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Chapter 39 : Royalty is Overrated
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 40 : Meant to Be Here
*Gemma*Making love to Kael was better than I hoped it would be. Much better than it would have been if we tried it down in Nedra while I was tipsy.I felt empowered by my desire for him, to get the release and pleasure I wanted, but… I wanted to make him happy most of all. I wanted to distract him from his pain and fear and worry about his family and his encounter with Connor. Heavy was his crown. But I told him I wouldn't let it fall on my feet. I would keep it from falling at all. And if it did, I would catch it and bear its weight too. I fell asleep quickly in his arms, surprised and secretly overjoyed that I slept straight through the night, and when I woke, he was in a fitful sleep. His brows were knitted in pain, eyelids moving rapidly back and forth as his eyes tried to follow the madness of a nightmare, his body trembling as it overheated despite the still-cool morning.Fighting to remain calm for both our sakes, I woke him. And I was able to breathe a sigh of r
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 41 : A Double-Edged Sword
*Gemma*Kael and I followed Izar to the next empty house over after our company was dismissed to share a meal with the other shifters hidden somewhere in Cargan. Though I was desperate for food, and I knew Kael was too, we were more interested in securing the next steps in Izar's plan. It was mind-boggling. I was now willingly walking into a secret resistance.We sat across from the Nightguard Alpha on a plush rug, Kael's hand on my knee. Although it was unnecessarily protective, I enjoyed it. "Right," Izar said, propping his forearms on his own knees, "catch me up. Start at a year ago."After Kael regaled him with this past year's events, he repeated once more what happened after he was kidnapped by Hazel. With every word my mate said, I sank deeper into sorrow and guilt. Every single day he snuck out wearing an ugly black wig to gather supplies for his pack, and do everything in his power—which wasn't much—to keep his packmates' morals lifted by making sure everyone wa
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 42 : The Night There Was No Moon
*Kael*I remembered the night of the raid in haunting clarity.It was an oddly cloudy night, the moon nowhere in sight, the Moon Goddess turning a blind eye to the devastation about to occur.My mother, Kaelin, set me and my other siblings to bed—except Kitron, of course, because he and my father, Adelio, were going to accompany the nightguard Epsilons—not too long after dinner. We slept in the same large, circular room, a third of it having floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking all of Crescent in its shining white glory.Rian was already fast asleep, so my mother returned to my bedside, kissing my forehead and whispering goodnight. I caught her hand. "Mama?"She turned, and with the night breeze stirring her hair, the few candles still alight dancing in the reflection of her blue eyes, I thought she could be the Moon Goddess. I loved her more than anything. "What is it, my love?""I'm fifteen, Mom," I reminded her as if I didn't just two days ago. "Do I have to go to bed
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 43 : Betrayed
*Kael*Jerah and Jaci keep that promise. They did protect me.But they protected me too much.Did they make the same promise to Elara and Rian? If they did, they failed.And I couldn't trust them anymore.Gemma was trying to stop me, but I ripped free to storm to the room that Bly pointed to. I slammed the door open, making Helie shout in surprise and snap, "Hey!" Then, seeing my face, she bolted to her feet and pressed her palms to my chest to hold me back. "Get out of here, Kael. You can't pull this shit—"Both lucky and unlucky for me, Ferio, the silent, steadfast pillar, was there, too, and suddenly took Helie's place to block Jerah from my view."Out of my way," I snarled. "That bastard betrayed me—betrayed my entire pack—""I know," Helie said desperately, "but that doesn't mean—""It's okay, I can take it."We froze at Jerah's voice. Hesitating, Ferio stepped aside. I stalked to Jerah's bedside. Like Bly, he was worse for wear. Some part of me cared and wa
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 44 : Why Are You Hesitating?
*Gemma*The events of the past two weeks flashed in my mind's eye like a bolt of lightning, striking my entire system. My brain fritzed. My heart seized. My fingers curled into fists. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I clenched my teeth so hard it hurt.I could barely get the words out. "I took Lynn's place not as a breeder… but as a spy." It wasn't a question. It was a rage-filled statement. "She backed out of a promise to kill Connor, so she made me go to get out of it?!""The future of my pack rested on your sixteen-year-old cousin's shoulders," Kael said flatly. "What in the Moon Goddess' f*cking hell were your uncles thinking?!""Hell if I know! I can't… I can't believe it. I just… F*ck." I swallowed hard, trying to keep my emotions in check. "All I wanted was to travel. Not walk right into a revolution."It was all so f*cked up. It was just too much to process. There wasn't time to process anything. I looked at everyone in the room and decided that I needed to block
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 45 : Blood-Soaked Sand
*Gemma*The driver slammed his foot down on the brake. Kael, Helie, and I smashed face-first into the seats. The car skidded, swinging sideways, the tires unable to keep traction on the sand. Ahead, the car holding Izar and four other Nightguard shifters was crushed. I couldn't see anyone moving inside it. The two males in the front seats made to open the doors and jump out to rescue their Alpha—but then I looked to see who was climbing out of the enemy car's wrecked doors.The scream ripped from my throat. "No!""Why?" they barked in tandem. "They're just Herrick's guards. We can take them—"Maybe they could, but I didn't want them to risk their lives for my kidnappers.Gralyn and Hadley's feet hit the sand, and they stalked toward Izar's car."Gemma," Helie hissed. "What's wrong?"I wasn't afraid of them, but I was afraid of what I didn't know–their capabilities. Maybe they could be taken down by any of the Nightguards shifters—or maybe they could be strong enough
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 46 : A Body in the Sand
*Kael*I couldn't bear the thought of losing Gemma. And when she yelled rather angrily that she was in love with me, my heart ached so badly that I thought, for the briefest of moments, taking up Helie's exaggerated suggestion and making love to my mate here and now. Even if we burned our skin off on the sand, it would be worth it. She was worth it. And she was worthy of reuniting with her best friend. Cari Maayan, an Epsilon of the Oceantide pack, sent on a mission not to aid Syrus's forces but Nightguard's—and Moonwake. To join the resistance, Moonrise, the operation to reclaim my lost pack and homeland.I almost wept with them."Why are you covered in blood?" Cari demanded, looking Gemma up and down with wide eyes.Gemma blinked and did the same, lifting her hands to see her sliced-up palms. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. Our car was attacked, and they shattered the windows. They'll heal fast.""Healer!" Cari shouted, startling Gemma, and then ordered her, "Sit. I can't believ
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 47 : A New Set of Mates
*Kael*I jumped out of the car before it came to a stop, skidding across the sand and throwing myself onto my knees, putting two fingers to my brother's neck. There—a pulse. Alive.I shook Rian's shoulders—and my horror spiked. He looked worse than I ever did: cuts, bloomed bruises, swollen lip. He'd been tortured. I knew exactly by who.Connor Herrick had tortured my brother.I'd kill him. "Rian, wake up. Wake up, for Mom's sake!"His face was already sunburned. He would look like a molting snake when he healed. When, not if.Helie appeared. "He's alive. I'm going to kill him.""We have to get him in the car." I hauled my brother over my shoulder, lying him down in the backseat just like Jerah. I really didn't want to make this a habit.Cari had squeezed herself in the small trunk, watching Gemma climb into the passenger side. I set Rian's head on Helie's lap as she set to work on his face with the medical supplies that every car was equipped with—along with wate
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Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 56 : My Mate, My Love
*Kael*If anyone had asked me before the war what I would be doing when I turned twenty-eight years old, I would not have said marrying my mate who came all the way from the Eastern continent. I wouldn't have said that she didn't come all the way so much as was kidnapped, nor that she would single-handedly end a twelve-year war.I wouldn't have been able to comprehend the pride and love and wonder—and occasional irritation at her stubbornness—that swelled in my chest and made it hard to breathe every time I even thought of her.She found me as a bloodied and broken lost heir who couldn't fathom ever returning to his homeland. Now, thanks to her, I was a king of a renewed city wearing all white under the night sky in the Moon Goddess's temple.And she was across from me wearing a blue dress the color of the sea—what I assumed the ocean looked like, having never seen the same one she knew—looking like she could rival the beauty of the Goddess herself.I loved that dress.
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 55 : Two Halves of the Same Soul
*Gemma*I rose to my knees. He lifted his pelvis, his tip brushing my damp entrance. I helped him inside, and together we thrust until he was fully inside me. Tears sprang to my eyes, but it wasn't the pleasurable pain, but the importance of our act of love. Kael sat up, arms scooping under my ass, and I locked my legs around his waist. His face, warm and damp and bristly, buried in the crook of my neck and shoulder. Another shiver went through me at the light scrape of his teeth and tongue over my sensitive skin. My core burned and ached. The ribbon connecting our hearts was the shortest it had ever been, our closeness a beautiful reprieve, making me realize how strained it was over the past few days despite our proximity. But mates were two halves of the same soul, and with our bodies connected, we were joined in more ways than one.It made me want to tell him how much I loved him.And yet, when his teeth started to put pressure on the flesh of my shoulder, I pulled ou
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 54 : Get Inside Me, Mate
*Gemma*I hoped with all my soul that we would all get the chance to eat and rest, giving our skin a break from the sweltering sun. Apparently, that was too much to ask for. The leaders spoke some more, straightening out individual plans as well as a unit. I zoned out for most of it, which I really shouldn't have, selfishly figuring my friends would catch me up when the time came for the information to become of use. I was too busy imagining what the reunion with my family would be like. I couldn't even decide what I was feeling right now, much less how I would truly feel in the moment. Was I angry about their shitty plans and arrangements? Was I still completely and furiously baffled by their decision to let my sixteen-year-old cousin take on the Beast of the West almost completely by herself? Would I lash out at Lynn for duping me so easily and thoroughly? Was I deliriously relieved that I would see them again at all—especially my parents—after thinking I lost them? Or
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 53 : Full Circle
*Kael*I had to remind myself that I barely knew my mate.I had no idea how Gemma would handle grief. And if that's what she wasn't feeling right now, then I didn't know how she handled the aftermath of a death. I just had to reassure her that she didn't actually kill Connor. He did that himself.We were all rocked by his last act. It kept replaying in my mind, but the more it did, the less real it seemed.It was the same response I had to my brother's and father's deaths. The more I relived it, the more distant I became from it—from the pain, the guilt, the helplessness and hopelessness… Eventually, it just sat in the recesses of my mind waiting for me to bring it out and be crushed by it all over again.Twelve years was a long time. I had come to terms with losing my family, even if Elara's two years ago was still a little fresh.I could come to terms with the death of my greatest enemy much quicker and with far less remorse.And I would make sure my pack would see t
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 52 : Who Will Do the Deed?
*Gemma* I couldn't do it. I couldn't stomach this monster. He was sickening and cruel, and the last thing he ever deserved was kindness or forgiveness.Waiting twelve years—and willing to wait longer—for the perfect, precise revenge was just… unbearable to think about. My mind couldn't wrap itself around why Connor's mind would think any of that was okay or justifiable.All the while he was laughing, basking in his own enjoyment, getting a kick out of our shock and disgust. I clutched Raisa's knife; Kael held Connor over the well wall; Cari stood trembling with anger. "Just do it!" she barked furiously at Kael. "Throw him down that damn well! If you don't, I will!"Kael was hesitating. I didn't know why. He hated Connor more than anything, and abhorrently, Connor was right: we would never get this chance again. We had thought it was impossible, and now it was happening, so why weren't we utilizing this chance?No, I did know why.The Alpha of Moonwake did not want to
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 51 : The Tyrant's Fall from Grace
*Kael*I never imagined I would feel pity for the tyrant who killed my family and destroyed my city.I viewed the Beast of the West on a bloody, cracked pedestal surrounded by the bodies of hundreds of innocents, laughing as he basked in his own strength. He was always perfect: tanned muscle, neat hair, intelligent but cruel eyes—just a calculating monster who never misstepped in his conquering.But now, the pedestal had cracked in half, and Connor Herrick was falling from grace. I had been terrified of having my throat slit after he somehow managed to ambush me in that small dwelling. I was so shamefully stunned that I did what he'd asked: call Gemma. Lure her straight to him. If I was terrified for my own life, it was nothing compared to what I felt for Gemma. I'd lost and found her already. I couldn't lose her again.I'd done what he asked me to do not for him but for my own selfish reasons. I'd wanted to see her one more time before he killed me.Now, I felt no fear
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 50 : Stopping the Enemy's Heart
*Gemma*Bly's report on Connor's state was an understatement. He wasn't just a wreck. He was deranged and unhinged.It was evident the second I saw him with Kael pinned to the floor on his stomach, Connor's booted foot digging between his shoulder blades, a similar scene to the throne room situation, holding a fistful of my mate's hair in one hand while the other held the blade to his throat. Harsh rays of sunlight through another window glinted off the metal.Connor wheezed a laugh. "Do you recognize this knife, Gemma?"Like the rest of us, he was a mess of sand and blood. Unlike us, his eyes were bright and bloodshot with madness. His breath was rattling in his lungs, and he was hunched over as if he couldn't fully straighten his spine. "I remember," I said slowly, knowing that a single word could make him go off. And with my mate's life suddenly on the line, I had to choose them very carefully. I met Kael's eyes. They were wide with fear—but not for him. For me.
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 49 : The Breeder Returns
*Gemma*I never imagined my uncles could be so conniving.But that didn't matter. If we could make them happy by eliminating a threat to them and the rest of Oceantide, even the entire East—hell, the rest of the West—then fine. Kael and everyone else who was about to fight alongside us; none of us were doing it to satisfy anyone. We were going to war with the intent to free the country from slavery. We were going to save villages and cities, protect daughters and sisters, and prove there could be futures for all without the threat of fear."You just might start a revolution, Gemma Brooks."Maybe so. Maybe I really was the reason an army was standing behind me as I stood beside one of the most important Alphas of this lifetime. Would any of this happen if I hadn't plunged that knife into Connor Herrick's spine?Maybe, maybe not.All that mattered was that it was happening, and there was no going back. Conviction was everything. This was not the time or place for hesita
Stolen by the Rival Alpha Chapter 48 : To Victory!
*Kael*"I don't see anyone," Gemma said, leaning forward and squinting past the sun's glare and swirling sand. She was right. The cars weren't running and there was no sign of life. Izar stopped and parked, waving out the window in what had to be a signal to the rest of the caravan. We sat in uncertain silence. "It was not part of the plan," Izar said bitterly, and I now noticed the family resemblance: my mother liked things orderly and according to plan or expectation. "But sometimes you have to just wing it. Alpha Kael, do you have a suggestion for our next move?"Everyone turned to me, and I forgot that Alphas needed to make those kinds of calls. I was the one shifters would be waiting orders from, asking tough questions, hoping—and expecting—encouraging speeches to lift morale and give reason to follow me into battle.I'd barely gotten the chance to practice. Now, I was thrown straight into the thick of it.I looked at my mate, her eyes burning with determinatio
