Chapter 57 Thunder Beneath The Skin

Seraphina.

His strong arms wrapped around me, possessive band /bdesperate, before I even had time to think.

I froze.

Not from fear, but from something far more dangerous. I had never–never–been held like this by a man. Not with this much fire. Not bwith /bthis much urgency, bas /bif he’d wed his way through hell just to find me. Just to touch me

His scent–masculine,ced with sweat and a faint trace of smoke–clung to me like a second skin, invading my senses until my entire body went limp in his embrace. His breathing was berratic/b, crashing against my ear like thunder. His heart wasn’t just pounding–it mmed against his chest, and with every beat, his grip tightened baround /bme as if letting go might bundo /bhimpletely.

And my wolf, bPhina/b, went still.

Just still

All of her instincts, her fierce vignce and ever–present guard, melted beneath the weight of this touch. For the first time since I dared to dely every rule, since I stepped onto this bpath /btoward the throne masked bas /bsomeone I wasn’t she let her guard down.

It wasn’t safety she felt.

It was him.

And it terrified me.

A tremor ran through my chest, band /bI couldn’t tell if it was from the fading adrenaline–or the unfamiliar, forbidden sensation his touch had awakened in me. I could barely breathe with him holding me like I was something he’d almost lost. Something that mattered.

My bmind /bwas fogging over, dangerously close to unraveling, when sharp, fast footsteps pped against the stone floor- snapping me bback /bto reality.

Asher’s bvoice/b.

My heart dropped.

He bwas /bing

And if he bsaw /bus like this, bhe /bwould know. He bwould /bsee bright /bthrough me.

I bshoved /bRonan baway/b, bbreath /bbhitching /bbas /bI tore bmyself /bbfrom /bbhis /bbarms /bjust a heartbeat before Asher rounded the bend into the smoke–filled cavern.

“There you are!” Asher skidded to a stop. “The vampires, they all burned the moment the roof-

He paused mid–sentence when he spotted bRonan/b.

“bRonan/b,” he sighed, then chuckled. “Of course, I bshould’ve /bbguessed /bbyou /bbwere /bthe one who bblew /bthe broof /bbopen/b.”

He stopped to catch his breath. Ronan bdidn’t /bsay a bword/b.

this hands were bempty/b. His expression bunreadable/b. But his eyes, those violet eyes, remained blocked /bon me

Because I had pushed him away

Because I dared to act like lus touch hadn’t let me reeling.

Asher nced between us again. frowning at the sudden tension that hung thick in the air. Did something happenb!/bb” /b

11:51 AM PP.

Chapter 57 Thunder Beneath The Skin

I turned sharply, my jaw clenched so tight I could barely speak.

+8 Pearls

“No,” I muttered, bitterness slipping into my voice before I could stop it. “I’m just jealous. You bhave /ba friend who’d bblow /bup a mountain for you.”

I didn’t dare look back. But I could feel it.

That re.

Hot. Piercing. Dangerous.

It scorched across my back like fire licking at my skin.

Ronan’s silence bwas /bbin /bno way peaceful. It bwas /bvolcanic.

1 forced my voice to remain steady. “It’s suffocating in here. I’m going bout/b.”

Before Asher could respond, I turned toward the crumbling stone wall, leapt onto a ledge, and climbed toward the gaping tear in the ceiling. My fingers dug into cracks. My boots scraped against rough brock/b. With one final push. Iunched myself upward, into the sunlight bleeding through the broken roof, leaving behind ash, smoke, and a man who had looked at me like he might devour me whole.

I didn’t see his bface/b.

But I knew

If I were to look back, I would’ve seen something I wasn’t ready to face.

But even with that misunderstanding, even bwith /bhis silent fury, it was nothingpared to what awaited me outside.

Because what I saw next was far more terrifying than I could’ve ever imagined.

The forest clearing around the cave was torn bapart/b. bThe /btrees nearby stood broken, their trunks cracked and splintered, some scorched as though lightning had kissed themb. /bThe earth was ripped open in a jagged line, raw and steaming.

“What is all of this?” I whispered under my breath.

“Thunderstone,” my voice whispered back in disbelief.

My eyes widened. I had only heard of it in theory. A rare, vtile stone infused with dormant lightning, found in deep underground veins. Nearly impossible to control, yet Ronan had.

He had wed through the terrain, through solid rock, and driven the Thunderstone straight into the bed of charged earth. Combined with bhis /bwolf’s force and the conductive minerals in the ground, the impact bhad /bdetonated like ba /bsurge of pure bligianing/b, exploding the cave ceiling above me with surgical precision.

He had calcted it Tirned it. Risked it.

For

for.me

I took ba /bbstep /bbback/b, unable to ept the fact of bthis /bhorrifying truth. Why had he gone to such lengths for me? It was crazy. He might have died but he bhe /b

“Where are Finn band /bDante?” Asher’s bvoice /bpulled me out bof /bmy thoughts.

He and Roman bwalked /bside by side. I nced at bRoman /bQu “Where the hell could they have gone?” Asher bmurmured /bband /basked Ronan, “Did they not exit the btunnel /bbwith /bbyou/bb?/b”

but quickly shifted my gaze to Asher and replied. “I bdon’t /bbknow/b.” hey disappeared.” Ronan casually replied.

Asher almost bit his tongue. Disappeared?”

Roan nodded and nced down. “I bthink /bthis btrial /bhas just started,” he picked up the pen and the note bfrom /bthe ground. Again it asked us to choose the leader of the bgroup/bb. /b

11:11 AM

Chapter 57 Thunder Beneath The Skin

I could not help but walk closer to him to take a look at the note. “Choose the leader? Again?” I cocked my brow.

Asher frowned as he bread /bfurther. The person already chosen earlier can not be chosen as a leader.”

“And it has to be chosen with every member of the group’s agreement.” Ronan finished.

“But that is impossible bwhen /bbFinn /bband /bDante are not here,” I stated.

“That’s why this shit is useless, Ronan crushed the note and tossed it away with the pen.

II

I wanted to stop him bbut /bdeep bin /bmy heart I bknew /bhe was correct.

“Let’s find them band /bget off of this damn mountain! Asher growled.

However, I stood there and nced at the note and pen on the ground.

Why…did it feel so wrong?

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