Chapter 343\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at the ceiling, numb and hollow. The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to the hospital room, and the cold IV fluid snaked into my arm. My entire body ached, but the pain barely registered-just another echo beneath everything else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo\u2019s voice came from the side of the bed, low and clinical. \u201cYou\u2019re awake?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A soft rustle of paper, the sound of a stool being dragged closer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to act like this,\u201d he said. \u201cYou scared a lot of people last night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, I stayed quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo let out a breath, his tone shifting. \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do I look?\u201d I asked flatly, turning my head toward him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He flinched. \u201cLike hell,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t laugh. I didn\u2019t even smile. I let the silence stretch until he broke it again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour injuries weren\u2019t life-threatening. The finger was reattached. You\u2019ll need some time to heal\u2026 but physically, you\u2019ll recover.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Physically.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t mention the emotional damage. Or the kind of wound that wasn\u2019t visible under a hospital gown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hesitated, then said, \u201cWhen I was treating your back, I noticed an old scar. About the length of a hand. Lower left side. Riley\u2026 you\u2019re missing a kidney.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t react.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He continued, slower this time. \u201cThat scar-it\u2019s been there for at least a year. Probably longer. I don\u2019t know what happened in that prison, but it wasn\u2019t just bruises and cold floors, was it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned away from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo pressed, \u201cDo you even know when it happened?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it matter?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should\u2019ve told someone-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I cut him off. \u201cYou think they didn\u2019t know?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He went still.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:57 Sun, Dec 28 G\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 343\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at him, my voice steady despite the tightness in my throat. \u201cThe reason I couldn\u2019t shift all these years\u2026 it wasn\u2019t because I was weak or broken. It was because they took a part of me. At CE of my body. And maybe\u2026 a piece of my wolf\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He swallowed hard, clearly shaken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stood there and asked why I didn\u2019t dodge the belt,\u201d I whispered. \u201cTheo, I couldn\u2019t even run\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked away, ashamed. But then-like always-he couldn\u2019t leave it alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not exactly easy to help,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed, dry and bitter. \u201cAnd you\u2019re not exactly helpful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His jaw clenched. \u201cYou\u2019re always the victim, huh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him. \u201cGet out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He blinked. \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOut.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His mouth twisted into a sneer. \u201cYou know what? Maybe everything that\u2019s happened to you-maybe it fits.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The door slammed shut behind him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Author\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back at the Ebonclaw estate, the morning sun filtered through the tall windows, illuminating the spacious kitchen in golden light.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia was carefully packing wolfbone congee and a few other tonic dishes into insulated containers. She had been up since dawn preparing food that would nourish Riley\u2019s body-what little was left of it, anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as she reached for the silver lotus and bloodroot soup, a delicate hand shot out and grabbed the bowl.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia looked up and froze. Scarlett.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett raised the bowl and smirked. \u201cThis looks nice. I\u2019ll take it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia quickly stepped forward. \u201cMiss Scarlett, that\u2019s for Miss Riley. She\u2019s still recovering.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett\u2019s eyes narrowed. \u201cAnd who are you to tell me what I can or can\u2019t eat in my own house?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia hesitated. She knew better than to challenge her openly. But she had to try.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Riley needs it more. The doctor said her internal balance is still unstable-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, because the broken little bird needs special treatment now?\u201d Scarlett snorted. \u201cPlease. She\u2019s not even a proper Ebonclaw. She didn\u2019t shift until yesterday. If that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 343\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tinished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia flinched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think just because the Alpha let her stay here that she\u2019s earned anything? My father still says she\u2019s an embarrassment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s still his daughter,\u201d Mia murmured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBarely,\u201d Scarlett sneered. \u201cAnd don\u2019t forget, I\u2019m the one he chose to inherit the northern estates.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before Mia could respond, heavy footsteps echoed down the hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric and Zara entered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s this noise?\u201d Alaric\u2019s voice was sharp as a whip crack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett immediately switched gears, voice trembling, eyes shining with unshed tears. \u201cFather, Mia said I wasn\u2019t worthy of eating the family food because I\u2019m adopted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia\u2019s jaw dropped. \u201cI never said-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara\u2019s face twisted with disgust. \u201cIs that true, Mia?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI swear-I just said Miss Riley needed it for recovery-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric slammed a hand on the counter. \u201cYou dare question who\u2019s worthy in this household? Scarlett is my daughter in all the ways that matter. Riley? That little criminal should be grateful she hasn\u2019t been cast out like the stray she is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He snatched the bowl from Mia\u2019s hands and shoved it into Scarlett\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett gave Mia a sickly-sweet smile. \u201cThanks for breakfast.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And with that, she sauntered off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia stood frozen in place, trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u540d\u00a0<\/p>\n
788\u00a0<\/p>\n
.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\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 343 Chapter 343\u00a0 Riley\u2019s POV\u00a0 I stared at the ceiling, numb and hollow. The sterile […]<\/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-20616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20616","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=20616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20616\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}