The Mate They Tried To Bury의 모든 챕터: 챕터 41 - 챕터 50

VALERIUS"Do not wake up yet."Whispering to the unconscious girl in my arms, I pulled my dark shirt tighter around her bare shoulders. She weighed practically nothing. Holding her against my chest felt like carrying a bundle of fragile twigs.Before picking her up from the damp grass, I managed to dress her. It took time. Her coarse gray uniform was torn from my own frantic hands. Wooden buttons were missing. I did my best to wrap the fabric securely, hiding the violent, beautiful marks my teeth left on her neck. I pulled my dark tunic over her head to cover the rest.My own leather pants were stained with damp earth and her slick juices. My chest remained bare to the biting morning wind.Striding through the dense northern woods, my heavy boots crushed dry branches. The freezing mist was burning off, giving way to pale, creeping sunlight. My wolf paced relentlessly inside my skull. The beast felt proud and viciously satisfied. We had claimed her. We had buried ourselves deep inside

MARIE"Watch where you are going, you filthy stray!"Crashing into a solid wall of pink silk, my momentum died instantly. Stumbling backward, my boots scrambled against the polished floorboards. My spine slammed hard into the stone wall of the corridor. Running blindly away from the Lycan King had made me careless.Sera smoothed the front of her expensive banquet gown. She glared at me, her blue eyes flashing with instant disgust. Golden hair cascaded perfectly over her shoulders in intricate, tight curls. She looked ready to receive a royal crown.Rubbing my bruised shoulder, I kept my head down. "My apologies, Lady Sera. I lost my footing."Before I could slip past her, she stepped sideways, blocking the narrow hallway."Running away from your chores again?" Sera asked. Her voice dripped with sweet, calculated venom. "The banquet started ten minutes ago. Father is looking for more wine. You should be in the cellars, not skulking around the royal guest wing.""I am heading there now.

AUTHOR’S POV"You missed a spot."King Valerius leaned casually against the wooden frame of the stable door. He crossed his thick arms over his chest. A massive black stallion snorted in the stall behind him, but the King kept his glowing golden eyes fixed firmly on Marie.Kneeling, Marie scrubbed a leather saddle with a stiff brush. She did not look up. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the barn roof, catching the dust motes dancing in the air."I am working, Your Majesty," she answered, keeping her voice flat.Valerius pushed off the doorframe. His heavy boots crunched against the dry hay scattered across the floor. He did not wear his royal armor today. Dressed in a simple linen shirt and dark trousers, he looked far less like a monarch and much more like a dangerous, rugged warrior."You are always working," Valerius noted, stopping right beside her. "Does Callum ever let you sleep, or do you just power down like a clockwork toy?"Marie scrubbed harder. The coarse bristles scr

AUTHOR’S POV"Clear the room."Valerius did not shout. His deep, gravelly voice echoed off the concrete walls, carrying a lethal weight that froze everyone in their tracks. Standing in the old pack house basement, the Lycan King looked like a god of war. Blood dripped from his knuckles. It pooled around the expensive leather of his boots.Rowan Wilson stood in the ruined doorway, staring at the carnage.“Bloody he'll.” He muttered.Just behind the Alpha, Callum pushed his way into the underground room. The younger man stopped dead. His dark eyes widened. Taking in the sight of three dead men, including one missing a head entirely, Callum swallowed a thick lump in his throat."What happened here?" Rowan asked, his voice trembling.Kneeling on the cold floor, Valerius ignored the Alpha. He gathered Marie into his massive arms. Her gray dress was torn. Dirt and fresh blood smeared her pale face. She remained unconscious, her breathing shallow and ragged."Someone tried to break her," Val

AUTHOR’S POV"Hold the bandages tight against her ribs."Doctor Aris issued the command with sharp, practiced authority. Standing beside the massive royal bed, the old physician pulled a thick roll of white cotton from his leather bag.King Valerius did not argue. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he pressed his large, scarred hands flat against Marie’s battered torso. He applied steady pressure over the white pads covering her cracked ribs. His golden eyes remained fixed on her pale, bruised face. He had not slept. He had not eaten. For two straight days, the Lycan King refused to leave the room."The swelling is going down," Aris noted quietly, wrapping the cotton firmly around her chest. "Her shoulder joint is stable. The head trauma remains my biggest concern, sire.""She will wake up," Valerius stated. His voice sounded like grinding stones. It held no room for doubt.Tying the final knot, Doctor Aris stepped back and wiped his bloody hands on a towel. "I will prepare another