Chapter 261\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as they noticed the wolves shadowing them from afar, Derek Sanchez-quietly fishing along the wind- cooled rail-also sensed the bright, unguarded gaze Aysel cast in his direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned his head slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across the deck, he saw Magnus and Aysel feeding sea birds, the ocean wind tugging playfully at her hair. For the briefest heartbeat, something rare flickered across Derek\u2019s usually cold, predatory eyes-an instinctive spark, as though some ancient wolf-sense stirred within him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Separated by a short distance, the two sides exchanged a polite nod-territorial wolves acknowledging one another. Neither showed the slightest intention of joining the other; when powerful Alphas shared a space, boundaries were always a delicate thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel was hardly familiar with Derek. Counting today, she had only seen him once-at Bastien Sanchez\u2019s lunar-feast birthday gathering. Rumor held that Derek\u2019s appearance and temperament mirrored his late father, Phelan Sanchez of the Shadowbane line, more than any of his brothers. His wolf aura carried that same quiet nobility-disciplined, measured, shaped meticulously by his mother, Ulva, who had spent years crafting her son into a perfect gentleman-wolf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that pair-mother and son\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across every turbulent turning point in the Shadowbane family\u2019s history, they always seemed to make the. one choice that kept them untouched by bloodshed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Phelan\u2019s death, Derek had relied on both the Old Alpha, Bastien Sanchez, and the strength of Ulva\u2019s ancestral line to secure his footing within the Shadowbane Pack. Later, when Magnus rose like a blade drawn from darkness-challenging the hierarchy, overturning old power-he eventually withdrew, choosing a different path entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the Shadowbane Pack tore itself apart in those brutal internal wars, Ulva and Derek remained untouched, distant, stable-\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their small ship sailing smooth through every storm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If not for the complicated nature of their lineage, Aysel might have admitted that the mother and son were\u2026 admirable. Smart. Wolves who knew when to stand still and when to move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she remembered Magnus\u2019s warning clearly:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIncluding him, there isn\u2019t a single good wolf in the Shadowbane Pack.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The memory settled like cold iron in her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel\u2019s wolf remained instinctively wary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, Derek reeled in the last of his line. With a clean, practiced motion, he pulled the fish into the wooden bucket at his feet, rinsed his hands in seawater, and walked toward them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stopped before the pair-Magnus leaning lazily against the rail, Aysel nestled comfortably in his shadow\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 201\u00a0<\/p>\n
and lifted the bucket lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWant to try?\u201d he asked in a calm, even tone. \u201cToday\u2019s been good hunting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He spoke the same way he had spoken at the feast-when he had effortlessly diverted attention away from Aysel teasing old Bastien Sanchez, simply calling out \u201cGrandfather\u201d to smooth the moment over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel\u2019s lips curved. \u201cNo need. I can\u2019t sit still long enough to fish.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derek paused, glancing toward Magnus-who, as always, was positioned in a way that made it abundantly clear: Aysel\u2019s word was law. Whatever she wanted, that was the pack\u2019s direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He let out a small, polite laugh. \u201cAlright then. I\u2019ll head back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He handed the fishing rod and fresh catch to a nearby attendant, instructing them to have the kitchen prepare the fish for tonight\u2019s meal. Then, with the composed bearing of a well-trained heir, he excused himself to return to his cabin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel watched his retreating figure, tapping her chin thoughtfully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly? Your brother is pretty handsome. And he carries himself well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Magnus lifted a hand and gently covered her eyes, drawing her back into the circle of his arms-pressing her between his chest and the iron rail as the sea roared below.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t look,\u201d he murmured, voice low and possessive. \u201cHe has nothing to do with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In this life, she was bound to him-\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even in death, he would have their ashes intermingled, buried together in the eternal night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel pried down the hand obstructing her view. \u201cYou didn\u2019t let me finish. He\u2019s not my type.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Magnus huffed a quiet laugh. One arm locked firmly around her waist as he leaned close to her ear, breath brushing her skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who is Aysel\u2019s type?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo idea,\u201d she replied, feigning innocence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo idea?\u201d Magnus\u2019s fingers caught her cheek, pinching the soft skin. \u201cThen once you\u2019re thoroughly fed, you\u2019ll remember.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel immediately wrapped her arms around the dangerously possessive Alpha.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cY-you! You\u2019re my whole banquet, okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Satisfied, Magnus brushed her hair, his wolf rumbling with pleasure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAysel Vale,\u201d he said. \u201cWhatever flavor you want, I can learn. But you are not allowed to crave suspicious junk food. Understand?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aysel: How is that a type of learning?\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
jealous wolf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMua-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe 261 Chapter 261\u00a0 Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0 Just as they noticed the wolves shadowing them from […]<\/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-20535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20535","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=20535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20535\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}