All Chapters of Alpha's Hidden Chains: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

*** POV Unknown 1I slam into the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of me instantly. Before I can even register the pain, I'm tumbling, rolling down an embankment, the world spinning around me in a blur of dark shadows and cold earth. Every bump, every jolt sends a shockwave of agony through my body, but I have to keep going, have to fight through the disorientation, the pain. The wolfsbane is coursing through my veins, dragging me toward unconsciousness, and I know if I give in now, it's over.When I finally come to a stop at the bottom of the embankment, I’m gasping for breath, the cold air burning in my lungs. I can feel the darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision, threatening to pull me under. But I can’t let it. I force myself to stand, my body screaming in protest. Every muscle, every bone feels like it’s on fire, but I can’t stop. I have to keep moving.No one seems to be coming after me yet. Maybe they didn’t see me go over the wall, or maybe they think I’m alrea

*** POV Unknown 1How could I be so lucky to find a river so close—a shallow one at that? I nearly fell into it, crawling out into the water with the last of my strength. I flipped onto my side, lying fully in the shallow stream. With a trembling hand, I skimmed through the pebbles along the bottom. Lovely colors glistened up at me from the water—quartz, jasper, pyrite—all so beautiful, but none nearly as precious as the deep black hematite stones that came up in my first handful. Thank the goddess.Yelling in the distance— I could hear it. Not wasting a moment, I swallowed the whole handful of pebbles I’d scooped up. I wasn’t sure how much hematite I needed to counter the wolfsbane, but hopefully, this would do.I didn’t have the strength left to get back up, but I did have the strength to crawl and float. As quietly as I could, I scooched farther out into the stream and started making my way on my belly downstream. After a short distance, the water began to get deeper quickly, and t

*** Unknown POV 1I was almost asleep when I heard it—the sound of nothing. Winter sounds are limited, but there’s always the slight hum of nightlife, even in the dungeons. The scurrying and scampering of small creatures, the distant rustle of leaves. But the sound of silence? That always woke me up—it usually meant they were close.I felt that familiar sense of dread creeping up on me now. Peeking out from my hiding place under the evergreens, I saw that the moonlight had revealed the start of snowfall. Such luck; it could cover my tracks.Tentatively, I slipped out from under the branches, testing the strength in my legs. Surprisingly, I had some. Hematite might just be my new favorite “jewel.” Testing my legs further, I crouched and began to take wide steps, keeping my movements as quiet as possible. Luckily, I have small feet, and at the rate the snow is falling, I imagine it’ll only take about te

*** Luna Nailo’s POVThere was nothing around me—not even dead dandelions to scrounge for roots, no food to be found. If I couldn’t feed my body, perhaps I could feed my soul.As I wandered further, I began to suspect I had passed beyond the borders of the Regional realm. The white pines had begun to tower above me, their imposing presence a sign I had ventured out of the prince's territory. These trees were not native to the Regional areas, yet they stood here, sacred and beautiful, as if guarding the land itself.It had been so long since I had walked beneath their majestic branches that I felt compelled to honor them. These pines, ancient and wise, had stood sentinel over the land for centuries. Their presence was a reminder of all that had been lost and all that still needed protection. I owed them respect—no, more than that, I owed them my devotion.I knelt beneath the largest of the pines, an elder among giants, and prostrated myself before it. The earth was cold beneath my skin,

*** Liliana's POVI was startled awake by a buzzing sound, the kind that drags you from the depths of sleep whether you’re ready or not. Reaching for my phone on the nightstand, I squinted against the light from the screen.——— > Don’t leave the apartment.Well, that’s a little cryptic for the morning, I thought, frowning at the message. Eamon. He’d left again before I woke up, and a pang of irritation twisted in my chest. Was this how it was going to be? Long nights together followed by longer days spent apart, with only mysterious messages to hold me over?——— > Tonight we’ll talk.I sighed, setting the phone down beside me. There it was—confirmation that the pattern might continue. I glanced across my studio apartment, my eyes landing on the gaping hole in the sheetrock and the bent wood in the doorframe. A sh