Chapter 462\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
473\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Night fell heavy over the Duskgrave estate, cloaking the mansion in a silence that bordered on reverent. The moon hung low and pale above the rooftops, its light casting long, silver streaks over the carefully paved paths of the garden below.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, warm light spilled from the windows of the second floor. Shadows danced behind the velvet curtains, moving in and out of the frame like ghostly figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien stood quietly outside Riley\u2019s room, a steaming mug of warm milk in his hand. The rich scent of honey and wolfmint curled upward. His other hand hovered near the door, hesitating- just for a moment-before knocking softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Twice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He frowned. Riley was rarely a deep sleeper, not with her instincts as sharp as they\u2019d grown in recent weeks. He pressed the handle. The door opened easily under his touch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, the room was still. Quiet. A soft golden glow from the bedside lamp bathed everything in muted warmth. There, at the far end, Riley stood in a white nightdress, her figure outlined against the glass of the tall windows. She stared out at the garden, unmoving, her long hair drifting slightly in the night air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien\u2019s voice lowered. \u201cRiley?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t respond. Not a flinch. Not a breath of acknowledgment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Frowning now, Lucien crossed the room. He set the milk on her writing desk and moved toward her, the familiar tension of protective instinct pulling taut beneath his skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley,\u201d he said again, louder now, firm but gentle. \u201cIt\u2019s late. You should rest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only the sound of wind brushing against the windowpanes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He reached out and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:18 Fri, Jan 16 T\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 462\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley jolted like she\u2019d been struck by lightning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her body flinched away violently, and her injured leg gave out beneath her. She stumbled backward, off balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien caught her before she could fall, his arm snaking firmly around her waist. Her hands. clutched instinctively at his chest as she looked up, eyes wide, wild with a panic he hadn\u2019t seen in weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The softness of her frame trembled against him, her scent laced with adrenaline and something deeper-fear. Not of him, but of something long-buried.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They stood there in silence for several heartbeats, neither speaking. Only breathing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that exact moment, a black Bentley pulled up outside the estate gates. The tires whispered across the gravel as the engine died. Two figures stepped out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael Vale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Theo Hale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both were wrapped in dark coats, their faces drawn. But when Kael looked up toward the second floor of the estate, his expression changed instantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind the glass of the tall window, in the amber light of Riley\u2019s room, stood Lucien Duskgrave-his arm still wrapped around Riley\u2019s waist, their bodies close, too close. From that distance, it looked like an embrace. An intimate one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael\u2019s eyes widened. Rage exploded in his chest like wildfire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley,\u201d he roared, his voice cutting through the quiet like a blade. \u201cYou shameless thing-who the hell allowed you to live under his roof?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His shout echoed through the courtyard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo\u2019s head snapped up, his gaze following Kael\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He saw it too. The silhouettes. The closeness. The tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His breath caught, jaw tightening as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. For a brief second, disbelief clouded his thoughts. But then came understanding-and with it, a complex storm of emotions he couldn\u2019t quite name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, Theo reached out and grabbed Kael\u2019s sleeve. \u201cWait. Calm down. You don\u2019t know the full story yet. There could be-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFull story?\u201d Kael\u2019s voice cracked with fury. \u201cTheo, look at them! Are you blind?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:18 Fri, Jan 16 T\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 462\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo didn\u2019t answer. His eyes stayed on Riley\u2019s window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, Lucien was already helping Riley steady herself. His hands had never strayed from respectful. But the scene had been witnessed-and misread.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael, however, was beyond reason.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He took a step toward the estate gates, pointing upward as his voice rose to a roar, fueled by years of guilt, confusion, and wounded pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley Vale, have you no shame left in your blood? Are you so desperate for a male that you\u2019d throw yourself at a Stormridge Alpha like some heat-struck stray?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words sliced through the night like a blade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, it felt like the world stopped breathing. The hatred in Kael\u2019s voice still rang in her ears, each word soaked in contempt, dragging her back into the years of humiliation, control, and whispered accusations that had once defined her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her fingers clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms. But this time, she didn\u2019t shrink. She didn\u2019t run.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned her head slowly toward Lucien, her brows furrowed, voice trembling-not with fear, but disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the Alpha?\u201d she asked, voice low but sharp, almost a whisper. \u201cThe one from the rumors?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stepped back half a pace, eyes narrowing as a bitter realization settled in her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one they say is ruthless-violent-and cursed? The very one the Vale family tried to force me into a mating alliance with?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien didn\u2019t deny it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, he took a slow step forward, his eyes locked onto hers, glowing faintly under the moonlight pouring through the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cThat\u2019s me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A short, bitter laugh slipped from Riley\u2019s lips. She shook her head in disbelief, arms crossing protectively over her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, isn\u2019t that something,\u201d she said, sarcasm laced with fatigue. \u201cWe almost went on a\u00a0<\/p>\n
211\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:18 Fri, Jan 16 T\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 462\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
matchmaking meeting. Vale politics nearly married me off to the big bad wolf.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien\u2019s mouth curved into a slow, dangerous smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen maybe,\u201d he said, voice low and sure, \u201cthat was the only intelligent decision the Vale family ever made.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley blinked, caught off guard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stepped closer, the storm in his eyes softening-just slightly. \u201cBecause I would have never let them hurt you again, Riley. Not once. Not if you\u2019d been mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien turned slowly toward the window, still standing protectively in front of Riley. His face remained calm-but the air around him shifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Power pulsed in the room. The Alpha\u2019s aura rising.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley, breathless, leaned heavily against the edge of the windowpane. She didn\u2019t speak, didn\u2019t shout back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t need to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because this wasn\u2019t the girl Kael Vale had once known. This was the woman who\u2019d survived betrayal, captivity, and the slow rot of abandonment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien stepped forward, drawing the curtain closed with a quiet finality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outside, Kael stared at the closed window as if it had personally insulted him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Kael shrugged it off, eyes burning red under the moonlight. \u201cHe\u2019s seducing her. Manipulating her. Just like all those other wolves before him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo said nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because deep down, a single thought was taking root-one he hadn\u2019t wanted to consider.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What if Lucien wasn\u2019t manipulating her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
What if she had chosen him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.0K\u00a0<\/p>\n
B\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:18 Fri, Jan 16 T\u2026\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 462 Chapter 462\u00a0 Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0 473\u00a0 75\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 Night fell heavy over the Duskgrave […]<\/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-20737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20737","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=20737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20737\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}