Forbidden Strings; Awakened By The Alpha のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

I sat up slowly on the giant bed, pulling the silk sheet over my bare shoulders. My body still felt warm, soft, and completely tender from the heavy way Lucian had held me hours ago. I rested my forehead against my knees for a second, taking a long, shuddering breath as the quiet of the master suite settled around me."I need to move," I whispered to myself, rubbing my tired eyes with the heels of my hands.I stood up, pulling a simple grey wool dress over my head and smoothing down the skirt. My stomach twisted into a tight, cold knot the moment I remembered Maya sitting locked in the pantry. If she stayed hidden down near the kitchens for too long, one of the head cooks would eventually notice her missing paperwork and throw her out into the yard.I slipped out of the master suite and walked briskly down the dimly lit stone corridor, heading toward the back servant stairs.I took the dark corner near the gallery fast, my boots making light clicking sounds on the floor. Before I coul

Lucian’s face turned to pure, unyielding ice as his dark silver eyes dragged slowly from Maya’s low-cut dress to the confidential paperwork scattered across the rug. He stared directly into my eyes, icily as he took slow, heavy steps toward me, his boots crunching against a stray ledger. When he stopped right in front of me, the warmth that had filled his gaze over the past few weeks was completely gone, replaced by a hollow, terrifying void. I opened my mouth to explain, but my throat closed up in raw panic. I dropped to my knees, my trembling hands reaching out to gather the fallen pages, but Lucian’s hand shot out like an iron trap. His fingers clamped around my wrist with a crushing force that nearly bruised my skin, jerking me back up to my feet. He stared down at me, his jaw clenching so hard a vein throbbed on his temple. "What are you doing, Olivia?" he asked, his voice deathly quiet. "I..

"Behave yourself while I am gone, Olivia," Lucian whispered softly. "I'll be back before you know it" He leaned down, cupping my cheek with his large hand, and pressed a deep, lingering kiss against my lips that made my heart flutter despite the cold dread in my belly. He pulled back, gave me one last firm look, and turned on his heel to join his elder brother at the high oak doors. As the heavy entrance swung open, Kael strolled down the grand staircase, rubbing the back of his neck where the stone wall had bruised him earlier. He looked completely unbothered, his dark eyes sweeping past me with pure contempt. "Make sure the kitchens prepare a massive feast tonight," Kael barked to the nearby steward, his voice echoing through the foyer. "I want hot roast pig, red wine, and soft bread brought to the main table in an hour. I am starving." I did not answer him. I walked past the guards and stepped out onto the cold stone terrace, watching the heavy black carriage pull into the cou

Cassian was sitting on a stone bench in the center of the room, heavy silver chains wrapping around his bloodied shoulders and pulling his arms tight to his sides. His dark hair hung in dirty, matted strands over his face, but as the torchlight hit his eyes, he raised his head slowly."Olivia?" Cassian rasped, his dry lips cracking as a dark, bitter smile spread across his face. "Did my father finally get tired of playing with you, or did you come back to beg for my forgiveness?"Cassian continued to stared at me through the dim torchlight, his yellow eyes narrowing into tight slits as he thrashed against the iron chains."You think I am an idiot, Olivia?" Cassian rasped, his voice raw and gravelly. "Why would you be here with a key? Did Lucian send you to mock me before he puts my head on a spike?""I am here to get you out, Cassian!" I hissed, stepping inside the stone doorway and casting a fast, anxious glance over my shoulder toward the corrid

~ Lucian ~"I will ask you once more," I growled, my grip tightening around the worn leather hilt of my broadsword until my knuckles turned stark white. "Who commands this unit? Speak, or I will paint these dirt tracks with your blood."The masked leader did not flinch. He raised his left hand, and the metallic click of dozens of crossbows cocking echoed through the quiet gorge. The steel tips caught the pale sunlight filtering through the high pine branches."Drop your steel, Supreme Alpha," the leader commanded, his raspy voice flat and devoid of fear. "You are coming with us. We have no orders to cut your throat today unless you force our hand."A bitter wave of regret surged through my chest. I had left my private guard at the fortress, trusting Adrian's word that a quiet two man party would move faster through the border lands. Now, standing in the muddy ditch with two dozen broadheads trained on my heart, my arrogance felt like a cold stone in my stomach.My wolf thrashed violen