Chapter 464\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outside the grand silhouette of Duskgrave Manor, Kael Vale stood rigid, fists clenched at his sides, amber eyes blazing with fury. His usually aristocratic composure had shattered completely the moment he saw what was happening inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice cracked through the night like a whip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen the door! Now!\u201d he roared, storming up to the manor\u2019s gate, slamming his fists against it with a madness only shameful desperation could summon. \u201cLucien, you filthy bastard! Get your hands off my sister!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think she\u2019ll be happy with a wolf like you? You\u2019re cursed-violent-poisoned from bloodline to soul!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside the manor, the warmth of golden light spilled down the grand staircase. From behind the heavy oak doors, Mrs. Beck and Mia stepped into view. The two seasoned servants of the Duskgrave household exchanged a knowing glance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They had heard every word Kael shouted. And they were utterly unbothered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Especially after hearing what he\u2019d said about Lucien kissing Riley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Matriarch is going to love this,\u201d Mia whispered, her eyes twinkling with barely concealed delight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They didn\u2019t argue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They didn\u2019t open the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They simply turned and walked away-to deliver this delightful piece of gossip to the old matriarch herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Matriarch Duskgrave heard the news, she practically glowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, finally,\u201d she beamed. \u201cI thought that boy would die celibate at this rate. Took him long enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back outside, Kael fumed. The door had been slammed in his face, and the silence inside was deafening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He continued yelling obscenities at the second floor, completely forgetting the real reason he\u00a0<\/p>\n
had come.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:19 Fri, Jan 16 T\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 464\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next to him, Theo Hale stood quietly, his sharp eyes fixated not on Kael\u2019s tantrum but on Riley\u2019s shadow through the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley sometimes responded to Kael\u2019s curse words, but most of the time she ignored them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t reacting at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not to the screaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not to the accusations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not even when her name was barked like a curse through the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It struck Theo with sudden clarity-a hollow thud in his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t hear it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Upstairs, in the softly lit bedroom, Lucien held Riley close. His hand rested firmly at the curve of her waist, not possessive, but grounding-like a silent promise. Riley\u2019s body remained tense against his chest, her heart beating wildly as she tried to understand what was happening between them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her sleep dress clung to her slight frame, and Lucien\u2019s heat seeped through every fiber, branding her skin with his scent-cedar, snow, and faint tobacco. That intoxicating blend muddled her thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She whispered a thank you, her voice barely audible, tremulous with uncertainty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien said nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, he simply gazed down at her. Not with lust-but with something deeper. Something primal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shouting outside went unanswered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien knew now-Riley wasn\u2019t ignoring it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was deaf to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that realization hit him harder than Kael\u2019s insults ever could.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He drew her closer, as if shielding her from all the noise, all the pain, all the past she had never spoken aloud. He could almost feel the bruises of her memory against his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLucien\u2026\u201d Riley murmured again, her voice trembling as she pushed at his chest-feeble,\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:19 Fri, Jan 16 T\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 464\u00a0<\/p>\n
uncertain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Lucien didn\u2019t let go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
75\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, his lips trailed slowly up the side of her throat, his breath like wildfire skimming her skin. Riley\u2019s pulse fluttered wildly beneath his mouth, heat flooding her cheeks until her entire body felt alight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She tried to pull away again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He finally eased his grip-just enough to let her breathe, though his arms remained loosely wrapped around her shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should get some sleep,\u201d he murmured, his voice a soft command.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley gave a faint nod and turned toward the window, about to close the curtains when Lucien moved again. In one swift motion, he swept her off her feet and carried her effortlessly to the bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t struggle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t even protest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her body simply surrendered to the safety of his arms, though her heart still waged war with itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
angry voice carried through the walls, a distant echo now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien ignored it completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He placed a glass of warm milk on the nightstand and handed it to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Under his gaze, Riley drank every drop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she handed it back, Lucien gave her a rare smile-crooked, teasing, almost boyish-and then strode back to the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael was still there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien met his gaze, cool and unbothered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their eyes locked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael\u2019s face contorted in rage. \u201cShe\u2019s not well, Lucien. She can\u2019t handle-someone like you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien\u2019s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. Then, without a word, he yanked the curtain shut, cutting off the outside world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:19 Fri, Jan 16 T\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 4641\u00a0<\/p>\n
(75)\u00a0<\/p>\n
#9 Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael staggered back like the rejection had physically struck him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, Lucien turned back toward the bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley sat tucked beneath the feather-soft duvet, her hands clenched tightly around the edge. Her cheeks were stained a delicate rose, but her eyes never left Lucien\u2019s retreating figure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLucien\u2026\u201d she called out softly as he neared the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He paused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only half of his face was lit by the bedside lamp, the other lost in shadow. His collar was slightly open, revealing a sliver of his collarbone beneath his black shirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned his head toward her. \u201cYes?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air between them thickened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley swallowed hard, staring at him like he was a puzzle too dangerous to solve. \u201cWhy\u2026 Why are you being so kind to me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question slipped from her lips before she could stop it. But it had been buried inside her chest for too long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien\u2019s eyes softened, just a fraction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He crossed the room again and sat on the edge of the bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The mattress dipped beneath his weight, and Riley tensed, breath stilled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He studied her in silence for a moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cMaybe because I see you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her breath caught.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd maybe,\u201d he added, his voice a whisper of something far more dangerous, \u201cI don\u2019t like the idea of anyone else trying to break what\u2019s already been shattered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley didn\u2019t reply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because for the first time, someone hadn\u2019t asked her to explain her scars.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had simply stepped into the dark-and sat beside her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:19 Fri, Jan 16 T\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 464 Chapter 464\u00a0 Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0 75\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 Outside the grand silhouette of Duskgrave Manor, […]<\/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-20739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20739","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=20739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20739\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}