Share

The Challenge

Author: Author Falley
last update Last Updated: 2025-05-31 04:14:37

Chapter 145- The Fire They Lit in Me

(Zarina's POV)

Whispers carried weight.

I'd never known that before… not quite. I'd always thought that words were mere air — until I started to feel them drop like stones in my heart.

It began small. A few glances. A few wolves who used to smile at me now took pains to not meet my eyes. A low rumble when I brought the children into training grounds.

I thought maybe I was just dreaming.

But today… I knew I wasn't.

I'd just finished helping my daughter with her reading when one of the warrior she-wolves — she was Malia — passed by with two others. They weren't even trying to hide it.

"That's her? The outsider they call Luna?"

"I've heard she's just a weak little human girl that Asher fancied once."

"No one ever saw the mating mark. Maybe she doesn't have one."

Their laughter fell flat. My daughter looked up at me, confused, and I pressed my lips into a fake smile, pretending not to hear. But deep down… something broke.

I didn't go see Asher.

He alre
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Alpha’s Deal: Be My Mate   Supportive

    Chapter 146 – Supportive (Zarina's POV)The day vanished like smoke.Everything else swirled by me—wolves walking, children laughing, warriors sharpening their steel—but I stood rooted. As if I did not fit in this moment. As if I was not ready.But I was.I had to be.Yet, my hands were shaking like leaves.I tried to keep busy. Helped the cook in the kitchen. Folded the kids' clothes even though they were clean. Sat on the floor and read a picture book to all three of them in spite of my voice trembling with every word.My daughter stared at me. "Mama, do you have to fight?"I could not lie."Yes, baby."Her face fell. "What if they hurt you?I stood rooted to the spot. My heart cracked open like I didn't intend. I tried to smile, but my lips were too cumbersome."I'll be fine," I whispered, brushing a curl from her face. "I'm resilient, remember?""But I don't want you to be resilient. I want you to stay here."And the boys—my children - curl around my legs, clinging like I'm alrea

  • Alpha’s Deal: Be My Mate   The Mask Drops

    Chapter 151: The Mask DropsZarina's POVThe packhouse was quieter than usual, but it wasn't quiet in a peaceful way.It was the quiet before the storm type.I sat in the living room, going over one of the warriors' reports on our patrol grounds. Asher wasn't around—he was with a few of the elders—and that meant I was by myself. Or at least, I thought so.Until she came in.Cara.Wearing light cream-colored silk, her hair well-coiffed, not a single hair a hair's breadth out of place. Her face, soft and childish-looking—although we both knew it was a performance. She faltered when she saw me, then came the same sugary smile she used as camouflage."Zarina," she used the same falsely friendly tone with me as if we were intimate friends.I raised my gaze slowly. I wasn't up for her games this day."This is the packhouse," I said bluntly. "Why on earth would I not be here?"She had a tiny laugh and pushed a wisp of hair behind her ear. "Of course. Dumb me."There was silence, but I said n

  • Alpha’s Deal: Be My Mate   The

    Chapter 159-The Storm Before the Crown(Asher's POV)Morning was like any other. Birds chirped outside the windows, wind blew through trees, and my warriors were practicing in the courtyard early. I normally loved watching them in the morning. It relaxed me… brought things into perspective regarding why I fought so hard to protect this pack.Today, however, I was not able to relax.I remained at the office window, arms crossed, watching her move. Zarina was among the group, sparring with the others. She was dressed in her training gear—skin-tight black pants and dark top—and she moved through the air with precision and strength. Each strike, each block, each movement she made was perfect.She wasn't just good—she was powerful.She did not fight like one who had been a warrior. She fought like one who still was a warrior.It made me proud. It made me scared.I felt it coming. Something huge.And it did.A guard knocked at my door, voice strained. "Alpha Asher. Alpha Lennox is here. He'

  • Alpha’s Deal: Be My Mate   No More Secret

    Chapter 149e: "No More Secrets"Zarina’s POVI was sitting by the window in our bedroom, gazing at the trees swaying gently under the early morning sunlight. Everything was quiet except for the singing of birds and the slow tick-tock of the wall clock. But my heart… my heart wasn't quiet. It throbbed hard in my chest, carrying thoughts that I couldn't shake off.Asher had said barely a word since the meeting. I could tell that something had happened—something deeper than politics or pack business. I could feel it in the way he moved, slower than usual, quieter. As though something within him was pulling him inward.I did not need to turn when the door opened to know that it was he."Asher," I said softly.He didn't respond right away. He stood in the doorway for a few seconds, then entered, closing the door behind him with a soft click."I have to tell you something," he said, his voice low and heavy.I turned, facing him. He looked tired. His eyes had that distant look, the one he g

  • Alpha’s Deal: Be My Mate   Until The Challenge Ends

    Chapter 148: Until the Challenge Ends(Asher's POV)The air in the pack council chamber still hummed, hours after the meeting had ended. I had not gone back to the pack house yet. I sat alone in my office, looking at nothing, my mind everywhere. Papers went unattended on my desk. Reports blurred before my eyes. The meeting had stirred something dangerous—and not just among the elders. It was starting.The very thing I had feared.Cara had stayed too long. And now her presence had become known to her father.My Gamma, Elias, knocked and came in. "Alpha," he said quietly. "There's. something you need to see."I looked up sharply. Elias was never flustered, but now he held out a sealed letter in a trembling hand."What is it?" I asked already rising.It was delivered by courier line. It's from Alpha Lennox… Cara's father."I froze.Cara had done it. She'd called her father.I grabbed the letter, tore it open, and read.\tAlpha Asher,I have been informed that my daughter, whom you mate

  • Alpha’s Deal: Be My Mate   The Gate

    Chapter 165: The Past at the GateZarina's POVI'd just finished a reading with the kids when one of the guards knocked on the door."Luna Zarina," he said, scowling. "Alpha Asher needs to see you at the border… Alpha Kael is waiting. He asked to speak with you."My heart ceased beating.Kael.The name broke over me like a wave I wasn't ready for.I stood there, my mind blank for a second. Kael? All these years later? After I'd turned him down when I'd given him everything?I blinked. "I'll be there," I said calmly, though my hands had begun to tremble.Asher met me at the periphery of the pack. He was bristling. I could feel the tension radiating from him, even before he spoke. "I don't like it," he growled. "He has no business showing up here. You don't need to see him.""I'm okay," I replied gently, placing a hand on his arm. "I want to see him."His jaw muscle flexed. "He rejected you. He doesn't deserve one minute of your time.""I'm not going to give him anything," I panted. "Bu

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status