All Chapters of Mate? Or Die!: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

Ardan’s hand was steady in mine with his warmth grounding me as I prepared to dive back into Gilly’s mind. Sally felt uneasy and her instincts warned me of the dangers ahead, but I pushed the fear aside.“You’re sure about this?” I asked Ardan, glancing up at him.He nodded, determined that what we were about to do would work. “If siphoning my strength will give you what you need to face the witches, then do it. You’ve already risked so much, Serena. Let me help you.”I swallowed hard as my grip tightened on his hand. “If this doesn’t work—”“It will,” he said firmly. “We’re in this together.”Rachel stood nearby with her brows furrowed with worry. “Be careful,” she said. “Whatever happens, don’t push yourself too far. We can’t afford to lose either of you.”I nodded, closing my eyes and focusing on the bond between Ardan and me. It was like reaching into a river of energy, his strength flowing into me in a steady, powerful current.The world around me faded, and I was back in the dar

The castle was right in front with its dark and ruinous castle towers standing tall above the stormy sky. A dreadful smell of blood helped us fathom what sort of creatures we had to slay to reach this particular point. Fighters were heard from the back where Zone took the lead amongst warriors and was fighting to keep the last wave of monstrous beasts back.“Go!” Zone shouted with his voice cutting through the chaos. “We’ve got this!”Ardan grabbed my hand, pulling me forward toward the castle’s entrance. “Stay close,” he said in a low but commanding voice.I didn’t need to be told twice. The closer we got to the castle, the heavier the air became. It wasn’t just the harsh atmosphere—it was the magic. Dark, ancient, and malevolent, it radiated from the very stones of the structure, coiling around us like a living thing.As we stepped through the big and heavy iron doors, the sounds of the b

The journey back to Ardan’s pack was long but it felt lighter than any journey we had taken. Gloria who was held tightly with silver chains, rode in a separate cart with her mouth gagged to prevent her from casting any spells. Despite her subdued state, I couldn’t shake the sense of unease that prickled at the back of my mind. Her presence felt like a shadow, dark and cold and trailing us no matter how much distance we put between us and Derek’s pack.Ardan rode beside me with a sharp and watchful expression with his eyes flickering constantly toward the cart. “She’s too calm,” he murmured with his voice low enough that only I could hear.“I know,” I replied with my own unease matching his. “But we’ve taken every precaution. She can’t escape.”“I really do hope you’re right, Serena,” he said, though from his tone, it was pretty obvious he wasn’t convinced.Zone rode ahead with a group of warriors, leading the way through the winding trails that marked the border of Ardan’s pack territ

Gilly’s pale face was the first thing I saw as I entered the medical wing. She lay propped up against pillows. It was sad to see her usually vibrant energy diminished. Yet her eyes—were open and clear. I was relieved but then quickly as the relief came, it was accompanied by concern. I had waited so long to see her awake, but the shadows beneath her eyes told me her ordeal wasn’t over.Rachel, Ardan, Zone, and I surrounded her, as though we feared she might vanish again if we blinked.His hands shook as he bent closer to embrace her and felt her body safe against his, fragile as delicate glass. “Gilly, you’re awake,” he whispered. “How are you feeling?”Gilly returned his hug weakly. Though her arms were thin, they were steady around his back. “I don’t know,” she answered finally and roughly. “I began to feel like I was imprisoned at a particular place I couldn’t escape from.” Her eyes darted from me to him and back again. “It was my own personal hell. The witches made sure of that.”

The forest was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made my wolf tense and restless. I led the scouting party deeper into the dense wilderness with my senses on high alert as we made our way between tall pines and underbrush’s. A faint mist clung to the ground, curling around our boots and shifting unnaturally. It felt wrong. The air emitted this weird energy—one I couldn’t quite place, but I’d learned never to ignore.Ardan walked beside me. His presence reassured me. He insisted on coming, of course. I hadn’t been able to talk him out of it, though I knew his presence here made Rachel nervous back at the camp. We couldn’t afford to lose Ardan, and yet here he was with his sword strapped to his back and his eyes scanning the trees for any sign of trouble.“You feel it too, don’t you?” I asked, leaning in and speaking to him in a low tone so that the rest of the scouts would not overhear us.Ardan nodded. “It’s too quiet. Something’s waiting for us.”I glanced back at the group foll