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“WHO LAID A HAND ON YOU?” THE ALPHA KING THUNDERED—AS HIS SHATTERED OMEGA FELL BLEEDING INTO HIS ARMS / Chapter 5 / 10

Chapter 5 - SHADOWS OF CRESTFALL

The revelation hung heavy in the air. Someone high up in the Northern court had helped Bastion’s mercenaries slip into the lower bailey. Someone wanted Gideon dead, and they had used Adelaide as the weapon.

"Keep this information strictly between us, Varick," Gideon commanded, rising to his full height. "Search the council members' quarters quietly. Anyone who sent or received a raven from the South in the last month is to be thrown into the dark cells immediately."

"As you command, my King," Varick said, bowing before sweeping out of the room.

Gideon turned back to Adelaide. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at her. "Adelaide, I need to ask you something, and I need the absolute truth."

"Anything," she whispered.

"Did Bastion or Kael mention a name? Did anyone inside these walls speak to you before Kael ambushed you?"

Adelaide searched her memory through the fog of terror and pain. "No... but Kael knew exactly when I left the kitchens. He knew the guard rotation in the east wing. He said 'our friend inside made this very easy.'"

Gideon’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle twitched beneath his scar. "Then we play their game. Bastion thinks you failed and that you are dead in the snow. He does not know I rescued you."

"What are you going to do?" Adelaide asked, her heart hammering against her healing ribs.

"I am going to Crestfall," Gideon said softly. "And I am bringing your sister home."

"No! It's a trap!" Adelaide cried, trying to grasp his hand. "You can't go into the South alone!"

"I am not going alone, and I am not going as a King demanding a treaty," Gideon replied, a fierce, protective light shining in his golden eyes. "I am going as a predator retrieving what belongs to my family."

He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. The warmth of his skin sent a sudden, electric shiver down her spine. The faint, undeniable hum of the mate bond sparked between them, blinding and undeniable.

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My sister flung my ten-year-old son's Christmas gift across her marble kitchen, and the tiny wooden roof snapped against the tile. My brother laughed. Timothy crouched to collect the pieces, but I caught his hand before he could touch them. By morning, an envelope would make my sister's hands shake.

My sister flung my ten-year-old son's Christmas gift across her marble k...

For twelve years, my mother had persuaded everyone in our hometown that I'd turned my back on my family to build a career in the Navy. At my father's memorial service, she publicly shamed me in a packed church and ordered me to take off my military uniform. I was ready to walk away when a retired general rose from his seat with Dad's final letter in his hand and said, "Before you humiliate your daughter one more time, Helen, these people deserve to know the truth."

For twelve years, my mother had persuaded everyone in our hometown that...

My husband sl3pped me across the face in front of his entire family and shouted, “Get out of my house! You don't belong here anymore!” Behind him, my mother-in-law smiled with satisfaction, certain she had finally succeeded in driving me away. What neither of them knew was that I secretly owned the mansion they were standing in—and the $10,000 my mother-in-law spent every month on designer clothes, luxury holidays, and personal comforts came straight from my bank account. They thought they were throwing out a helpless woman. They had no idea they were about to lose everything…

My husband sl3pped me across the face in front of his entire family and...

Adelaide gasped, her eyes widening as she felt it for the very first time. The overwhelming, magnetic connection pulled at her soul. "You... you feel it too?" she breathed.

Gideon smiled softly, a genuine, breathtaking smile that transformed his harsh face. "I felt it the moment your hood fell in my grand hall, little bird. You are my Queen. And no one hurts my Queen’s blood."

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Chapter 6 - THE BLOODHOUND'S SCHEME
Chapter 7 - INTO THE ENEMY'S LAIR
Chapter 8 - THE RESCUE AND THE TRAP
Chapter 9 - THE SIEGE OF CRESTFALL
Chapter 10 - THE QUEEN OF THE NORTH

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