give the order.”A warrior bowe

The forest had gone strangely quiet.Kaelen stood in the middle of the narrow path, his eyes moving slowly over the trees ahead. The traps they had discovered earlier were no longer a threat. One by one, they had found them, avoided them, and moved past them.The hidden ropes had failed.The pits beneath the leaves had failed.Even the sharpened stakes and wires the rogues had carefully placed between the trees had failed.Their advantage was gone.Selene knew it.Kaelen knew it.And somewhere in the darkness, the rogues knew it too.They had no more reason to hide.Their traps had failed, so the next step was obvious.They would come for them themselves.Selene stood a few steps behind Kaelen, watching the way he studied the forest. He wasn't restless. He wasn't nervous. If anything, he looked almost too calm for a man who knew they were surrounded.Then his hand lifted slightly."Stay close."Selene moved nearer without thinking.She stopped after taking two steps.Something about th