All Chapters of A MATE WORTH HATING : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

LYRA'S POVThe rioting had settled down after a few hours, and order had been brought back to the land, but I couldn't stop remembering the image of my fingers clutching Ronan's hand.Not only did it feel entirely out of character for me, but it made me wonder if that one speaker from the crowd had been right.Was the bond affecting me?I stepped out of my room and walked straight to the Blackthorne encampment. I was going to pay a visit to the two Blackthorne wolves who had gotten stabbed in the riot.Not only was it the right thing to do, but courtesy demanded it. However, I was going to do so as stealthily as possible.I easily located the healer's tent by the smell of herbs wafting out of it. Pulling back the flap, I stepped inside and immediately came face to face with a young woman carrying a steaming basin of hot water."Um... I'll come back later," I told the wolf, immediately turning toward the door."Wait, Luna... Alpha..." She cut herself off, slapping a hand over her mouth

RONAN'S POVI shove and push my way through the panicked crowd in my bid to get to Lyra.I had earlier wanted to watch the commemoration from afar, but the moment I had seen Lyra stagger down those steps, worry had gotten the best of me.I pull her against my chest when I get to her, and my panic climbs when I see blood leaking from her nose. My suspicion spikes at the sight, but a quick look at her lips tells me what I need to know:Lyra has been poisoned.A large palm shoves me away from her, but I don't budge. I turn to see Keyon giving me a menacing glare."Get the fuck away from her," he growls, and I immediately feel my anger spike at the blatant disrespect."She's my mate, Keyon. Don't push me," I snap, and Lyra coughs, spitting out more blood. I carefully adjust her head so she can get enough airflow into her lungs."Well, she doesn't want-""I think we will take our Alpha," a pissed-off voice says behind me. "And every single one of you is a suspect."Two Misthollow warriors

RONAN'S POVMy body felt far too heavy to move, and my mouth tasted as though a healer had just brewed a toxic concoction inside it. Yet, none of that mattered compared to the steady, comforting rhythm of Lyra's consciousness finally stabilizing at the edge of the mate bond.I forced my eyes open, instantly wincing and snapping them shut against the harsh glare. Who on earth had lit up every single candle in this room?Shielding my eyes with my palm, I tried again, adjusting to the light until I felt a bit more steady. I stood unsteadily on my feet and slipped out of the recovery chamber, immediately heading down the hall to the room where Lyra was being kept.I pushed the door open to find her resting on the exact same bed, breathing easily and sleeping peacefully. I closed the door behind me and walked slowly, still a bit stiff, to sit in the armchair beside her bedside.Her color looked much better. As much as her lips still retained a faint blue tint, I couldn't help noticing they

RONAN'S POV"For someone who has been so adamant about being innocent in Lyra's condition, you sure are awfully happy to hear about this," Keyon scoffs.This runt."Of course I'm happy to hear this news. It helps set in motion the events that will lead to the execution of whoever thought they could hurt Lyra," I snap back. "Honestly, you should be happy, too."I look at Keyon again and almost laugh at the look on his face, because if the only elder of my pack currently stationed at Misthollow had just been bumped up to the top of the suspect list, I'd probably look like that, too.Especially if I were a self-righteous bastard.But I wasn't. I was Ronan Blackthorne, the dark menace , and I was going to make whoever did this to Lyra pay with their life.I motioned to one of the Misthollow warriors inside the tent to go fetch Marco and a few of my own commanders, because I couldn't help noticing that I was severely outnumbered in this room.A few minutes later, the warrior, Commander Spe

LYRA'S POV My entire body hurt. In fact, it felt like I had taken a brutal beating from a pack of frontline warriors. I tried to ignore the healer rummaging around me, keeping my eyes squeezed shut. Tears had leaked down my cheeks when I initially woke up and blinked open to the blinding glare of far too many candles. Footsteps thundered out in the corridor, and I instantly realized I was far too hyper-aware of my surroundings. It felt like I was a newborn again, like the exact day my wolf had first awakened inside me. Was this the lingering effect of nearly dying, combined with Ronan Blackthorne's incessant, turbulent thoughts flooding across the bond with lightning precision? I didn't know if he was doing it deliberately or if my end of the bond was simply too weak to shut him out. Time and time again, I could feel him lingering so close in the connection that it felt like he was lying right beside me. In fact, I wasn't even sure he had let up on the bond the entire time