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Chapter 65

Author: Steph Starry
last update Last Updated: 2025-03-12 01:51:10

The clearing froze. Ragnar’s head whipped between his sister, Stella, and Caden, who was approaching her in his wolf form.

Stella stepped back as Caden’s wolf stalked toward her, sniffing the air around her, his eyes clouded over with the mate call. She looked frightened, glancing between him and her brother behind him.

Ragnar, seeing her discomfort, lunged forward, placing himself between them.

‘Back off,’ Ragnar sneered, his teeth bared threateningly at Caden.

‘Mate,’ Caden said simply, a longing whine escaping him.

“Caden,” Ember called, walking up to him. She sank her fingers into his coarse fur and gently dragged him away, eyes following them as she gave an apologetic smile.

Collin watched them go, his eyes burning with jealousy and anger.

At the far end of the camp, Ember handed Caden and Raphael the bag of clothes Raphael had taken from the mansion. They took it, moving behind trees to change. Caden wasted no time, reappearing fully dressed, already heading for Stella, who st
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  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 66

    Ragnar stared into the flames of the campfire, what were the odds that he and his sister would both find their mates on the same night?“Where is she?” Stella asked him, her voice stoic.Ragnar glanced at her in confusion. “Who?”“Your mate. Even though you refused to tell me, I can smell the mate bond on you. And you keep looking at that carriage.”“I was just thinking about it. It’s all so convenient. I help a bunch of escapees, and two of them turn out to be our mates.”“Yeah. The boy won’t stop staring at me.”“Can you blame him, though? I’ve got the most beautiful sister in the world.” Ragnar nudged her softly, but she didn’t smile. “What’s wrong?”“I don’t know… it’s just, will you be too busy for me now that you’ve found your mate?” Stella asked, her voice was unsure.“No, never.” He turned to face her on the log, cupping her face with both hands. “If you’re not ready, nobody can force you. And you will never not get my attention when you need

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  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 67

    Darius thrashed through the woods toward Halister’s Inn. Halister hadn’t been present at their secret meeting place for the third time that week, and Darius wondered what exactly was going on.He and Serene were feeling cooped up, fed up with being in the inn all day, and tensions had been rising between them. Serene was losing patience by the day, getting snappier, making him leave the inn often to give them both breathing space.As he arrived at the inn, he noticed that there were very few patrons aside from them, which caused him to suspect this might not just be an inn for fronting but a hideout for Halister’s friends or acquaintances. Smart.He pushed open the door to the room he shared with Serene, and what he saw made his heart clench.Serene was dressed up and standing next to a small packed bag, looking out of the window. She must have seen him approaching.“What is this?” Darius asked, his tone gruff with disbelief.“I’m leaving, Darius. It’s over.” Serene’s voice was calm,

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  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 68

    The next morning at Ragnar’s camp, Stella went to great lengths to avoid Caden, who was paying close attention to her every move. His wolf was restless at being so close to their mate, yet she was ignoring him. He just wanted to talk to her, to understand why she would reject him when she hadn’t even met him.Caden was irritated by how attached she was to her brother, using him as a human shield. Between that and the weird glances Collin, Ragnar’s friend, kept throwing his way, he was confused.“The carriage is ready, Caden,” Ember called from the carriage.Raphael, wordless ever since they arrived and Ragnar met Kaya, sat in the driver’s spot, staring off into the woods.Caden didn’t know whose situation was worse, his or Raphael’s. Your long time crush finding her mate, or your mate rejecting you?Ragnar had permitted some of his pack members to accompany them to Bloodveil to assist, as they were venturing into abandoned territory, and with two sick women requi

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    The room was in worse condition than Ember had expected. Dust caked the furnitures and cobwebs stretched from the bedposts to the ceiling, the heavy curtains hung tattered, barely covering the dust coated windows. The air was thick with the scent of abandonment clinging to every surface.Caden swept his hand over the old dresser, raising it to show a layer of dust so thick it looked like soot. He wiped it on his pants and a muttered curse. “This is disgusting.”Raphael was already by the bed, testing the bed frame with a tentative push. It groaned under his weight but held. “Not as bad as it could be. At least it’s still standing.”Ember ignored both of them, stepping further into the room. It was her parent’s room once, a place she’d played in as a child, watching her mother brush her hair by the mirror, her father leaning against the doorway, murmuring things Ember had been too young to understand. It had been warm then, and alive. But now, it felt like a tomb.She swallowed hard, p

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  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 71

    Darius stood in the middle of the wreckage, blood dripping from the wound on his arm where a splinter had torn through flesh in his rage. The room was a disaster with broken furniture and shattered glass littered on the floor. None of it mattered though, Serene was gone. Back to Matteo, to comfort, back to a life that suited her, and she was going to kill his child. He didn’t blame her though, she was never meant for cheap inns and uncertainty, or scraping by with nothing but empty promises. He had nothing to offer her anymore.A sharp, impatient knock sounded at the door. He didn’t move. The door creaked open, and the innkeeper stepped in, pausing as he took in the mess. His eyes narrowed in irritation. “What the hell is this?”Darius didn’t respond.The man huffed, stepping further inside and crossing his arms over his chest. “You think you can tear up this place and just stand there?” His voice rose with frustration. “I want you out. Now.”Darius exhaled, slowly flexing his finger

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    Serene reached the gates of Matteo’s estate, her dress wrinkled from her journey, dust clinging to the cloth. She had run the whole way in her wolf form, then stole the dress from a small clan on the way, but none of that mattered now.She was back.The guards stepped in front of the gate, blocking her path. “You’re wasting your time,” one of them said lazily as he ran his gaze over her.Serene lifted her chin. “Open the gate.”The other guard snorted. “You think you can just walk back in? After what you did?”Her jaw clenched, but she kept her voice steady. “I said, open it.”“You got kicked out for spreading your legs for Thorne,” the first one sneered. “Matteo doesn’t want you.”“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” she said, stepping closer. “Open. The. Gate.”The guards laughed, shaking their heads. “Or what? You’ll beg your way in? Or maybe you’ll suck…”Her eyes flashed gold and the smirk on his face disappeared.“You really want to test that theory?” she asked, her voice low and deadly.

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  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 73

    Serene let the warm water cascade down her body, sighing in pleasure as it melted away the tension in her muscles. It was a rare luxury and one she intended to enjoy. The bathroom door was locked, and she had no plans of leaving anytime soon, no matter how loudly Matteo pounded on the other side.“Serene!” He yelled, his voice was furious. “Get out. Now.”She smirked, tilting her head back to let the water run over her face. “I’m busy,” she called back lazily.His fist struck the door again, the sound echoing through the walls. “You think you can just waltz in here and make yourself at home?”“Yes,” she answered simply.A growl followed, then heavy footsteps pacing outside. She heard the shift in his breathing, the way he was holding back the full force of his rage. He wanted to kick the door down, she could feel it, but he wouldn’t. A moment later, his voice turned cold. “You have five seconds before I drag you out myself.”Serene only hummed in response, dragging her fingers throug

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  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 96

    Collin swirled the wine in his glass, slowly and deliberately, like he was savoring every drop of it. Then he turned to Serene, letting his eyes linger on her without shame.Raphael cleared his throat.Collin snapped at him. “Is there a problem?”Alpha Matteo slammed his fist against the desk. “Enough,” he growled. “You broke into my home, slipped past my guards to gain my audience, and now you’re lazily sipping my wine. Get to the point, I’m losing my patience.”Collin smiled, then he gently placed the glass on the table with a soft clink. “Alright,” he said casually. “I have an enemy. And that enemy has just recently made a very powerful friend. A friend whom I’ve also provoked into our fight.”He leaned forward slightly. “Because I have something that belongs to my enemy… and something else that belongs to his powerful friend.”He looked at Matteo pointedly. “Are you following?”Matteo grinded his jaw as he rose from his seat, his hands clenched at his sides and his body trembling

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    Stella shot upright with a gasp, sweating profusely. She pressed a palm to her hammering heart. Her eyes darting around in confusion, realizing that she wasn’t in the woods or in a tent. This place was warm and glowing with soft candlelight, a high ceiling, and stone walls. Heavy curtains swayed slightly in the breeze.“Hey… hey, it’s okay,” a voice said gently.She turned her head fast.Caden.He was sitting at the edge of the bed, close but not too close, his hands already reaching for hers. She stared at him, blinking like she didn’t believe he was real.“You’re safe,” he said in a calming tone. “You’re safe here. With me.”Stella didn’t relax. Her breathing slowed, but her eyes stayed sharp and her fingers tightened around his.“Where’s my brother?” she asked him immediately, her voice raspy.Caden hesitated for a second, then... “He left,” he said. “With Kaya.”That only made her sit up straighter. “What do you mean left?”“I mean… I haven’t seen Ragnar, Kaya, or Ember since they

  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 93

    Serene stepped out onto the patio in a skimpy dress and a cup of beer in her hand. She took a slow sip, sighing in satisfaction. But when she turned around, she jumped, Raphael was standing there like a ghost.She narrowed her eyes. “You know, you could at least pretend to be useful. Weren’t you supposed to deliver Thorne’s weaknesses to Matteo by now?”Raphael didn’t respond.Serene clicked her tongue. “Don’t tell me you’re still mooning over that girl who belongs to someone else.”That got his attention and his eyes flashed, startled.She laughed, slinking toward him, her hips swaying deliberately. “I knew a man like that once,” she purred, taking another sip of her beer, “Madly in love with someone else’s mate. Thought he could change fate, rewrite the stars. You know where he is now?”Raphael stared at her silently.“In a shitty little inn on the edge of nowhere,” she said with a smirk. “Drinks himself to sleep every night. No pack. No purpose. No mate. Just regret.”She stepped i

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    Ragnar stood in the middle of the scorched fire pit where Collin’s group used to stay, the ash was cold beneath his boots. The place looked dead and abandoned, with not even the echo of a recent breath. They were gone.Of course they were, Collin wouldn’t have been stupid enough to stay after abducting his mother. Still, a part of him had hoped that maybe the bastard had lingered, that maybe he’d be foolish enough to gloat to his face. Ragnar exhaled through clenched teeth, trying to steady the storm boiling under his skin. He sharpened his senses, sniffing for any scent or trail left behind. Someone had to have slipped and left a sign to point in the direction they headed. Wolves or not, no group ever moved without leaving a trace.The scent was muddled with multiple trails. Like they’d scattered in different directions deliberately. One of the guards Thorne had sent with him stepped closer, disrupting his concentration.“We’ve checked the entire place,” the guard said. “There’s not

  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 91

    Ember stepped into Thorne’s room, her heart pounding, fingers twisting the hem of her short, thin dress. Thorne stood with his back to her, halfway through undressing, his muscles shifting under his skin as he pulled his shirt over his head.Without turning, he asked quietly, “Will you stay?”Ember said nothing.The last time she’d been here, he’d banished her, warning her never to return. Yet here she was, standing in his doorway dressed for him, aching for him. She didn’t want to talk or fight, she just wanted him.Finally, Thorne turned. His searing gaze landed on her, and he froze. His eyes dragged down her body once, then again, slower, like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.“Will you stay?” he asked again, his voice rougher now.Ember stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and wrapped her arms around his bare waist, pressing her body firmly into his. She tilted her head up and whispered, “Touch me first. Talk later.”Thorne inhaled sharply, his hands com

  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 90

    Kaya opened her eyes to find herself stuffed inside some kind of rough bag and slung over a shoulder like cargo. Panic gripped her instantly. She thrashed and tried to scream, but a knot of fabric tied tightly over her mouth choked her sound. Her arms were bound tightly too. Her mind raced, why was she gagged? Where were they taking her?She wriggled harder, desperate, until a gruff voice growled, “Settle down, or I’ll drown you in the river with that sack still on your head.”Frozen by fear, kaya stopped moving. Tears spilled hot and fast down her cheeks.The rough jostling continued until, finally, the man carrying her stopped. She could hear voices, several of them, talking over each other, but they went quiet as they approached.“You got her? You really got her?” a voice said, giddy with excitement. Strong arms grabbed her, hauling her off the man’s shoulder and dropping her roughly to the ground. Kaya whimpered at the sharp pain shooting up her side.A moment later, the bag was p

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    Alpha Thorne, on approaching the border of his territory, smelled smoke and ran faster, bursting through the unmanned gates and straight towards the servants of camp.Ember hopped down from his back just as he and Ragnar skidded to a stop in front of the chaos, several of the living quarters were up in flames, and panicked servants and guards were trying to put them out with buckets of water and sand.‘What the hell happened here?’ Thorne snapped through the mind link to the nearest guard.The guard, breathless and covered in soot, rushed over to him. “Someone torched the buildings, Alpha. No one’s hurt, but it all happened so fast. We were caught off guard.”Ragnar shifted quickly and immediately started calling out, “Gertrude! Mom! Does anyone know Gertrude Fern?” But no one answered him. The only replies were frightened shakes of the head and tearful confusion.Thorne growled under his breath, his eyes scanning the burning mess. His security was too thin and sloppy. Even though th

  • Alpha’s thirst for Ember    Chapter 88

    Raphael sat on the cold floor of the cell beneath Matteo’s mansion with his back against the wall and his eyes half-closed. His body still ached and the wounds on his side were raw and slow to heal thanks to the wolfsbane in the pit. The pain had dulled, but it was still there, throbbing, steady and annoying.“Hey,” the rough-looking man in the next cell said as he leaned against the bars in a cocky voice. “They say you’re the next Alpha of Ashen Pack. Put in a good word for me with Matteo, yeah? I’ll join your pack, follow you anywhere, the works.”Raphael didn’t respond. He barely looked up as he wasn’t in the mood.The man scowled when he got no response. Too good to talk to me, huh?” he muttered. “Actin’ like a prince when you’re locked in a dungeon.” He spat, the glob of spit landing just inches away from Raphael’s boot.Still, Raphael didn’t move. His focus stayed on his side, watching the wound throb slightly with every breath he took.He started to doubt if coming to Alpha Mat

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