\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 128\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The living hall grew lively once the elders dispersed. Kurt Sanchez\u2019s mate and Sandy even approached Aysel, speaking to her with uncharacteristic warmth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was amusing-at the last auction, because of Zark, those two had looked at her and Magnus as though they were blood enemies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But with personal gain on the line, wolves could bend as easily as reeds in river wind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From beginning to end, no one spared a word for Lyall Sanchez or Johanna. The pair sat isolated in a corner like banished rogues, tension stiffening both their auras. They whispered in low, clipped tones-sharp enough that Aysel could sense the edges of their quiet argument. Eventually Johanna, exhausted in scent and spirit, seemed to yield. Their talk settled into something muted, resigned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel could feel Johanna watching her from time to time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No malice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just pure lupine curiosity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel herself had no desire to participate in the Moonvale Pack\u2019s well-practiced ritual of collective exclusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If anything, the sight of it made her stomach twist. It reminded her too much of how Magnus must have grown up in this house-surrounded by subtle cruelty, old blood feuds, long silences, and cold eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now the very wolf they once shunned was the one they sought to please.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What had he endured before he rose to become the continent\u2019s strongest Alpha-the Shadowbane Rafe?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, none of this meant she would suddenly feel saintly enough to defend Lyall or Johanna. After all, after years of absence, they returned only to dig a pit beneath Magnus\u2019s feet the moment they opened their mouths.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel held grudges. And she held them purposefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If she had spare energy, she would rather spend it worrying about the \u201clittle pitiful one\u201d by her\u00a0<\/p>\n
side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thinking of that, she shot a venomously annoyed glare at Ulric Sanchez-Magnus\u2019s father- and Ivy, chatting comfortably with Accalia Sanchez.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Useless father. Vicious stepmother.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How were they still alive while Raya had died?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The more she thought about it, the more her wolf pricked with irritation. Maybe she should find an excuse to snap, lose her temper a little, beat someone up?\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t even be the first time she\u2019d shown \u201cdisrespect toward elders.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sensing her agitation as easily as a shift in wind pressure, Magnus reached out and lifted her off the couch in one smooth, possessive motion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMm?\u201d Aysel blinked at him, puzzled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Magnus brushed a hand over her head, calming her wolf. \u201cDidn\u2019t you say you hate being here? I\u2019ll take you to the Green Bamboo Courtyard. You can rest and change into something comfortable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t bring any clothes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rain outside was torrential-no way anyone could retrieve them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And she didn\u2019t want to wear anything belonging to the Sanchez wolves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not new clothes, not old ones-none.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cForget it,\u201d she murmured. \u201cI\u2019m not even wet. No need to change.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Magnus\u2019s lips curved faintly. \u201cRelax. They\u2019re not anyone else\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Under her questioning gaze, he pinched her soft earlobe-an unmistakably intimate wolf gesture\u2014and said, utterly matter-of-fact, \u201cI stocked every residence I own with new clothes for you. Just in case.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel\u2019s face lit up, bright and unrestrained, and she planted a loud kiss on his cheek\u2014\u201cmwah.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ever since that night of drinking and dancing, she\u2019d become increasingly natural with her \u201creward system\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Magnus\u2019s lips tilted upward, softening the coldness he\u2019d worn since arriving at the old estate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Watching the young pair leave hand-in-hand, Ivy clicked her tongue. \u201cSo rude.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019d been back so long, yet not a greeting to her or to Ulric.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They walked out like the house belonged only to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, spare me,\u201d Ulric snapped, irritation flaring. \u201cDo you really not know what your relationship with him is like?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ivy\u2019s anger sparked instantly. \u201cAnd whose fault is that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Ulric hadn\u2019t insisted on marrying Raya back then, she and he could have been together from the start. There would have been no Magnus to stand between them. She wouldn\u2019t have become the \u2018wicked stepmother,\u2019 and she wouldn\u2019t resent the boy\u2019s existence so deeply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The misery between her and Magnus-more than half of it was Ulric\u2019s doing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With fury simmering off her scent, Ivy stormed away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ulric\u2019s nostrils flared. He clenched his fingertips against the wheelchair armrests, froze for a long moment, then wheeled himself away as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kurt Sanchez\u2019s mate let out a quiet laugh. \u201cWell, Magnus and Miss Aysel certainly seem in love. He takes her everywhere. Looks like we were all wrong before. That marriage might be approaching.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone chimed in with polite smiles and harmless replies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What they truly thought?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only the Moon knew.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the far end of the long table, someone quietly brewed themselves a cup of tea.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In love?\u00a0<\/p>\n
They rather hoped Magnus had at least some real affection for that girl.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It would make things far more entertaining in the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe 128 \u00a0 Chapter 128\u00a0 Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0 The living hall grew lively once the elders […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20411\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}