All Chapters of Married Off as a Breeder, She Became His Only Mate. : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Kieran's POV"Say that again," I said, needing to hear it a second time before I let myself fully believe it. "Plainly. No hedging this time."Halric met my eyes, something broken and resolved at once behind his own. "I believe Silas Rourke is my son."The words landed like a physical weight in the room. Sage let out a low breath from the doorway. Bettina had gone still, her hands frozen mid-motion over Marisol's arm. Briony's fingers tightened around mine, grounding both of us against whatever came next."You believe it," I repeated. "Not you know it?""I have no proof beyond timing and the mark," Halric admitted. "I never held that child. Never saw a birth record, never received word one way or another about whether Elira carried to term. What I know is she was pregnant when I lost contact with her. What I know is Rourke is roughly the right age. What I know is that the mark on Marisol's arm matches the one I saw on Elira's wrist decade

Briony's POV"I'm coming," I said, already reaching for a cloak, refusing to be left behind while Halric's life hung on whatever was happening at that meeting stone."Absolutely not." Kieran didn't even look up from strapping his blade into place. "The whole point of him going alone was to keep this from turning into a war before it needed to. If you show up too, that guarantee of safety for you means nothing anymore.""I'm not planning to walk up and introduce myself, Kieran. I'm asking to shadow the team from a distance, same as everyone else." I met his eyes, refusing to back down. "If something goes wrong out there, if Halric needs help fast, I want to be close enough to actually do something instead of pacing this pack house waiting for news.""And if Rourke sees you?""Then we make sure he doesn't." I crossed my arms. "You promised me, remember? Decisions that involve me happen with me in the room. This involves me, Kieran. Halric w

Kieran's POV"Do it," I said, holding Rourke's gaze without flinching. "Kill him right here, in front of both our packs' witnesses, and see how fast that ends whatever thin chance you had left of getting anything from Ashvale peacefully."Rourke's jaw tightened, blade still pressed against Halric's throat, I could see the calculation working behind his eyes now, weighing the actual cost of following through against the satisfaction of the threat itself."You think I won't," Rourke said."I think you didn't bring an army with you today," I said steadily. "I think you came alone, same as you asked Halric to, because whatever this actually is to you, it's not simply strategy. It's personal. And killing him now, in a fit of anger because I refused your terms, undoes the one thing you actually claimed to want out of this meeting."Something flickered across Rourke's face, and slowly, he lowered the blade from Halric's throat, he didn't sheath it entirely."Clever," he said, voice cold. "Us

Briony's POV"Keep pushing," Bettina urged, hovering close, hands hovering uselessly since there was nothing left for her to do but watch. "It's flickering, Briony, it's actually flickering.""It's fighting harder now," I gasped, sweat beading along my hairline, every muscle in my arm screaming with the effort of maintaining contact. "Like it knows it's losing."The gold light pulsed brighter against my palm, pushing deeper into the resistance, and beneath my hand I felt something crack, felt the structure of whatever craft had built that brand start splintering apart piece by piece."Ahh…" Marisol's whole body convulsed beneath my palm, a raw, guttural sound tearing loose from her throat even through unconsciousness. "It hurts….make it stop…..""I'm trying," I gritted out, tears stinging my eyes now from the effort. "I'm so sorry, I'm trying.""Don't stop," Kieran said, close beside me, voice tight with fear and encouragement ta

Kieran's POV"No way to know which," I repeated, the words landing like a physical blow. "You're telling me she might die tonight, and there's absolutely nothing we can do but wait and see?""I'm telling you the records don't offer a way to influence the outcome once those words start," Halric said, voice heavy with grief he clearly hadn't finished processing from the ride home earlier that day. "Every account I've ever studied describes the same pattern. The fever climbs, the old words come, and then the power either settles permanently, stronger and more controlled than before, or it consumes everything the wolf has left.""That's not good enough," I said, fury and terror in my voice. "There has to be something. A treatment, a ritual, anything.""If there was, don't you think I would have offered it already?" Halric's voice cracked slightly, old sorrow bleeding through his composure. "I've spent decades studying this bloodline, Kieran. I've read every scrap of record I could find. T