Chapter 414\u00a0<\/p>\n
66%\u00a0<\/p>\n
+5 Pearls\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ronan Duskcliff sat on the edge of his hospital bed, his andaged head still throbbing. But the physical pain couldn\u2019t compete with what haunted him more deeply Riley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It had been four, maybe five days since she vanished without a trace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No updates. No whispers. No leads.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had no money. No Pack. No allies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d disappeared wearing tattered clothes and carrying fresh wounds-some he\u2019d inflicted himself. The image of her bleeding and barely able to stand kept clawing at his mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where could she have gone?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where would a wolf like that hide?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Frustrated, Ronan reached for his phone and dialed Ka Vale\u2019s number. It rang once. Then twice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He called again. And again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Each time, the silence on the other end only sharpened his anxiety into a blade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat bastard\u2026\u201d Ronan growled and slammed the phone down on the bedside table. \u201cWhat the hell is he doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Miles away, within the crumbling walls of Ebonclaw Pack\u2019s ancestral estate, Kael Vale wasn\u2019t doing anything productive. In fact, he could barely move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Drunk beyond recognition, he was curled up on the bathroom floor, body wracked with nausea. Every muscle spasmed, and his stomach felt as though it was being torn apart from the inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bitter stench of vomit filled the air as he clung to the toilet, dry heaving until he collapsed backward, forehead slick with sweat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pain shot through his gut like claws shredding him open\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSh*t,\u201d he croaked, dragging himself toward the living room on trembling arms. He stumbled to the sofa and collapsed face-first onto the cushions, curling up like a wounded animal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley\u2026\u201d he whispered through gritted teeth. \u201cMy stomach\u2026 the pills\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the hallway, Luna Zara and Alpha Alaric stepped into the room. One look at the scene and Zara gasped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Empty liquor bottles lay scattered across the floor, the sarp sting of alcohol thick in the air. Kael\u2019s face had lost all its color. His lips were pale and cracked. His eyes sunken with guilt and exhaustion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara rushed to his side, kneeling beside him with trembling hands. \u201cKael, baby, what did you do to yourself?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer-only curled tighter, one arm wrapped around his stomach, the other reaching toward an empty bottle as if searching for something to numb the pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:02 Tue, Jan 6\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 414\u00a0<\/p>\n
66%\u00a0<\/p>\n
+5 Pearls\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric stood at a distance, his expression carved from stene. But when he heard Kael whisper Riley\u2019s name. again, his eyes darkened with rage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat cursed girl again?\u201d he snapped. \u201cStill thinking about her? What the hell did she ever give you, other than shame?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara turned sharply. \u201cAlaric!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Alaric didn\u2019t stop. His fury had been building for days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s gone. Good riddance. With a reputation like that, she\u2019d be better off rotting in some Rogue pit!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stormed to the table, slamming his palm down hard enough to shake the empty glasses. \u201cYou think she\u2019s worth mourning? Compared to Scarlett? Compared to your real sister?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara\u2019s voice trembled. \u201cShe is his sister too-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was nothing until we dragged her out of that filthy orphanage!\u201d Alaric snarled. \u201cDon\u2019t forget why we brought her back! Not out of kindness. Not out of guilt. We needed her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice dropped to a cruel whisper, eyes gleaming with calculation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now\u2026 it turns out the little rat\u2019s got white wolf blood in her veins.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael stirred faintly on the couch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Alaric continued coldly. \u201cRare. Almost extinct. Do you know what that means? Her blood alone is worth more than everything in this house. The Council would pay anything to study her. And her organs?\u201d He gave a slow, sinister smile. \u201cStill pure. Still usable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara turned away, tears burning her eyes. She couldn\u2019t listen to this. Not again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Alaric wasn\u2019t finished. He forced his voice into a gentle tone, feigning concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll send scouts. She couldn\u2019t have gotten far, not in her condition. We\u2019ll find her\u2026 bring her back. For Kael\u2019s sake, of course.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael didn\u2019t respond. His head lolled back, barely conscious. Pain twisted his features, but somewhere deep inside, the guilt had settled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He remembered the quiet way Riley used to brew his teas. The way her small hands would press against his stomach after every meal. The way she\u2019d hold back her own pain just to soothe his.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she was around, his stomach hadn\u2019t hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she left\u2026 it had never stopped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he murmured, barely audible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara brushed back his damp hair and cradled him gent. \u201cShhh. Don\u2019t think about it right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Kael knew.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:02 Tue, Jan 6\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 414\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d done this to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
60\u00a0<\/p>\n
+5 Pearls\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d handed Riley over to wolves who never cared if she lived or died. And now-now that she was gone-it\u00a0<\/p>\n
was as if some great piece of his soul had been torn out and left to bleed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes, silently praying that she was still alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Somewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even if he\u2019d never deserve her forgiveness again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Send Gifts\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 414 Chapter 414\u00a0 66%\u00a0 +5 Pearls\u00a0 Ronan Duskcliff sat on the edge of his hospital […]<\/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-20689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20689","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=20689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20689\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}