All Chapters of The Alphas Second Chance Mate : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Elaris's POVAveric's sword hovered near my stomach as the silvery glow surrounding it faded to a warm tingle.The archive room was practically unrecognizable.Clouds of dust motes floated through the moonlight as shards of broken glass, scattered pages, and a trail of dark red streaking from Caedmon's nose to his chin littered the floor.Yet he wasn't interesting in inspecting any of it.His hazel eyes were still fixed on me."Our child," Averic murmured.I swallowed."Yes."A long, taut beat of silence stretched between us.I pressed my hands to my stomach, feeling the strange warmth fade away as the tiny heartbeat within stayed strong and fast.Averic finally lowered his sword, a look of something like shock crossing his face before twisting into an expression I'd never seen before.It was wonder, mixed with fear, and laced thickly with possessive male pride that coiled right into my wolf's bonesNeryss limped closer, still holding the bronze candelabra she'd used to bash Caedmon f

Elaris’s POVThe black glass of the high palace windows reflected the darkness of the night.Neryss and I sat across from each other at the small table, neither willing to look away from the bottle that sat between us.The liquid inside was no longer the clear blue liquid I’d measured for Maevra days ago.It had turned a cloudy grey under the candlelight, flecks of unknown substances floating lazily inside the glass container.I gripped the edge of the table uncomfortably.“How long has she been doing this?” I whispered, mainly to distract myself.Neryss gulped, her eyes fixed on the bottle. “Long enough for us to be wondering how much of it was Luna Maevra’s ‘illness’ that wasn’t.”That thought hit me harder than I expected.Every wheeze, every weak moment – had it really been Virelle’s doing all along?I studied the suspicious liquid carefully and felt something inside me twist unhappily.If Maevra truly had been poisoned for weeks, it meant that Virelle hadn’t wanted her dead befor

Elaris's POVThe hall seems to tighten around them as Averic re-reads the note.No one speaks.The guards who carried the box from Virelle's chamber stand tense and waiting as they await orders from their Alpha.Elaris watches from a distance close enough to Averic's back to read the note over his shoulder.Her eyes catch on the last line."Once the old woman is gone the child will be next. Be ready."Her stomach knots at the words in her gut and her hand instinctively covers her stomach.The baby stirs beneath her palm.Elaris whispers, "it names Maevra first then the child."Averic says nothing at first.He traces the edge of the note with his thumb, where the crease marks from the fold it had been tucked into in her bodice."It wasn't a threat made in haste," Averic finally says. "Someone wrote this with a pattern in mind."Elaris' eyes flick to the closed doors of Maevra's chamber."That means we're inside their pattern," she says softly.Averic looks to her and for once there's n

Elaris's POVThe intercepted letter is still lying open on Averic's desk after the messenger has gone.The candles had burned low, leaving a pool of hot wax at the base of each candle.Elaris stands in front of the desk, unable to keep reading the last line of the letter."Come at the blood moon. The throne will be empty."She reads it again.Then a third time.The warning hasn't lost any of its menace, if anything, now the palace has fallen silent, it sounds almost welcoming.Averic stands by the desk, his fingers idly tracing the parchment as he reads over her shoulder."The Blackthorn Alpha had received this before we intercepted our copy," he eventually says.Elaris looks up sharply."So this wasn't for you?""No.Then whoever sent it expected someone else to intercept it. Averic nods. "And thought me too preoccupied to notice.Elaris's eyes flicker towards the adjoining door.Maevra is alive.The child is alive.But neither feel safe.She touches her stomach."What happens if the

Elaris's POVThe four words remain visible in Averic's hand.Elaris rereads them.The child dies first.Her mind will not allow her to move on in the sentence.Her palm covers her stomach before she is even aware of the movement. There is not yet anything to be felt beneath it, but suddenly the knowledge of what grows inside her is impossibly fragile.Neryss lets out a small frightened noise behind her and covers her mouth.The young warrior who discovered the parchment stares at the floor.Even the captain seems unwilling to speak of what they have read.Averic tightens his fingers around the paper."Seal this room."The command is controlled but Elaris hears the tension beneath.The captain immediately gestures to the warriors."No one enters unless the Alpha authorizes it."Elaris turns to Averic."She knows."He looks at her."She knows about the baby."It is not necessary to explain what it means.Virelle had watched her.She had waited.She had gathered information while under t