Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 172
Cassian,
“I love you. I will be there for you. So please come back to me p>
ས. 31 p>
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Standing there in the middle of nowhere, with no light, only darkness and burning rage flooding my consciousness. I heard those distant whispers.
They crept into me slowly, threading through the chaos. Warmth followed that voice, low and steady, like the melody of the ocean pulling relentlessly at the shore. The pain tearing through me began to dull. The chains wrapped around my neck, my wrists, my ankles, heavy and unforgiving, started to loosen, link by link, as if responding against their will.
“Cassian. I will be your family. I love you. Please… please come back to me p>
“Who is speaking?” I demanded. My voice rose, sharp and commanding, but it echoed back at me, distorted and endless.
I turned, scanning the darkness, trying to locate her, but there was no beginning and no end. I stood there in a world of emptiness, my jaw clenched, my chest heaving, anger and confusion gnawing at me.
I wanted to destroy whatever stood before me. I wanted to feel bone break, to taste the metallic tang of blood, but then-
It came.
The scent.
Too pure. Too perfect. Jasmine, fresh and clean, invading my senses without permission. My breath stuttered, my shoulders tensing as something unfamiliar stirred deep in my chest. Heat spread through me, washing over the rage, dulling its edge. It felt wrong to feel this way, and yet, undeniable.
“Who are you?” I shouted again, but only my own voice answered me. “Answer me p>
“It’s okay. I know it hurts. They betrayed you. But I am here. I am your family. I will be your family. I love you, Cassian. I love you so much!” She whispered gently as if she was caressing the enraged heart with a feathery touch.
“Love me?” The word tore from my throat. “Do I deserve love?” My fists curled at my sides. “My mother said I stole their happiness. My father said I was a monster. My brother tried to burn me alive, drown me to death. How could I deserve love p>
Yet that voice remained. Constant and Unshaken. It didn’t retrea from my anger or recoil from my bitterness. The scent began to cloud my thoughts, slipping past my defenses, wrapping around my instincts as if I had known it forever.
As if it belonged to me.
“Mine?” I whispered, the word heavy on my tongue.
Then I saw it.
The darkness cracked and peeled away. The rage burning in my hest fettered, the thirst to kill slowly wavering, leaving behind something raw and exposed.
“Yes… Cassian. Yours. I am yours. Always p>
My gaze fell on her.
A woman stood before me, luminous like the moon rising in endless night, illuminating everything without judgment, without fear.
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18:37 Tue, Feb 3 GG •
Chapter 172
She was-
“Mine p>
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I lowered my head, towering over her, my breath slowing as I listened to her soft, coaxing whispers. Her scent, jasmine, wrapped around me completely, making my chest tighten as though I were drowning in warmth.
Without thinking, I buried my face against her neck, inhaling deeply. It was intoxicating. Something in it eased the fracture in my mind, stitching broken pieces together.
Her touch felt like home. As if she was coaxing the wounded inner child inside me who was fed up with the people in the world. Who was neglected, hurt and abandoned by its own family.
The darkness vanished entirely, replaced by warm, golden light that pulsed through me.
“Mine,” I murmured again and again. The pull toward her was overwhelming, instinctive. I felt something darker each second. She had to be mine. I would make her mine.
A low growl rumbled from my chest as I pulled her closer, my grip firm and possessive. She felt too perfect. Too right. As if she had been shaped for me alone. Her body fit against mine naturally, her scent sank into my skin, into my bones, claiming me as much as I claimed her.
“I am yours. That’s right,” she whispered, her eyes closing.
Who was this woman? Why did she unravel me so completely?
Before I understood it, my body began to shift back. My thoughts spiraled, urging me to hold her closer, to fuse with her, to feel her beyond a kiss or an embrace. I wanted more. I needed more.
I didn’t understand what was happening. I didn’t know who she was, or who I was anymore. But I knew one thing with brutal clarity, I never wanted to let her go.
She kept whispering that she loved me. She called me her mate, her husband, her king… her man.
Her man.
The word struck deep, settling somewhere sacred. My cheeks burned with unknown pride. As if I had been waiting for years to get that title – Her Man.
And she was mine.
The inexplicable pull toward her, that heavenly warmth, shattered when my entire world plunged into darkness again.
Exhaustion crushed me, violent and unforgiving, as if every bor in my body had been shattered. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t respond. My body refused me, and soon, consciousness slipped away.
Until-
“I can’t believe it. He is alive,” a familiar voice broke through the haze. “How is he feeling right now? Healer p>
Lorenzo. My Beta.
My eyes snapped open, my breath ragged as awareness returned
“He is awake!” an unfamiliar voice exclaimed from my left. “Sonone call Her Highness. His Majesty is awake p>
“Your Majesty,” Lorenzo stepped closer and bent slightly. “Howe you feeling? Do you recognize me p>
I stared at him for a second. At first I couldn’t pull everything together.
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18:37 Tue, Feb 3 GG.
Chapter 172
“What’s going on?” I asked hoarsely. “How am I here p>
Wait-
The jasmine scent. The whispers. The confession of love.
Realization struck me like a thunderstorm. My chest tightened painfully.
I didn’t remember her face. Not clearly. Not at all. But I knew it was her.
What happened to me? Did I dream about Roana and failed to remember her?
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Damn it. I dreamed of her. I was with her in my sleep-while I was supposed to be dead. I remembered fire. I remembered watching her disappear into it with a man who claimed to be her brother.
Was that a dream too? What if it wasn’t? Where was she then?
“No. No p>
Did I dream that as well? Did I fail to protect her? Was she really saved by that man? What if it was just an illusion after I almost lost my consciousness?
My vision darkened as panic and confusion twisted together.
“You were brought here,” Lorenzo said carefully. “Her Highness brought you here p>
“What?” I snapped, forcing myself upright despite the sharp pain tearing through me.” Roana brought me here p>
Lorenzo nodded quietly, “Yes. She found you and brought you here p>
“Where is she? I demanded to know. I needed to see her directly to believe, “Roana?” My eyes scanned the room wildly.
“Your Majesty, calm down. You shouldn’t get up right p>
“Shut up!” I snarled, my jaw tightening. “Where is she, Lorenzo She’s fine, right? She was taken by a man in that building. I couldn’t protect her. I failed to protect her again. I failed to p>
“Cassian p>
I froze.
The same one from my dream. The one that dragged me back from the darkness. The only voice that could calm my most secret side I was scared of showing.
“Koana” I breathed, my pulse racing.
“You have finally woken up!” she cried.
I rushed toward her, ignoring the royal healer’s frantic protests
“Your Majesty, you can’t move You are yet to-
I didn’t hear the rest I couldn’t She was standing there, all fine, ive and perfect. She was protected by that man indeed.
My arms wrapped around her, pulling her against my chest with desperate strength, as if holding her any less would risk losing her again My hands trembled as I pressed her close.
I kissed her hair, her forehead, her cheeks, her lips over and over each touch frantic, each breath uneven, as if she might vanish if I stopped.
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18:37 Tue, Feb 3 GG.
Chapter 172
སཊཱི31 p>
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“I’m sorry,” I whispered hoarsely, tears streaming down my face. I failed to protect you again. I’m sorry. I am truly sorry p>
“Please… Don’t say that. You protected me. You are the one who saved me that day!” She buried her face in my chest, sobbing…
“I was scared. I was scared of losing you.” I whispered, attaching my forehead to hers, “I am glad that you are alive. That’s all I wanted p>
She shook her head, “I don’t care. I don’t care what happened before!” She looked up, meeting my eyes.
I cupped her face, my thumbs brushing away her tears, grounding myself in the warmth of her skin, the steady proof that she was real. Alive.
Then I leaned down and pressed my forehead to hers, again, my grip firm, unyielding, as if I were anchoring us both.
“You are my home, Roana,” I said quietly. “The place I return to. Every time p>
Her breath shuddered as she melted into me.
I wrapped my arms around her fully, holding her there, unmoving, letting the rest of the world fade into nothing.
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18:37 Tue, Feb 3 GG •
Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.