All Chapters of Bound to the Alpha Twins: Chapter 41 - Chapter 48

48 Chapters

Friend or Foe

“You need to get up.”Gertha’s voice cut through the dark. The fire was dead, the room cold, and she was already pulling a lilac dress from the wardrobe, her movements brisk and efficient.“The Queen approved a visitor for you,” she said, not looking at me. “Someone from Ashen Ridge. You have one hour to get ready.”I sat up, my head thick from sleep, my limbs heavy from days of tension. “Who?”Gertha laid the dress on the bed and turned to face me. “You will see soon enough. Wash your face, fix your hair and do not keep them waiting.”She left before I could ask any more questions. I stared at the lilac fabric, my mind stumbling over possibilities.My mother would not leave the cottage – she had not left Ashen Ridge in years.Pilar would. Only Pilar would find a way to convince the Queen to let her visit.I pushed myself out of bed and washed quickly, the water cold against my skin. The dress fit well enough, though the sleeves were longer than what I was used to, and the fabric was s

It Burned

***THIRD POV***Kaelan stood in the doorway, shoulders squared, breathing hard from the semi-run here.He had not knocked, he had simply pushed and the door had given way.Maybe, he should not have done that as the bare body of a slender woman nestled under his brother came into view.She yelped and scrambled for the bedding, pulling it over herself.Lucian moved quickly, one hand reaching toward the dagger on the side table before he recognized his brother and let the motion die. "You could have knocked," he said."I could have," Kaelan agreed, stepping into the room. "I did not."The sound of ruffling sheets, drew Kaelan's attention to today's bedwarmer. One of his brother's many whores.Her eyes were wide with shock, her hair tangled across her shoulders."Get out."She did not need to be told twice, she snatched her robe from the floor, clutched it to her chest and hurried past him, bare feet cluttering on the stone.The door swung partially closed behind her, the latch broken.Whe

Are You Talking About My Brother?

The afternoon sun warmed the wide stone balcony overlooking the training fields.Pilar and I sat at a small iron table the servants had carried out earlier. A large tray sat between us, carrying fresh bread still warm from the kitchens, soft cheese, olives in oil, sliced apples and pears, dried figs, and a pitcher of watered wine.The air carried the steady sounds from below: steel clashing against steel, instructors shouting commands, and the rhythmic thud of boots on packed earth.Pilar leaned forward on the railing, chewing a piece of bread as she watched the warriors train. "Look at that one," she said, pointing with her chin. "The tall one with the scar running down his left arm. He handles the sword so well. Strong stance, good balance. I bet he came from the border patrols."I smiled and tore off a piece of bread. "You sound like you're back on duty.""A little." Pilar grinned. "I spent four years as a guard. Old habits stay with you. See how he shifts his weight before each st

A Princess's Token

I turned, and there Elara stood at the edge of the balcony, her arms crossed, her grey eyes fixed on me. She had not moved closer. She did not need to. The question hung in the air between us, like she had all the time in the world.Pilar recovered first. "We were just—""Talking about my brother." Elara's voice was unnervingly calm. "I heard."She walked to the railing and stood beside us, looking down at the now almost empty training yards. Most of the warriors had gone, and the dust had begun to settle. The afternoon light was fading, casting long shadows across the stone.Pilar shot me a look. I ignored her.Elara did not speak for a while. She simply stood there, her raven hair moving in the breeze, her hands loose at her sides. She stood like she had been carved into the stone. Her stillness was majestic and unsettling at the same time; it made you aware of your own restlessness.I waited, calculating what would be her next action."My brother does not send me," she said finally

The Carriage Rolls

The wheels turned and dust rose from the gravel. The carriage moved slowly at first, then faster, pulling away from the palace gates.I stood at the edge of the courtyard and watched it go.Pilar's face was in the window. She was not waving. She never waved. She just looked at me through the glass until the carriage turned and she was gone.I did not move.The courtyard was almost empty. I stood alone, except for Gertha's ever-persistent presence, the gravel crunching under my boots. I thought about the morning that had led up to this moment.~`~`~`~`~`~`|~`~`~`~`~`~`|~`~`~`~`~`~`Pilar had packed her bag before the sun was fully up. I had woken to the sound of fabric rustling, of her moving through the room."You're up," she said, not looking at me.I sat up. "You're leaving.""The Queen's carriage is already waiting. She does not like to be kept waiting. I don't need to be on her bad side."She patted her bag that lay on the floor.I swung my legs over the side of the bed. The floor

In Blood and Bones

He had not told anyone he was coming. He had not even told himself he would return. But the girl had lodged herself firmly in his mind, and he could not shake her loose and that unsettled him.The sage studied him with eyes that held no judgment. She had seen worse men than him sit in that chair. She had also seen better ones leave and never come back."You came back," she said. It was not a question."I did." He answered regardless.She leaned back, her fingers pattering softly against the wood of the table. "The spell is finished. The blood has spoken.""What does it say to us?"She did not answer immediately. She let the silence abide, let him feel the weight of what he was about to hear. Then she said, "She carries something that has not walked this earth in centuries. Something shifters do not behold often enough to be fully understood and it is buried."Obelix's hands curled on his knees. "Buried where?""In her blood. In her bones. In parts of her being and soul." She tilted he

The Weight of a Blade

The sword was heavier than I expected and its grip was worn smooth from use. I turned it over in my hand, testing the weight.I had never held one like this before; most definitely not with intention.I swung it. The motion was clumsy and unbalanced. The blade cut through the air with no precision, no purpose. I tried again, better this time but still wrong.I did not know why I was doing this. This was not in my schedule for the day, if I had one.I had been walking through the halls, restless, trying to outrun the silence in my room. But my feet had carried me past the gates, past the racks of wooden swords, past the straw dummies that had been stabbed and slashed a thousand times before.Luckily, the training yard was empty when I arrived.Maybe I wanted to feel capable. Maybe I wanted to feel like I could fight back against something. The Council. The fear that had been pressing on my chest since I arrived.I swung again repeatedly, and although my arm ached, I did not stop."You'r

No Longer An Enemy

"That's enough for today."My fingers tightened around the sword more. "I can keep going.""I know you can." He stepped closer. "But you don't need to prove anything right now."I looked at him. "What makes you think I want to prove something?"He did not answer.He reached out and took the sword from my hand, not holding my gaze. He looked at the blade in his hands, then at me."Same time tomorrow," he said.I nodded.He hesitated. I saw it – a small pause, like he was deciding whether to say something or not."Lucian didn't mean what he said," he finally said. "That night in the corridor. Whatever he told you – he did not mean it."I looked at him. "How do you know?""Because I know him." He said it like it cost him something. "He says things he does not mean when he's afraid.""What is he afraid of?"His jaw tightened. His eyes flickered away from mine."Same time," he said again. Then he turned and walked toward the racks of wooden swords, his back to me.I watched him go. The bond

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