Lahat ng Kabanata ng Mated To Valentine : Kabanata 111 - Kabanata 120

The Ascendants’ headquarters looms in the distance, a fortress of cold steel and shattered memories. The last time I was here, I was their prisoner, broken and bleeding under their hands. Now, I return—not as a victim, but as their reckoning.The army at my back—vampires, warlocks, shapeshifters—moves like a force of nature, their hunger for vengeance as sharp as my own. Most of them, especially the vampires are here because some of their loved ones have been claimed by the Ascendants.The witches, warlocks, shapeshifters and others are here because they are now aware that even they aren't safe from the Ascendants.The hybrids guard every entrance, their soulless eyes scanning the darkness for threats. They don’t know we’re already inside.As I step through the gates, my breath catches. The scent of antiseptic and death slams into me. The walls, the floors, even the air—I remember all of it. The cold steel tables. The white, blinding lights. The sharp bite of a scalpel on my skin.

The night air is thick with smoke and the scent of burning flesh. The car is parked a short distance away from the base, hidden among the trees. I pull open the door and ease Valentine into the passenger seat, careful not to jostle his weakened form. He barely has the strength to move, his body slumped against the seat. His skin is pale, the burns on his arms raw and angry, refusing to heal.The sulfur intake was crazy on him. And I can imagine that if it's burning him on the outside, it's burning him on the inside too.His fingers twitch when I step back. His breathing is shallow, uneven.I brush his damp hair back. “You’re safe now.”His eyes flicker open, hazy and unfocused. “Stay.”I sigh, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I can’t.”His grip tightens on my wrist. “You promised.” His voice is hoarse, but there’s a desperation in it that claws at my chest.I kneel beside him, cradling his face in my hands. “I promised I wouldn’t leave you. And I’m not. But I have to finish this.”Hi

I wake up wrapped in warmth, the weight of his arm draped over my waist, his breath steady against the back of my neck. I don’t move. I don’t want to. If I could, I’d stay here forever, in this bed, in this moment, letting the world outside fade into nothing.The room is dark, as it always is. Here, though, there’s only the soft glow of candles and the faint hum of the air conditioning. It’s a world of shadows, and I’ve come to find solace in it.“You’re awake,” he murmurs, his voice low and thick with sleep. His grip tightens around me, pulling me closer. “Good. Now I can tell you again—you don’t have to go.”I sigh, pressing my fingers against the arm resting over me. “We’ve had this conversation.”“And we’re having it again,” he replies. “You don’t have to go back.”“I do.”“No, you don’t.”College. It's been a month since tue fight with the Ascendants and I want to pretend that I'm back to normal.I roll onto my back, looking up at him. His light hair is mussed from sleep, his

The night air is cool against my skin as we step into the quiet courtyard. The sky stretches endlessly above, ink-black and shimmering with stars, but I barely notice. My mind is tangled in the conversation we just had with the Council, in the choice I made, in the weight of what it means.I don’t regret it.But he’s still thinking about it. I can tell.Valentine’s grip on my hand is firm, but there’s tension in the way he holds me, like he’s afraid that if he lets go, I might change my mind. We decided to take a walk after the council meeting. See Paris a little. For my sake, actually.We walk in silence for a while, the city humming softly in the distance, before he finally speaks.“You’re really certain?” His voice is low, almost hesitant. Like he's scared bringing it up again might annoy me.I don’t stop walking, don’t look at him right away. “I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t.”“That’s not an answer.”I sigh, turning to face him. The lamplight casts a golden glow on his sharp

“Do the dead speak?”The full moon hangs low in the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the estate's cemetery. The air is still, cool, yet not eerie. Peaceful, in a way.I run my fingers over the smooth stone beneath me, shifting slightly as I balance on the headstone. A grin tugs at my lips. This is the same question that brought Valentine into my life. The same question I ask him now.He lifts his gaze from where he kneels at Achilles’ grave, his fingers brushing absentmindedly over the earth. He’s been whispering to him again, speaking in that low, reverent tone he uses when he thinks no one is listening.He smiles faintly. “Achilles does.”I exhale, nodding. “I know.”Because I hear him too. Not like a ghostly whisper in the wind, not like some disembodied voice. It’s just… Achilles. Whenever I speak to him, he answers, as if death never really silenced him. It’s not like my mother’s grave, always silent, always still.I tilt my head. “What were you telling him?”Valentine ch