All Chapters of Claimed by the Ruthless Alpha Prince: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

Seth’s hand slides up my spine, grounding me.“These aren’t merely nightmares anymore, Selene. Something’s wrong.”“I’m fine.”“You’re not.” His fingers find the knot of tension at the base of my neck and start working it loose.“You haven’t slept through the night in weeks.”“I said, I’m fine.” My insistence comes out sharper than I mean it to.He pulls back slightly, studying my face in the dim light. Those green eyes of his see too much.“What aren’t you telling me?”Everything!“Nothing. Just bad dreams.”“Selene—”“Please.” I press my palm against his chest and feel his heartbeat, steady and strong beneath my hand.“Can we not do this right now?”His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t push it. Instead, he pulls me closer, tucking my head beneath his chin.“There’s a festival in the capital tomorrow. Come with me.”I blink against his throat.“A festival?”“Music, food, dancing. Normal things.” His hand resumes its path up and down my spine.“Things that don’t involve councils or politi

A GUARD SEES me and sends me to the King’s study, where I find both Kael and Leon. Kieran is sitting at the table with them, hands neatly folded. Calm. As if he didn’t just hand my unconscious mate to me in the woods. From the looks on Kael’s and Leon’s faces, they’ve been caught up on at least that much.My wolf is clawing at my ribs, demanding I go back to Selene, but I force myself to sit down across from Kieran.“Talk,” I growl at him. “Now.”His gaze meets mine. Steady. Unflinching.“Your mate bears the mark of the Ulvan.”I blink at him.“What?”“I tried to warn her days ago. But she didn’t listen. Couldn’t understand.” He leans forward. “Someone has bound your mate to death magic, Commander. And tonight, whatever controls her tries to take her completely.”“What are you talking about? What the fuck is an Ulvan?”Kieran’s expression doesn’t change.“The mark of the Ulvan is a banned practice. Part of your mate’s wolf has been bound to the undead.”“Bound to—” Kael cuts himself o

I’M FLOATING in the dark.There’s nothing here. No sound. No light. No sensation of up or down.Just endless, suffocating blackness.I try to move. Can’t. Try to speak. Can’t. Try to feel my wolf. Nothing. Where am I?The question echoes in my mind, unanswered.I’m not awake; I know that much. But I’m not asleep, either. This is something else. Something in between. Like being suspended in deep water, with pressure pushing in from all sides, crushing me.Time doesn’t exist here. I could be floating for seconds or hours or days. There’s no way to tell. No way to measure the passing of moments when there are no moments at all.Just this. Just darkness.Then—movement. Not mine. Something pulled at me, tugging me forward through the void like a fish on a line.No. Stop. Let me go.But there’s no one to hear my thoughts. No one to listen. I’m screaming into nothing, and nothing screams back.The darkness shifts. Changes. The absolute black becomes something less solid, less complete. Like

It engulfs me like a tidal wave. Seth’s presence floods our connection—his fear, his fury, his desperate, frantic determination. He’s moving. Running. Coming for me.And he’s close.The realization jolts through me with another surge of adrenaline. The fog recedes further. I can feel my toes now. My legs. The rapid hammering of my own heart.Keep fighting, my wolf urges. We’re almost there!“You’re going to help us now,” Zane says, moving toward Elara’s prone form. She’s still on the ground, still motionless. Still unconscious. “You’re going to be our weapon. Our perfect tool. And when the time comes—”I move. It’s my decision this time. Mine. Not whatever force was controlling me.My hand shoots out, grabbing Zane’s wrist before he can reach Elara.My fingers dig into his skin hard enough to bruise.His eyes widened.“What—”“Get. Away. From. Her.” The words tear from my throat, rough and raw.My voice. My control.Zane jerks back, genuine shock crossing his face.“How are you—”I do

THE AFTERMATH of this whole incident is nothing compared to the guilt my mate feels.It’s been a week, and the castle feels quieter now, though maybe that’s just me. Selene spends most of her time in the healers’ compound, looking after her friend. Although Daciana is recovering, Selene holds herself responsible for what happened.Elara has tried to convince her it wasn’t her fault. Daciana, too. But my mate refuses to leave her friend’s side. At this point, I’ve simply accepted it.I check on her every day, bring her food, maybe drag her home to sleep for a few hours and change her clothes. But I know that till Selene is sure Daciana will be fine, she won’t think about anything else. She nearly killed her closest friend—the woman who saved her—and she can’t forgive herself.I also have things to deal with, however, so that’s where I put my focus. It is dim in Kael’s study, the fire throwing dull light across the walls. Leon is standing near the window, arms folded. Kieran sits a litt