Chapter Twenty

최신 챕터

• SURROGATE FOR THE ALPHA    Chapter Thirty Seven

  ValerieI don’t think I’ve ever been so aware of my own heartbeat.It’s a dull, hollow thud in my ears as I sit on the edge of the examination table, my hands clenched in my lap. The paper crinkles beneath me every time I shift, loud in the silence.Max is here.He’s been here every minute since I woke up, like he’s afraid if he looks away, I’ll vanish. He sits in the chair against the wall, elbows propped on his knees, his pale eyes fixed on me with a focus that’s almost too much to bear.I don’t look at him.I can’t. I feel guilty for not remembering who he is. If I look, I’ll start crying again, and I’m tired of feeling like this raw and fragile, like the world could crush me with a single breath.Instead, I stare down at the thin blue bracelet around my wrist. The nurse gave it to me when we came in. It has my name printed on it in bold black letters: Valerie. It doesn’t look familiar.Nothing does.I pull in a shaky breath just as the door swings open. A woman in a white coat s

• SURROGATE FOR THE ALPHA    Chapter Thirty Six

  ValerieWarmth.That’s the first thing I notice. A slow, blooming warmth across my chest, like sunlight after too many days in the dark. I breathe in, expecting to smell the dust and mildew of the warehouse but all I catch is something clean and familiar.Leather. Pine. Him.I shift slightly, and a dull ache radiates up my arms. My body feels like it’s been wrung out, every muscle weak and sore. My eyelids flutter, heavy as lead, but I force them open.White ceiling. Soft lamplight. The low crackle of a fireplace somewhere nearby.I’m not in that awful place anymore.I’m safe.But as the thought drifts across my mind, it feels unanchored, like it belongs to someone else. My heartbeat starts to pick up, skittering against my ribs. My mouth is dry. I try to swallow, but it’s like my throat doesn’t quite remember how.I turn my head, and a shape moves in the chair beside the bed. Broad shoulders. A familiar shadow.My heart jerks in my chest.He leans forward, and I see his face. Dark ha

• SURROGATE FOR THE ALPHA    Chapter Thirty Five

  MaxI don’t remember drawing my claws.One moment I was just standing there, breathing in her voice, trying to stay human enough to think. The next, the tips of my fingers burned, nails sharpening into curved black weapons.My wolf was so close to the surface I could feel its heartbeat inside my own.I didn’t care.I turned to Marcus and Leon, my voice rough and low. “Circle the perimeter. If anyone tries to leave, stop them.”Leon swallowed, his eyes flicking to my hands. “Alpha, if there are more men”“I don’t care if there’s an army.” My voice vibrated. “I’m going in.”I didn’t wait for an answer. I was going to save her. I didn't care what it took. I moved forward, silent as death.The warehouse was mostly empty, just crates and old equipment gathering dust. But in the far corner, beneath the swinging bulb, I saw them.Two men. One standing with his back to me, one seated.And Valerie. GodShe was tied to a metal chair, wrists bound, hair falling into her face. Even from across

• SURROGATE FOR THE ALPHA    Chapter Thirty Four

  MaxI have never in my life felt this kind of rage boiling up inside of me. It was the kind of rage that sat in your chest like a ticking bomb, that blurred the edges of your vision and made your heart feel like it was going to crack your ribs.Valerie was gone. She was taken a few meters from where I was. And every second that passed, I could feel her slipping further away.Leon and Marcus waited by the SUV, watching me like they weren’t sure if I was about to shift right there on the sidewalk. Maybe I was. My wolf was pacing under my skin, claws itching to come out, to hunt, to kill. I wanted blood. I clenched my fists until pain shot up my arms. It was the only thing that kept me tethered to some shred of control.“She’s been gone for at least thirty minutes,” Leon said quietly. “They’re already on the move. If we’re going to catch them ”“I know,” I snapped. My voice was low, rough. “Call Marco. I want every contact in the city looking for that SUV. Use the footage. Get a make

• SURROGATE FOR THE ALPHA    Chapter Thirty Three

  ValerieI don’t know how long we drove.Minutes. Hours. It all blurred together.I sat pressed against the cold leather seat, arms wrapped tight around my stomach. My heart wouldn’t stop racing. My skin felt too tight. Every time I tried to breathe, it felt like I was drowning.I thought of Max. Of the way he’d looked at me this morning, so proud, so sure. My throat closed. Would he know I was gone? Would he find me?The man across from me didn’t say a word. He just watched me with cold, assessing eyes. Like I was a problem he was waiting to solve.I forced myself to look back, meeting his stare. If I let myself look away, if I let fear take over, I would break. And I couldn’t afford to break.“Where are you taking me?” My voice was small but steady.He didn’t answer. He shifted slightly in his seat, as if my question was beneath him.I swallowed hard. My hands trembled where they clutched my belly. My baby shifted inside me, like he could feel my fear. The movement made my heart twis

• SURROGATE FOR THE ALPHA    Chapter Thirty Two

  Max I didn’t even realize I was growling until the entire café went silent.Valerie had stormed out, tears in her eyes and fire in her voice, and I didn’t stop her, not because I didn’t want to, but because I needed to deal with the man who’d made her cry in the first place.Richard Blake. Her father.The man who threw her out like she was nothing.“You’ll stay away from her,” I said, stepping forward until we were nearly chest to chest. “Do you hear me?”Richard had the audacity to lift his chin. “You don’t tell me what to do with my daughter.”“She stopped being your daughter the moment you threw her into the streets pregnant and alone,” I snapped, my voice low and dangerous. “She is mine now. And if I ever catch you sniffing around her again, I’ll make sure you regret it.”His jaw ticked. “Are you threatening me, Mr. Black?”I leaned in, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. “No. I’m promising you.”Without another word, I turned and stormed out of the café.She couldn’t have gon