Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

Rhea povThe dim candlelight from my chamber was swallowed by the gaping mouth of darkness as the hidden path yawned before me. From its depths, a chill rose, encircling my ankles like invisible fingers and urging me to turn around with subtle warnings. I paused. The reasonable side of me begged me to stay there and avoid going into the unknown. However, the note in my shaking fingers was more significant than my anxiety. *You're not secure. Depart before it's too late.* I was guided to this hidden location inside Kael's palace by someone. There was someone who wanted me to discover what was behind the stone walls.I took a deep breath, gathered what little will I had left, and stepped out into the night. --- As I descended down, the air grew thicker, and each breath covered my tongue with dust. As I went deeper beneath, my fingers brushed the hard stone walls, following their uneven pathways. Like a serpent digging into the ground, the path twisted and slanted downward. The dar

Rhea’s POVWith each shadow extending far beneath the moon's feeble shine, the air seemed heavy with tension. My breath came in quick, irregular gasps as I followed Damon through the twisting hallways, my heart thumping. Every step seemed like I was walking a tightrope over a chasm now that I understood what Kael had done, even if the walls of his palace had always felt oppressive. Damon led the way toward the servant's departure, his body moving soundlessly as he moved with the dexterity of a man accustomed to slipping through peril. The air was heavy with the smell of smoldering flames and wet stone, but underlying it I felt something else, something that had been with me ever since I left the archives. Kael would be aware. He will shortly, if he hasn't already. With my mother's letter firmly pressed against my chest under my coat, I balled my fists. Never put your trust in a Lycan King. The warning-laden words shook me inside. For a brief moment, I stumbled, my thoughts urg

Rhea’s POVEvery step I took caused the heavy chains around my wrists to clink, reverberating throughout the enormous hall like a death knell. My headache from the restless night in the tower, a throbbing ache pounding behind my eyelids. Struggling against the locked doors, against my destiny, and against *Kael* made my body hurt. However, nothing was as heavy as the gazes that were now fixed on me. I almost choked on the tension that pervaded the Lycan Council chamber. Every influential person in Kael's realm had assembled, including elders, warriors, and nobles. Their faces ranged from icy indifference to barely contained disdain. I stood in the heart of it all, exposed, vulnerable. An inmate in front of her judges.Before her executioners, she was a traitor. Kael sat on his seat at the head of the room, his visage a mask of unreadable serenity. His jaw was hard and his silver-blue eyes stared at me without flinching. However, I was familiar enough with him to notice the tensene

Rhea’s POVA suffocating quiet encircled my neck like an iron chain, and the air between us was dense. Despite the coldness in his silver-blue eyes, Kael's touch was warm and his hold on my wrist was tight but not painful. His comments from a few minutes before were still echoing in my head, enveloping me like a hint of something much more sinister than I could fathom. The reality will not sit well with you. My heart beat erratically and irregularly. "Then tell me," I pushed out, my tone more abrasive than I meant. "Explain to me what you have been withholding. No more half-truths, no more mysteries. I'm entitled to the whole truth. Kael's eyes flickered with something unreadable—angry, restrained, hesitant—but his face remained unreadable. And then he let go of me with a slow exhale. There was a chilly gap on my skin where his touch was missing, but I didn't want to admit it. He backed up slowly, his hands clenched at his sides as if he were holding himself back. He started off b

Rhea’s POVThe smell of damp earth and the metallic tang of blood filled the air. As the rogues circled us, their eyes shining in the moonlight like ravenous tigers, shadows curled between the trees. Beside me, Damon stiffened, his breathing regulated and shallow. Like a spring, his muscles tensed, poised to attack. He whispered, "Stay close," as his fingers clenched around his blade. The rogue leader stepped forward slowly, a smirk twisting his lips. "You were warned, Lunar Queen." I got a chill from the title alone. The dagger at my side made my fingers shake. This was not what I was expecting. My head was groggy from fatigue, and my body was still weak from the poison.However, there was no time for hesitation. One of the rogues lunged. Damon's response was immediate, a vicious slice of his sword coming straight at the assailant. As the outlaw slumped, blood spattered the forest floor, but another replaced him. Next, another. They surrounded us with swift, accurate motions, m