Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I woke up the next morning, I felt refreshed for some reason.\u00a0<\/p>\n
20\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe it was because my goal of becoming the alpha was finally within arm\u2019s reach, and I just needed to stir things a little.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Poor Theo, he doesn\u2019t know what\u2019s coming for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I will make him taste dust and watch him suffer while I relax and enjoy the goodness that comes with his suffering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could not believe my luck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo was committing crimes against the poor people of Seeland while pretending to be a righteous person who put the people first.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who could have thought that he was a greedy bastard, taxing the Seeland people, who were also war victims?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I picked up my phone only to see a text from Elara; she was still not letting things go, and I wondered why she was insistent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I dialled her number, and she picked up on the first ring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLucien, did you get to Seeland safely?\u201d She asked, and I heard a loud sigh of relief in her voice. \u201cI was worried since you didn\u2019t return my texts; I thought something happened to you\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d I coldly asked. \u201cAre you hoping something happened to me so that I wouldn\u2019t be an obstacle in your life when you finally get Theo back?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t talk nonsense, Lucien\u201d, Elara warned, and I knew if I were close to her, she would have given me a dirty look. I imagined her scowling face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not talking nonsense, you and I know you badly want me out of the way so that you can be with your precious Theo,\u201d I pointed out, and she stopped talking. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to pretend to please me; I\u2019m aware of what\u2019s in your heart\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched my fists. My blood was boiling when I realised how much everyone treated me in Favour of Theo, that weakling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What does he have that I don\u2019t have? I\u2019m better than him; I\u2019m stronger and healthier than him, yet everyone treats me second to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true, Lucien, and that\u2019s not why I called you,\u201d Elara said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u00a0<\/p>\n
got to Seeland safely, and I\u2019m pretty good. Sure, you can go back to your precious Theo,\u201d I muttered, though my heart was breaking. \u201cBy the way, did your sweet Theo pay you any attention? Or do you need my help to get him back?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to remind her that Theo no longer cares about her. I know it would hurt her, but I wanted her to feel how I\u2019m feeling right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:26 Tue, Feb 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t matter now. After this, I\u2019m not going to run after her anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I will pick up the pieces of my heart, move on and make Theo pay for everything he did to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f21\u0f23\u00a0<\/p>\n
(20)\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not in your right frame of mind,\u201d Elara mouthed, and I got pissed. \u201cCall me when you\u2019re ready to talk. I didn\u2019t call to argue with you nor allow you insult me\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m never in the right frame of mind for you, right? I\u2019m never good enough,\u201d I scoffed, shaking my head in self-pity. \u201cThere is no need to speak to me anymore. Just stay away from me, and I hope you don\u2019t forget that you are supposed to get rid of Kaia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of running after Theo like a lost puppy, try doing something productive for once. This is my last piece of advice to you: take it or leave it. I\u2019m not going to make you see me anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We are a married couple on paper; let\u2019s keep it that way. Stay in Shadowclaw with your beloved Theo, and I\u2019ll stay in Seeland and do my work. Goodbye\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was breathing hard when I finished speaking. I vented out everything in my heart, and I felt relieved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLucien, what\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d Elara sounded confused, as she should be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGoodbye, Elara. Please don\u2019t call me again,\u201d I muttered and ended the call before she had a chance to say something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at my phone, anger surging through me. I felt my hatred for Theo growing stronger and more intense as I felt everything at the moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo was the reason Kingsley didn\u2019t choose me as alpha; he was the sole reason I couldn\u2019t have Elara.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If only he disappeared from my life, I wouldn\u2019t have to deal with his bullshit existence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was sitting under a tree when I first saw Elara; she was tiny and cute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was mesmerised by her beauty and smile. She was walking with her two friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kingsley had taken me to Alpha Varkon\u2019s pack for a meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had no idea what the meeting was about as I was asked to wait outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wandered off and ended up in a tree. I played around for a bit and came down to sit under the tree.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when I saw her for the first time, I couldn\u2019t keep my eyes off of her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I kept staring until she disappeared from my line of sight. I stood up and went in search of her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I found her, checking clothes and jewellery with her friends. I asked around and found out that she was the Alpha\u2019s daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was happy, happy that I would get to see her a few more times because Kingsley was about to ally with\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:26 Tue, Feb 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
20\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bloodmoon pack, Alpha Varkon\u2019s pack, and we would work hand in hand with them from now on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I mustered the courage to talk to her; however, before I could do that, Kingsley came out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLucien, it\u2019s time to go home, son\u201d, Kingsley said, grabbing my hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth to say that I wanted to talk to the little girl, but I couldn\u2019t bring myself to say it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kingsley dragged me along while I innocently waved at Elara, who unknowingly waved back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held that close to my heart and never forgot her. I made a mental note to introduce myself to her the next time we met.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next time I saw her, she wasn\u2019t alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her father brought her to Shadowclaw to live with us for some time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And she wasn\u2019t just there to live; she was betrothed to Theo, and I couldn\u2019t hold back my tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw her first; she doesn\u2019t know this, but it was me who loved her even before she met Theo. But she fell in love with that bastard, who mistreated her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was overjoyed when she decided to break things off with him over three years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thought it was finally my chance to show her that I\u2019ve always loved her from the beginning, and I was waiting for her to hopefully notice me someday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Imagine my shock when she finally broke things off and left with Miguel, the son of Alpha Mathew Nightshade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was angry and broke things in the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I picked up a vase and flung it across the room; it shattered, and the shards spread across the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mother heard this and came running.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLucien?\u201d Cara called out, rushing into my room. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on? Why are you breaking things?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave me alone! I don\u2019t want to see anyone,\u201d I snapped, punching the punching bag in my room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what happens? Why are you so angry, son?\u201d Cara asked, and I felt my anger surge even more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer and kept punching the bag until my knuckles cracked, I thought my mother was gone by now,\u00a0<\/p>\n
but she wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was still waiting to ask more questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSon, don\u2019t shut me out. Just tell me what\u2019s going on, maybe I can help,\u201d Cara said, and I lost my shit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can you fucking do for me, mother?\u201d I asked, facing her. My veins were popping out, and I knew she knew I was boiling with anger. \u201cGo be with your damn weak son and let me bel\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:26 Tue, Feb 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
20\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked at me with surprise, and I didn\u2019t care what she thought of me; I only wanted to beat the shit out of Theo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If he hadn\u2019t gotten into a relationship with Elara from the beginning, she wouldn\u2019t have actively sought another man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She would have been mine, not Theo\u2019s, and definitely not that stupid Miguel\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was seething with rage, and my mother walked closer and put a towel on my back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on, but trust me, Lucien,\u201d I took my hand. \u201cYou are my son, and I will always take your side. Whatever I have with Theo is all pretence to steal everything for you\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I listened to her, and my anger subsided a little because it felt good to know that Theo was going to lose in the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m your mother, and I love you very much. You don\u2019t have to tell me what\u2019s going on right now, but you have to know that I\u2019m always here for you,\u201d She wiped my face with her scarf. \u201cAlways, not even a minute late\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes welled up with tears, and my hands began to shake. I was instantly overcome with anger and\u00a0<\/p>\n
resentment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I fell into her arms, my tears fell freely, and I cried until I couldn\u2019t cry anymore. It hurts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That Elara didn\u2019t even notice me once while she was here, and it was because of Theo. I made a promise, and I would keep it; Theo would not be spared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust leave me alone for now,\u201d I mouthed, and my mother left.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was out of breath, and I looked out the window, trying to catch my breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo stole everything from me, and this was my chance to get it all back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I won\u2019t waste this opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSir Lucien, William and the others are waiting to show us around\u201d, Liam called my attention and jolted me out of my trance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had no clue how long I\u2019d been lost in thought, but I was relieved to know that everything was falling into place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI will be there in a minute,\u201d I shouted back and pulled out my shirt and jacket.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A little while later, I went downstairs, and William was there with a few pack members and Mateo, who was gawking at me intently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man fucking hates Theo, and these are the type of people I want to surround myself with.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Liam and I followed William, Mateo, and the others to assess the extent of the damage Theo\u2019s enforcers had\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:26 Tue, Feb 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
caused to their community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we got there, I exclaimed in shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was bad, bad enough to make them hate him forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
20\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
But why would Theo send his enforcers to hurt the people he was supposed to be protecting? And breaking them this badly? I couldn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis used to be the community\u2019s sports arena, but it got destroyed during the war, and the enforcers did a lot more damage to it\u201d, William said, pointing to a vandalised building.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I signalled to Liam, and he recorded their statements and took photo evidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the council King was still the alpha, he provided aid for our community during the war and came to our rescue. But six months ago, an order came from the new alpha, Theo Ashford, demanding taxes. We were shocked because our community could barely sustain itself. How could we pay taxes at this time?\u00a0<\/p>\n
We begged the enforcers to show leniency, but they presented proof that the order came from Alpha Theo and that they were instructed to cause damage to our community if we failed to comply with the taxing order.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We couldn\u2019t pay, so they damaged the rest of our community, killing a few of our men and assaulting the women\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mateo narrated, walking into the middle between William and me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked like his tears were about to drop; I could see pain in his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mate killed herself after she was gang raped by the enforcers. Philomina died. She couldn\u2019t bear the shame. A tear dropped from Mateo\u2019s eyes, and I felt my heart drop with pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo not only hurt me, but also people died because of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was determined to get him punished for everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I collect more evidence, the council court will rule in my favour, strip him of his position, and throw him in jail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I will stay here and make sure things go accordingly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
AD\u00a0<\/p>\n
Comment\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shadows Follow Lonely Minds \u2014 Christopher Harris 117 Chapter 117\u00a0 When I woke up the next morning, I felt refreshed […]<\/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":[80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-nightshade-heir-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27362","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=27362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27362\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}