Alle Kapitel von THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN LUNA: Kapitel 51 – Kapitel 60

They rode back toward Draven territory as the sun climbed fully over the ridge, exhaustion pressing down on every member of the group with crushing weight, none of them speaking much beyond what necessity required. The valley behind them had already begun fading into the kind of memory that felt more like a fever dream than something any of them had actually survived. Ronan rode slower than usual, Fenna keeping close watch beside him, monitoring for any sign that Corvain's expulsion had left lasting damage behind."How do you feel?" Selene asked quietly, guiding her horse alongside his as they crested the final hill before the camp came into view."Hollow," Ronan admitted. "Like something scraped me out from the inside and left the shape of who I was without quite refilling it yet." He glanced at her, something rueful touching his exhausted expression. "I imagine that improves with time.""It should," Fenna said, though her tone carried more hope than certainty. "The body remembers ho

Kael's expression hardened instantly, exhaustion burning away beneath cold, focused resolve. "Where is she now?" His hand had already drifted to the blade at his hip, an old, protective instinct he seemed to have forgotten he still carried."In the infirmary," Edrick said. "Unpacking supplies, unaware anyone's noticed anything. I only found what I found because I went looking through the old healer's records for anything connecting to the compulsion marks, and Fenna's personal effects were stored in the same cabinet.""What did you find?" Selene asked.Edrick produced a small, folded letter, edges worn from repeated handling. "Correspondence. Unsigned, but the handwriting matches notes I've seen before, in council documentation Vale submitted years ago under a scribe's hand rather than his own. Someone close to him. Someone who survived his fall and kept operating in his absence."Kael took the letter, scanning it, jaw tightening with every line. "This references the hearing date spec

"There's nothing to discuss," Kael said, stepping forward despite the guards visibly tensing around Aldric's position, his exhaustion burning away beneath sheer force of will. "We have testimony, evidence, and witnesses. The hearing will proceed exactly as intended."Aldric's smile remained fixed, unbothered by the challenge. "Will it? I confess I find that rather optimistic, given how many complications tend to arise before proceedings this sensitive actually convene." His gaze shifted deliberately to Fenna, something knowing and cold passing behind his composed expression. "You look unwell, my dear. Travel doesn't agree with you, I take it."Fenna's breath caught, fear plain across her face despite her obvious effort to hold steady. "You know who I am.""I know considerably more than you might be comfortable with," Aldric said pleasantly. "Including, I imagine, whatever confession you've recently delivered to your new companions. Disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. Loyalty p

Vale's eyes swept the wreckage of the chamber with unhurried interest, stepping over a fallen guard without breaking stride, as though the carnage were simply scenery arranged for his arrival. Blood still pooled dark across the marble near the east doors, and the surviving councilors pressed themselves against the far wall, too stunned to flee further.Kael moved first, shifting mid-lunge, black fur exploding across his frame as he closed the distance in three bounding strides, claws already extended for a killing strike. Vale sidestepped with contemptuous ease, catching Kael's shoulder and driving him hard into a toppled bench, wood splintering under the impact and scattering across the floor in a spray of broken slats.Selene shifted too, claws extended, and threw herself at Vale's exposed flank—the same wound she'd opened once already, now healed to a thin silver scar. Her claws never reached it. Vale caught her wrist mid-strike, strength radiating through his grip that felt nothin

Selene moved before conscious thought caught up, shifting mid-stride, claws tearing through the space between herself and the advancing guards faster than her human mind could process the distance, bones reshaping in a blur that left the marble floor scored beneath her feet.She wasn't fast enough.The first guard's blade arced downward toward Ronan's exposed shoulder as he twisted to shield Aria's small body with his own, putting himself directly in the weapon's path without a moment's hesitation. Steel bit deep. Ronan roared, staggering, blood spraying across the marble in a dark arc, but he didn't fall, didn't release his grip on the girl clutched against his chest.The second guard lunged past him, blade aimed low, directly at Aria.Light exploded from the girl's small frame.Not gold, not silver—something else entirely, deep violet-blue, ancient and raw and utterly untrained, erupting outward in a shockwave that sent both guards flying backwards across the chamber floor, their bl