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Chapter 42: The Alpha's Burden

Penulis: OmaWorld
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-02-10 04:50:27

*Zara’s POV

The cabin door creaked shut behind us, its rusty hinges groaning like a wounded animal. Moonlight spilled through grimy windows, casting jagged shadows on the peeling walls. Silas and Selene huddled on a moth-eaten couch, their wide eyes tracking Ryland as he moved through the room—restless, like a caged beast.

“It’s cold,” Selene whispered, pulling her knees to her chest.

Ryland froze mid-pace. Without a word, he shrugged off his leather jacket and draped it over her. The gesture was so achingly paternal that my throat tightened.

“Thank you,” she said, burying her nose in the fabric. “You smell like trees.”

He hesitated, his gaze flicking to me. “I’ll start a fire.”

I watched him kneel at the hearth, his hands steady as he stacked kindling. The scar on his jaw twitched in the firelight, a silver slash that hadn’t been there five years ago. *What else has changed?*

“Why are you helping us?” The question slipped out, sharp and unplanned.

His shoulders stiffen
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