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Secrets in the Shadows

Author: Jay_Chula
last update Last Updated: 2024-11-18 19:59:44

The air inside the refuge felt heavy, charged with a strange energy that made my skin tingle. It was as if the walls themselves pulsed with life, whispering secrets I wasn’t meant to hear. Shadows flickered and danced along the stone corridors, cast by the dim glow of lanterns hung at uneven intervals.

Rigel limped ahead of me, his injuries bandaged hastily but still bleeding through in places. He didn’t complain, though his clenched jaw and the tension in his shoulders betrayed the pain he was in.

"Where are we?" I asked, my voice bouncing off the walls.

"A sanctuary," Rigel said without looking back. "One of the few left."

The corridor opened into a vast underground chamber, its ceiling soaring high above us and lit by a strange, glowing orb that hovered in the center. The space was bustling with activity—people moving quickly, their faces pale and strained. Some carried weapons I couldn’t name; others clutched books bound in leather so old they looked ready to crumble.

I felt
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  • Bound To My Protector Mate    First Kill

    The sanctuary was filled with screams, roars, and the clash of steel. I could barely hear my own panicked breathing over the chaos. The walls shook violently, loose stones falling from the ceiling as the enemy forced their way inside. “How do they even keep finding us?” I growled in confusion.“Keep moving!” Rigel barked, dragging me through the crumbling halls. His grip was bruising, his pace relentless despite his injuries. Around us, defenders fought desperately against the onslaught of grotesque creatures. These weren’t the same shadowy figures that had chased us before—they were larger, their monstrous forms fully solid. Clawed hands and gaping maws lunged at anyone in their path, their shrieks chilling me to the bone. We rounded a corner, only to come face-to-face with one of the creatures. Its red eyes gleamed as it let out a guttural snarl, raising a blade-like appendage. Rigel shoved me aside just as it swung, the blade slicing through the air where I had been standing mom

    Last Updated : 2024-11-20
  • Bound To My Protector Mate    Mysterious Figure

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  • Bound To My Protector Mate    A Dangerous Proposal

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  • Bound To My Protector Mate    Unwanted Lessons

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  • Bound To My Protector Mate    The whispered warning

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  • Bound To My Protector Mate    Rescue Mission

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  • Bound To My Protector Mate    Fractured Trust

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    Last Updated : 2024-11-23

Latest chapter

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  • Bound To My Protector Mate    Secrets Unveiled

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  • Bound To My Protector Mate    The Bond Intensifies

    The air inside the sanctuary was still, like the quiet before a storm. I hadn’t slept much since Adrian’s faint words the night before, his warning looping in my mind like a song I couldn’t shake: “Don’t trust…” Trust who? It was a question I couldn’t answer, and it gnawed at me.Rigel sat near the hearth, his gaze fixed on the flames dancing in the fireplace. His normally guarded face seemed softer, almost vulnerable, but his jaw remained tight as if he were wrestling with thoughts too heavy to share.“You’ve been quiet,” I said softly, breaking the silence.He looked up, his golden eyes meeting mine with a flicker of something I couldn’t quite name—something raw, unguarded. “Quiet doesn’t mean I’m not thinking,” he replied, his voice rough but low.I hesitated before stepping closer. “And what are you thinking about?”He stood, his towering frame almost intimidating, but I’d learned to see past the armor he wore. “I’m thinking about how close we came to losing everything,” he said,

  • Bound To My Protector Mate    The Price of Power

    The tension in the air was so thick it felt like it could choke me. We’d barely escaped the stronghold, and the weight of everything was crushing. Adrian lay unconscious in the corner of the room, his breathing steady but shallow. Rigel hovered near the doorway, arms crossed, his jaw clenched tight. His silence was heavier than any lecture he could give.Selene sat at the desk, pouring over a pile of documents she’d salvaged from the stronghold. Her brow was furrowed in that way that meant she’d stumbled on something important but wasn’t ready to share it yet.I stood in the center of the room, feeling like a storm was raging inside me. My mark was still faintly glowing, though its warmth had finally dulled. The power that had surged through me during the fight was unlike anything I’d ever felt before—terrifying, uncontrollable, and devastating.“What the hell was that back there?” I asked, breaking the suffocating silence.Rigel turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as they met mine. “Th

  • Bound To My Protector Mate    A Life on the Line

    The rogue leader’s voice echoed through the chamber, dripping with malice. The darkness pressed against us, thick and stifling, as though the very air was conspiring to suffocate us. I clutched Adrian tightly, his weight a dead drag against me. His breathing was shallow, each exhale weaker than the last.“You walked into my web,” the rogue leader hissed, the sound slithering from every corner. “And now, you’ll all pay for your arrogance.”Selene muttered an incantation, her hands glowing faintly. A soft blue light spread around us, illuminating the room just enough to reveal the enemy: shadowy figures slipping out from the walls, their movements unnervingly silent. They surrounded us, cutting off every escape route.Rigel stepped forward, his sword gleaming in the faint light. “You’ll regret this,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.The rogue leader emerged from the darkness, tall and imposing, his face twisted into a cruel smile. “Oh, I think not. You see, Adrian here has been

  • Bound To My Protector Mate    Into the Stronghold

    The sanctuary was silent as we prepared to leave, but the silence wasn’t comforting—it was heavy, oppressive. Rigel stood by the door, his arms crossed and his face hard. He hadn’t stopped pacing since Adrian’s signal had gone dark. Every now and then, he’d stop, glance at me like he wanted to say something, then continue his restless movements.Selene sat at the table, her maps spread out in front of her, whispering softly under her breath. I didn’t need to ask what she was doing. Protective enchantments, probably. She liked to be precise about these things, especially when we were walking into something as dangerous as the rogue faction’s stronghold.“Are we just going to sit here all night?” Rigel finally snapped, breaking the quiet.Selene didn’t even look up. “We’ll leave when we’re ready. Charging in blind isn’t a strategy; it’s a death wish.”Rigel’s fists clenched, and his jaw tightened. “Every second we wait, Adrian’s closer to—”“Enough!” I said, my voice sharper than I inte

  • Bound To My Protector Mate    The Protector’s Past

    Rigel was sitting by the fire, his back straight despite the injuries he was still nursing. His face was turned away from me, his features shadowed by the flickering flames. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should disturb him, but something about his stillness made it impossible to walk away.“You’re quieter than usual,” I said, sitting down a few feet away.His gaze flicked toward me, sharp and assessing as always. Then, to my surprise, he sighed. “There’s a lot on my mind.”I waited, not pushing him. Rigel wasn’t one to share easily, but I’d learned that if you gave him enough space, he’d eventually say what he needed to.After a long silence, he spoke. “You asked me once why I’m like this. Why I’m so… overbearing.” He gave a bitter laugh. “You probably think I’m some possessive monster who doesn’t know when to let go.”“I don’t think that,” I said softly.He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “Maybe you should.”He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. The

  • Bound To My Protector Mate    A Bitter Goodbye

    Rigel was still weak, resting against the wall of the crumbling shelter as the rest of us gathered to discuss the next steps. His face was pale, but his gaze was as sharp as ever, tracking every word, every movement, every flicker of emotion in the room. Adrian, as usual, leaned casually against the opposite wall, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.“We can’t wait any longer,” Adrian said, breaking the silence. “The rogue faction knows where we are. If we stay here, they’ll finish what they started. I can get inside their stronghold, get the intel we need, and—if the opportunity presents itself—take them out.”“No,” Rigel said flatly, his voice rasping from exhaustion but firm. “It’s too dangerous. You wouldn’t make it out alive.”Adrian shrugged, his tone almost flippant. “Maybe. But someone has to go, and it sure as hell can’t be you in your current state.”Rigel’s jaw clenched, his hand tightening into a fist. “We can find another way. Sending you in alone is suicide.”“Do

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