Chapter 57 Thunder Beneath The Skin
Seraphina.
His strong arms wrapped around me, possessive and desperate, 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 with this much urgency, as if he’d clawed his way through hell just to find me. Just to touch me
His scent–masculine, laced 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 erratic, crashing against my ear like thunder. His heart wasn’t just pounding–it slammed against his chest, and with every beat, his grip tightened around me as if letting go might undo him completely.
And my wolf, Phina, went still.
Just still
All of her instincts, her fierce vigilance 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 path toward the throne masked as someone 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, and I 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 mind was fogging over, dangerously close to unraveling, when sharp, fast footsteps slapped against the stone floor- snapping me back to reality.
Asher’s voice.
My heart dropped.
He was coming
And if he saw us like this, he would know. He would see right through me.
I shoved Ronan away, breath hitching as I tore myself from his arms just 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 Ronan.
“Ronan,” he sighed, then chuckled. “Of course, I should’ve guessed you were the one who blew the roof open.”
He stopped to catch his breath. Ronan didn’t say a word.
this hands were empty. His expression unreadable. But his eyes, those violet eyes, remained locked on me
Because I had pushed him away
Because I dared to act like lus touch hadn’t let me reeling.
Asher glanced between us again. frowning at the sudden tension that hung thick in the air. Did something happen!”
11:51 AM PP.
Chapter 57 Thunder Beneath The Skin
I turned sharply, my jaw clenched so tight I could barely speak.
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“No,” I muttered, bitterness slipping into my voice before I could stop it. “I’m just jealous. You have a friend who’d blow up a mountain for you.”
I didn’t dare look back. But I could feel it.
That glare.
Hot. Piercing. Dangerous.
It scorched across my back like fire licking at my skin.
Ronan’s silence was in no way peaceful. It was volcanic.
1 forced my voice to remain steady. “It’s suffocating in here. I’m going out.”
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 rock. With one final push. I launched 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 face.
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 with his silent fury, it was nothing compared 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 apart. The trees nearby stood broken, their trunks cracked and splintered, some scorched as though lightning had kissed them. The 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, volatile stone infused with dormant lightning, found in deep underground veins. Nearly impossible to control, yet Ronan had.
He had clawed through the terrain, through solid rock, and driven the Thunderstone straight into the bed of charged earth. Combined with his wolf’s force and the conductive minerals in the ground, the impact had detonated like a surge of pure ligianing, exploding the cave ceiling above me with surgical precision.
He had calculated it Tirned it. Risked it.
For
for.me
I took a step back, unable to accept the fact of this horrifying truth. Why had he gone to such lengths for me? It was crazy. He might have died but he he
“Where are Finn and Dante?” Asher’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
He and Roman walked side by side. I glanced at Roman Qu “Where the hell could they have gone?” Asher murmured and asked Ronan, “Did they not exit the tunnel with you?”
but quickly shifted my gaze to Asher and replied. “I don’t know.” hey disappeared.” Ronan casually replied.
Asher almost bit his tongue. Disappeared?”
Roan nodded and glanced down. “I think this trial has just started,” he picked up the pen and the note from the ground. Again it asked us to choose the leader of the group.
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 read further. 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 when Finn and Dante 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 but deep in my heart I knew he was correct.
“Let’s find them and get off of this damn mountain! Asher growled.
However, I stood there and glanced at the note and pen on the ground.
Why…did it feel so wrong?
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