Semua Bab The Lycan King’s Forgotten Wife: Bab 31 - Bab 40

ARDEN POV"What... what are you?" Ronan gasped, his voice barely a rasp.I yanked my cut palm back from his grip. The blinding white light vanished in an instant, leaving hot blue spots floating across my eyes.I squeezed my bleeding hand into a tight fist, tucking it against my side before my fingers could shake.Severin stood at the foot of the bed, shutting the heavy leather ledger with a loud thud. His face had turned as pale as chalk, his eyes locked onto the black veins on Ronan's neck. The dark, rotting lines were shrinking, pulling back down his chest like black snakes running away from a fire."Did you see that light?" a nobleman whispered near the doorway."The black poison retreated!" another noble gasped. "She is Darius Marcellis's outcast daughter. What kind of blood did he send here?"I turned my head toward the archway.Standing in the deep shadows behind a stone pillar was Celeste. She wore a light blue dress, her hair pinned back with silver clips. Her hands were wrap

Arden POV The door’s keypad glowed bright red in the cold dark. Deep inside my chest, the invisible thread tugged again, dragging against my ribs so hard my breath hitched."Step away from the iron doors," a stern voice barked behind me.I whirled around. A tall royal guard stepped out from the shadows of the stone corridor, his black boots thudding against the floorboards. He wore a heavy leather vest stamped with the silver wolf crest, and his right hand rested flat against the grip of his sidearm.I took a fast step back, keeping my hands raised where he could see them. "I was just looking for a way out. I got lost in the dark.""This entire wing is off-limits," the guard said, stopping five feet from me. His sharp eyes scanned my secondhand clothes and the white bandage wrapped tightly around my cut palm. "The East Wing is locked down by order of Commander Lucian. Guests are not allowed past the main carpet line.""I am the physician treating the King," I replied, keeping my voic

Ronan pov "Get up, Voss," I growled, my voice rough.My throat burned with every breath, but the heavy, suffocating weight that had crushed my chest for days was finally lifting. The black poison was no longer crawling up my neck, though faint dark lines still bruised the skin over my ribs.Dr. Voss scrambled backward, nearly dropping his digital tablet. "Your Majesty! You need to rest. The synthetic decay is only suppressed, not entirely cleared.""I am done resting," I said, swinging my legs over the edge of the tall bed. My feet hit the cold floorboards with a heavy thud. I stood up, refusing to let my knees buckle, and pulled my black shirt over my broad shoulders.Lucian stepped into the room, his hand resting near his sidearm as his sharp eyes scanned my face. "You look better than you did six hours ago, Sire.""Where is she?" I asked, my jaw set tight."Arden is in the eastern prep kitchen under heavy guard," Lucian replied, keeping his voice low. "She insisted on processing

ARDEN POV"Leave the tray on the table and get out," Celeste commanded, her voice echoing across the high, arched ceiling of the private morning room.I kept my hands steady as I set the tea service down on the dark mahogany wood. The hot steam carried the bitter smell of dried chamomile and boiled berries into the air. I did not look up, nor did I speed up my movements. I smoothed the edges of the napkin, keeping my face blank, entirely frozen.Under the royal council's strict rules, my official status in the tower was recorded as a domestic ward until Ronan's blood treatments were complete. Celeste knew it, and she abused that loop to force me into petty household chores. Refusing her commands in front of the council staff meant insubordination, which gave her the legal right to void my contract fee and lock me back in a guarded cell. Carrying a tea tray was a small, bitter price to pay to keep my thin veil of freedom intact."Did you hear me, Arden?" Celeste stepped closer, her he

Ronan POV"Why are you standing in the dark, Ronan?" Celeste asked, her voice soft and sweet as she stepped into her private sitting room.I stood near the wide glass balcony doors on floor eighty-eight, staring down at the wet streets below. My hand still burned from the touch of Arden’s skin in the hallway hours ago. My lips felt warm, plagued by the memory of her mouth beneath mine, and my mind was a chaotic storm. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Arden’s sharp green gaze, cool and indifferent, looking at me like I was a complete stranger.It was wrong. She was a disowned convict, a woman my council used as a temporary vessel to clean my blood. Celeste was the woman who had stayed by my side. Celeste was the one who had saved my life seven years ago in that cold, dark alley.I turned around, forcing a stiff smile onto my face. "I was just thinking."Celeste wore a long, flowing robe of dark blue silk, her golden hair falling loosely over her shoulders. She walked across the plush