Chapter 456\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
The car door shut with a heavy thunk, sealing away the cold, the chaos, and the brother I no longer recognized.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien slid into the seat beside me, the leather creaking beneath him, and the air instantly filled with the quiet dominance of an Alpha. His presence always shifted the energy of a room- or in this case, a car. But tonight, I didn\u2019t flinch. I didn\u2019t shrink away. I was too exhausted to keep pretending I wasn\u2019t broken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t say anything at first. He didn\u2019t start the engine. He just sat there beside me, one elbow propped against the window, his face half-shadowed by the dim overhead light.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands were clenched in my lap, bloodless and white. My nails were digging into my palms so deep I thought they might draw blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley,\u201d Lucien said at last, his voice low, calm. Not the cold tone he used in court. Not the aloofness he wore like armor. This was something gentler. \u201cAre you okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head, barely. \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He exhaled through his nose, clearly not buying it. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be. Not right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My lips trembled, and I bit down hard to steady them. \u201cHe said I was evil. That I hurt his family. That I ruined her life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien\u2019s jaw tensed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t remember,\u201d I whispered. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t remember what they did to me. Or maybe he does, and he just doesn\u2019t care.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence stretched between us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, without warning, Lucien reached out and pulled me against him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stiffened-just for a second-but then my body gave out, slumping into the solid warmth of his chest. His scent-pine, wind, and something faintly smoky-wrapped around me, grounding me in a way I hadn\u2019t expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were brave,\u201d he murmured near the crown of my head. \u201cI saw the way you looked at him. You weren\u2019t afraid. Not anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired of being afraid,\u201d I whispered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:17 Fri, Jan 16\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 456\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
He rested his chin lightly on my hair. \u201cGood. Because I don\u2019t want you hiding anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words echoed inside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t want you hiding anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, we just sat there. His heartbeat was steady beneath my cheek, the kind of rhythm that made you forget the world could hurt you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he pulled back slightly, enough to meet my eyes. His gaze was steady, serious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you thought about going back to school?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question caught me off guard. \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAshmoor Academy,\u201d he said. \u201cYou always wanted to go there, didn\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My breath hitched. I hadn\u2019t heard that name in years. Not since before everything went wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before prison.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before Scarlett.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I lost everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026\u201d My voice faltered. \u201cThat dream died a long time ago.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien\u2019s eyes darkened. \u201cDreams don\u2019t die. They just get buried under the weight of pain and fear. But they\u2019re still there. You\u2019re still that girl who wanted to be a combat instructor. I know you are.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked away, my throat tightening. \u201cEven if I wanted to, it\u2019s too late. My record-my name-it\u2019s ruined.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled, slow and sure. \u201cLuckily, you know someone who has friends in high places.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked. \u201cYou mean\u2026?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAshmoor\u2019s head combat trainer used to be my professor,\u201d he said. \u201cAlpha-level, war-tested, and loyal to a fault. If I asked she to take a look at you, she would. No questions asked.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart began to beat faster. \u201cYou\u2019d\u2026 do that for me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley, you have to believe in yourself. Even with a vital organ missing, you were still able to summon your wolf. You\u2019re stronger than you think. You belong on the battlefield-not trapped inside the Vale family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:17 Fri, Jan 16\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 456\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
473\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien leaned in slightly, eyes burning with something fierce. \u201cRiley, I would tear down kingdoms for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know what to say. The Riley from six months ago would have cried. She would\u2019ve sobbed and begged for this chance. But I wasn\u2019t her anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had steel in my spine now. Pain in my blood. And a future I\u2019d thought I would never get back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I have to say yes right now?\u201d I asked quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if you want it-if you want to fight for it-I\u2019ll be there. Every step of the way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked down at my hands. The same hands that had bled for a family who never wanted me. That had fought to survive behind bars. That had stitched together hope, thread by trembling thread.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded once.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to fight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
L\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.0K\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\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 456 Chapter 456\u00a0 Riley\u2019s POV\u00a0 :\u00a0 :\u00a0 75\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 The car door shut with a […]<\/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-20731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20731","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=20731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20731\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}