MATED WITH THE FORBIDDEN ALPHA 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 21 - 챕터 26

The silver clasp lay on Kael's desk. He had been staring at it for several minutes, turning it between his fingers as though the small piece of metal might reveal the identity of the person who had left it outside Ronan's door. It had belonged to his Beta three winters ago. Someone had kept it all this time and that person knew exactly what it meant. "Double the guards around Ronan's quarters," Kael ordered. Ronan stood beside the window, his expression hard. "You cannot keep me locked away because someone wants me frightened." "I'm not protecting you from fear. I'm protecting you from whoever wants you dead." "And what happens when they decide you're the next target?" Kael placed the clasp on the desk. "Then they'll discover why they should have stayed hidden." Lyra watched the exchange quietly. Ronan looked exhausted, but beneath it was something else. Guilt, perhaps. The kind that came from carrying a truth for too long. Before she could speak, a knock sounded

Eveline found Lyra in the library. The young woman stood beside a tall shelf, searching through a collection of old territorial records. She had hoped to find something about the northern patrol incident, but most of the documents were either incomplete or locked away. "You seem to spend so much time looking for answers." Lyra turned. Eveline stood near the entrance, her green dress contrasting with the dark wooden shelves. "I suppose I do." "May I?" Lyra nodded towards the chair opposite her. Eveline sat, removing her gloves. For a moment, she studied the open book on the table. "Three winters ago," she said. "That seems to be the subject everyone in this castle wants to avoid." Lyra closed the book halfway. "You know about it?" "I know that seven Nightfang warriors died, that Ashen Moon was blamed, and that the matter was never properly resolved." Eveline paused. "I also know my father has never trusted the account he was given." "Why?" "Because the political consequen

The message arrived shortly after sunrise. Mara was in the infirmary, sorting through a collection of herbs, when a young messenger approached the entrance. He wore no territory colours, and his travelling cloak was covered in dust. "I was told to deliver this to Mara, the healer." She looked up. "That's me." He handed her a folded piece of parchment. "Someone at the southern crossing asked me to make sure it reached you." Mara recognised the handwriting immediately. Her expression changed. "Who gave it to you?" "I don't know. He paid me to deliver it and told me not to ask questions." The messenger left before she could question him further. Mara unfolded the parchment. Garrick knew the warning was real. He ordered the old records sealed after someone came to him with evidence that one of the northern patrolmen had survived. He met that person privately. The name in the original report was Elias Thorne. Mara read the message twice. Elias Thorne. She re