All Chapters of Married Off as a Breeder, She Became His Only Mate. : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Briony's POVMy hands weren't steady breaking the seal, and it took me a second try to get the wax to crack clean instead of tearing the parchment underneath it."Read it out loud," Kieran said, close beside me now. "Whatever it says, we hear it together."I nodded, unfolding the letter carefully, and recognized the handwriting immediately, even after everything. Careless, slanted, the same hand that used to write me notes tucked under my door before pack gatherings, teasing me about some boy or another.Marisol."Briony," I read, voice unsteady. "I don't expect you to forgive me for this. I'm not writing to ask for that. I'm writing because there are things happening that you need to know, whether you trust me enough to believe them or not."The room had gone completely still, everyone listening."I ran because I was scared," I continued reading, "but not the way everyone assumed. I wasn't scared of marrying a stranger. I was scared of what Rourke's people already knew about our fami

Briony's POVThe days that followed moved fast, every hour stretched thin with preparation that left no room for the fear that kept trying to crawl back in when things went quiet.Kieran threw himself into fortifying Ashvale like a man possessed, walls reinforced, extra patrols doubled again, weapons pulled from storage that hadn't seen use in years. I watched him work from a distance most mornings, coordinating warriors, meeting with trackers, sending scouts further out along the border than we'd ever bothered before."You're not sleeping," I told him one evening, finding him still hunched over maps in the war room long after most of the pack had turned in."Neither are you," he said, not looking up. "I heard you were back in the training ring before dawn again.""Someone has to actually get this power under control before Rourke decides to test us for real."He finally looked up then, exhaustion plain on his face but something steadier underneath it too. "How's it going? Halric ment

Briony's POVMarisol came into view exactly as the rider described, unescorted, hands visibly empty at her sides, walking with a steadiness that didn't match a woman supposedly running for her life from anyone.The crowd's reaction turned ugly the second she came close enough to recognize clearly."Traitor!" someone shouted from the gathered pack, the word ricocheting through the crowd like a spark catching dry brush."She sold us out to Rourke!" another voice added, angrier now. "Look at her, walking in here like she's got nothing to answer for!"The crowd surged forward, warriors pushing toward the gate with expressions that promised nothing good waiting for my sister the second she stepped through it. Kieran's arm shot out, blocking the nearest warrior before things could spiral further."Hold your positions," he ordered, voice carrying sharp authority over the growing noise. "Nobody touches her until we know exactly what she'

Briony's POVBettina didn't say a word when we walked into the healing house. She just took one look at Marisol's face, then at the sleeve still pushed up past her elbow, and reached for a stool."Sit," she said. "Arm out flat on the table. Don't move it, whatever you feel."Marisol did as she was told, wincing slightly as her forearm made contact with the wood. Bettina leaned in close, tilting the lamp for better light, tracing the raised black lines with a finger that never quite touched skin."How long has this been on you?" she asked."Weeks. Since right after I left.""Has it changed shape? Grown darker, spread further along the arm?"Marisol hesitated. "A little. It used to sit just above the wrist. Now it's climbing toward my elbow.""Damnit." Bettina straightened, jaw tight. "That's not decoration. That's not even punishment in the way most branding marks work.""What is it, then?" Kieran asked, having followed us in without a word, standing close enough behind me that I could

Kieran's POV"Get me the cold cloth, the one soaked in silverleaf," Bettina barked, already moving fast, hands steady despite the chaos. "Now, before this burns straight through her."I grabbed it from the shelf, pressing it against Marisol's forearm as she writhed against the table, another strangled cry tearing loose from her throat."Ugh…it's….it's getting worse…." Her whole body trembled, sweat beading along her hairline, the red glow beneath her skin pulsing brighter with every ragged breath."Hold still." Bettina worked fast, applying pressure alongside the cloth, murmuring something low under her breath that I didn't recognize. "This should dull it, not stop it completely, but it'll dull it."Slowly, the light began to fade, the angry red retreating back into duller black lines, Marisol's breathing evening out from ragged gasps into something closer to exhausted shudders."What in the name of the moon goddess was that?" Br