Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

CHAPTER 62: The Keeper's SilenceAtlas's POVI did not send a runner to fetch my commander. I folded the torn scrap of parchment into my fist, then walked out of the study. I took the southern corridor toward the outer barracks myself instead of delegating the task to a guard. If the man who had guarded my back for a decade was passing poison and writing treasonous notes, I wanted to watch his face when the accusation landed. I wanted the confrontation unfiltered by a messenger's report or secondary witness.The barracks courtyard buzzed with the organized chaos of the evening shift change. Sentries polished their gear while patrol captains barked orders across the training rings. I bypassed the soldiers, walking straight into the central command office.Corwin stood over the dispatch table. He was moving wooden markers across a slate board, coordinating the new guard rotation I had ordered for Sara's confinement earlier that day. The familiar sight of him managing the perimeter defe

CHAPTER 64: The Cost of LoyaltyNatasha's POVThe frost in the northern territory bit through my thin coat, settling deep into my bones but I stood my ground on the concrete steps of the Frostvale pack house. Two guards blocked the entrance with their arms crossed over their tactical vests with the silver clips of their rifles catching the harsh glare of the security floodlights mounted along the high stone walls.“Alpha Declan is not receiving unannounced guests tonight,” the taller guard stated, shoving my shoulder back to keep me off the landing. “Get off the property before we arrest you for trespassing.”“I am not leaving until I see him,” I argued, stepping right back up to the line of his boots. “He told me to report to him when I had news and I need to speak with him right now.”“The Alpha does not want to be disturbed,” the second guard growled, unclipping his radio from his belt. “Turn around and walk back down the mountain road, or we will throw you in the holding cells fo

CHAPTER 66: Hidden TruthsIlyana's POVI gasped, throwing my elbow backward at my attacker’s ribs but my arm met a solid wall of muscle. A familiar, dark scent wrapped around me, grounding my panic before I could scream and the large hands gripping my waist did not squeeze to hurt, so I let my muscles relax against the broad chest pressing into my back.“You move like a ghost, Your Majesty,” I complained, twisting around in his arms to glare up at him. “Do they teach you how to sneak up on people in royal training or is that just a personal hobby?”Atlas looked down at me with the hard lines around his mouth softened into something I rarely saw. He smiled. It was a small quiet curve of his lips yet it transformed his face enough to make my breath catch. He was devastatingly handsome when he dropped the cold king facade.“I apologize for scaring you,” Atlas murmured, brushing a stray curl away from my forehead. “I wanted to make sure you were safe. What were you doing crawling around

CHAPTER 68: The LoopholeIlyana’s POVA collective gasp rippled across the garden the moment Boyce pointed his finger at me and the crowd parted like a severed wave, leaving me standing alone under the harsh glare of the string lights. A dozen media cameras swiveled on their tripods, aiming their lenses directly at my face. The bright flashes blinded me for a solid three seconds, forcing me to raise a hand to shield my eyes. I realized I was standing in the middle of a medieval soap opera equipped with modern broadcasting technology.“Are you claiming the mother of your child is legally bound to you?” a reporter asked, shoving a microphone toward the edge of the pavilion.“We were nearly mated before the royal selection,” Boyce answered, projecting his voice across the stone platform. “She bore my daughter, Jasmine and we never officially severed the bond ties before a pack elder. I left to serve the crown, while she remained behind.”“Does she belong to your household?” another jour

CHAPTER 70: The Forest TrailAtlas’s POVI paced the length of my study, my boots clicking against the floor with a rhythmic, furious cadence. The grandfather clock in the corner chimed six-thirty and every second that ticked past stoked the fire burning under my skin. I did not have to wait much longer before an urgent knock rattled the wooden panels of my office door.“Enter,” I snarled.The door pushed open and Boyce stumbled across the threshold, looking like a man who had been dragged out of a warm bed with zero warning. He hastily buttoned the front of his uniform jacket and ran a hand through his messy hair, blinking against the bright morning light flooding through the windows. He dropped into a shallow, hurried bow, keeping his eyes lowered toward the rug.“Forgive the delay, Your Majesty,” Boyce said, his voice laced with leftover sleep. “I was not scheduled to report for guard duty until the afternoon shift.”“I do not give a damn about your schedule,” I snapped, stopping m