All Chapters of The Kingslayer’s Forbidden Mate: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

AURORADylan didn’t let go. He held on like he was scared I’d vanish again.“Do you remember the lake?” he asked softly. “The summer we were nineteen?”I did. I didn’t want to, but I did.“You sat on that old dock with your feet in the water,” he said. “You told me you wanted a house with a blue door. Nothing big. Just a small porch and a crooked fence.”“Dylan,” I said.“And I told you I’d build it myself.” He gave a shaky laugh. “I couldn’t even hold a hammer right. You laughed so hard you almost fell in.”My throat felt tight. I’d laughed. I could still see the sun on the water and feel his arm around my waist. I remembered feeling so safe, like nothing in the world could ever touch us.“We picked names,” he kept going. “Three kids. You wanted a girl first. You said she’d get my stubborn streak and I’d never win an argument again.” His thumb moved slowly over my knuckles. “We said all of that out loud, Rory. We promised each other.”Nobody had called me Rory in months. Nobody but h

ROMANDylan didn’t go quietly.I’d expected that much. A man like him never took no for an answer, especially not in front of his own guards. He stood there for a few seconds with his fists clenched, then spat something under his breath, spun around, and stormed down the steps, his coat flapping behind him.“This isn’t over,” he said to nobody in particular. Then he marched through the gates with his men hurrying to keep up.I watched until the cars disappeared down the road. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until Aurora’s hand slipped into mine.“Are you okay?” I asked. It was a dumb question, but it came out anyway.“No.” She let out a shaky laugh. “But I think I will be.”She leaned into my arm for a moment, and I let myself breathe again. Then Josie came rushing out to take her inside for some tea, fussing like a worried mother hen, and Aurora went with her. She looked back at me once from the doorway and I nodded at her.As soon as the door shut, Gideon stepped up beside

AURORAThe first thing I noticed was the smell.Dust and old wood and something sour underneath, like a room that hadn't been opened in years. My head felt thick and heavy, and my mouth tasted like metal.The second thing I noticed was my hands. They were tied in front of me with soft rope, the kind that wouldn’t leave marks. My ankles were tied too.I lay very still and kept my eyes shut.Months ago, I would have screamed. I would have thrashed around and cried until I couldn't breathe. I remembered that woman. She'd been on a hallway floor, bleeding, with nobody coming for her.I wasn't her anymore.“Okay,” I whispered. “Okay, Aurora. Think.”‘Willow?’ I whispered, reaching inside.My wolf answered right away. ‘I'm here. I'm awake. Don't move yet.’‘Is the baby okay?’‘Yes. I can feel her. We both can.’I put my hands on my belly, as well as I could with them tied. Nothing hurt. No cramps, no pain. Just a sore spot on my arm where Dylan had grabbed me.Dylan. The memory hit me all a

AURORANolan didn’t say a word. He just lunged.I didn’t even have time to scream. One second he was standing in the doorway, and the next he was a blur coming straight at me. Willow howled inside my head.Then Ivy jumped in front of me.“Ivy, no!” I yelled.She had her arms stretched out like she could stop him with her skinny wrists. Nolan didn’t even slow down. He swung one arm and threw her sideways like a bag of laundry. She hit the wall so hard the picture above her fell off and cracked on the floor. Then she slid down and didn’t move.“Ivy!” My voice broke. “Ivy, get up! Please get up!”But she didn’t move. Her head was tilted to the side, and her hair covered her face.I tried to run to her, but Nolan grabbed my arm. His claws cut right through the gray coat and sank into my skin. I gasped as the pain shot up to my shoulder.“Stop moving,” he snarled. His face was so close I could smell the smoke and blood on him. “I don’t want to hurt the baby. But I will if you make me. Do y

AURORARoman carried me out to the courtyard like I was made of glass.I kept my face pressed against his chest. I could hear his heart beating wildly under my cheek, and I could feel how fast he was walking. He was trying to go gently, and he was also trying to go fast, and I could tell it was killing him to do both.The pain came in waves. One wave would squeeze my stomach so tight I couldn’t breathe, and then it would let go, and I would gasp for air. All I could think was one thing, over and over.Not my baby. Please, not my baby. Please.“Stay with me,” Roman said into my hair. “Hannah’s right here. Just stay with me.”He set me down on a bench in the courtyard. The night air was cold, and it smelled like smoke. All around us, Ravenwood wolves stood in a wide circle with their backs to us, facing out. Nobody was talking or moving. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath.A gray-haired woman pushed through them and dropped to her knees in front of me. Hannah. Roman had