Page 125 of Chased By My Grumpy Alpha
“How did you finally break free?” the witch asks, his professional curiosity overriding his obvious fear of my temper.
“I don’t know. Something snapped. Like a chain breaking. And all of a sudden, I could think clearly again.”
The witch nods thoughtfully. “That makes sense. Binding spells require constant magical energy to maintain. If the caster had to leave suddenly to transport your mate, the spell would have weakened significantly. Eventually, it would snap entirely.”
“How long between when they took her and when you broke free?” Seth asks.
I think back, trying to piece together the timeline through the haze of magical confusion. “Maybe twenty minutes. Half an hour at most. But what about Astra? How long do we have before they do something to her?” I demand.
The witch looks uncertain. “It depends on what they want with her. If it’s just to use her as leverage against you—”
“They won’t hurt her immediately,” Seth interrupts him. “She’s more valuable alive. But Lucian, if this is really the Tashina family, if Lady Zari is behind this...”
He doesn’t need to finish. I’ve always dismissed Zari as nothing more than an annoying, spoiled girl who can’t take a hint. But this—abducting my mate, using illegal magic, orchestrating something this elaborate and dangerous...
Maybe I’ve been underestimating her all along. And I’ve been rejecting her advances for months…
“I’m returning to the capital at once.”
“Lucian, think about this—”
“I am thinking.” My voice is deadly quiet now, the explosive rage settling into something far more treacherous. “Every minute we waste here is another minute my mate is in their hands. Open a portal,” I order the witch. “Now.”
He nods quickly and steps into the center of the room. His hands begin to weave through the air, fingers tracing intricate patterns as golden light sparks between his palms. The magic builds for several seconds before suddenly flaring bright—and then, burning out completely.
The witch yelps, stumbling backward as smoke rises from his singed fingertips. “What the hell?”
“Try again.” My voice is ice.
He attempts the spell once more, more cautiously now. The same thing happens—golden light builds, then burns away to nothing. This time, the magical backlash drops the witch to his knees, clutching his hands to his chest.
“I can’t.” He looks up at me with genuine fear. “Something’s blocking me.”
Seth’s face darkens. “That’s impossible. We just arrived through a portal twenty minutes ago.”
The witch closes his eyes, his breathing deep and measured. When he opens them again, they’re pure white—no iris, no pupil, just blank, milky orbs that give me the chills.
“Wards,” he whispers, his voice distant and strange. “Massive wards. They stretch for miles in every direction, covering towns all around us.”
Seth takes a step forward. “What kind of wards?”
“Anti-sorcery barriers. They prevent anyone from practicing magic within their boundaries.” The witch blinks twice, and his eyes return to their normal, murky brown. “Somebody cast them after we arrived. The wards are designed to trap us here.”
This isn’t random. This isn’t some coincidence. Someone knew I would search for Astra. Someone planned for this exact scenario.
“Zari.” Her name comes out as a snarl.
If that spoiled bitch really is behind this, then she’s far more treacherous than I ever gave her credit for. She didn’t merely take my mate; she anticipated my response and prepared for it.
“How do we get out of here, then?” Seth demands.
The witch looks uncertain. “We’ll have to travel to where the wards are weakest. Maybe a couple hours on foot, toward the eastern border of the kingdom. I should be able to create a portal there.”
Hours. Hours that Astra is in their hands, terrified and alone. Hours that Zari, that pathetic excuse for a woman, thinks she can manipulate me through my mate.
“Let’s move.” The command cracks through the air like a whip.
We leave the inn room, and I don’t bother looking back. I never want to see this place again—the place where I failed to protect my mate. Nothing matters except getting to Astra.
