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Chapter 14 THE HIDDEN MAP

ผู้เขียน: Drey Skye
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-01-29 04:53:19

The conversation I overheard with Ethan galvanized me. We weren't just fighting Marcus's disapproval; we were fighting an inevitable challenge from Ethan and Darek, which would be mounted before the official Trials even began. We needed an escape route, a contingency plan for when the political game failed.

The next night, after ensuring Ethan was deep in the woods training, I met Kael back in the main library.

"I overheard Ethan's report to your father," I said without preamble. "Darek is mobilizing, citing me as proof of your weakness. Ethan is recommending my removal before the Trials even start."

Kael's face darkened, his jaw tight. "Ethan wouldn't betray me directly, but he'd obey an order from the Alpha. We have less time than I thought."

"We need a fail-safe," I insisted. "A way to disappear from this territory long enough for the Pack to focus on Darek, not us. I need to see the official Pack boundaries. Do you have a map?"

Kael hesitated, glancing at the security cameras disc
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  • THE ALPHA'S STEPMATE   Chapter 14 THE HIDDEN MAP

    The conversation I overheard with Ethan galvanized me. We weren't just fighting Marcus's disapproval; we were fighting an inevitable challenge from Ethan and Darek, which would be mounted before the official Trials even began. We needed an escape route, a contingency plan for when the political game failed.The next night, after ensuring Ethan was deep in the woods training, I met Kael back in the main library."I overheard Ethan's report to your father," I said without preamble. "Darek is mobilizing, citing me as proof of your weakness. Ethan is recommending my removal before the Trials even start."Kael's face darkened, his jaw tight. "Ethan wouldn't betray me directly, but he'd obey an order from the Alpha. We have less time than I thought.""We need a fail-safe," I insisted. "A way to disappear from this territory long enough for the Pack to focus on Darek, not us. I need to see the official Pack boundaries. Do you have a map?"Kael hesitated, glancing at the security cameras disc

  • THE ALPHA'S STEPMATE   Chapter 13 ETHAN’S EAVESDROPPING

    The victory from the scent test was short-lived. Marcus, while accepting the bond's stability, was not ready to trust me. He increased the surveillance, assigning Ethan, Kael's Beta, to be our permanent, silent shadow.Ethan's presence was a constant, icy judgment. He followed us through the manor, maintaining a respectful distance from Kael, but never breaking his direct, hostile glare at me. His skepticism was palpable - a living reminder that even among Kael's inner circle, my acceptance was conditional at best.The tension between us was suffocating. During training sessions, Ethan would watch with narrowed eyes as I guided Kael through psychic exercises, his lips pressed into a thin line of disapproval. At council briefings, he positioned himself strategically - close enough to Kael to whisper concerns, far enough from me to make his disdain clear."He doesn't trust you," Kael said one evening as we walked through the manor's east wing, Ethan's footsteps echoing twenty paces behi

  • THE ALPHA'S STEPMATE   Chapter 12 THE TEST OF SCENT

    The next day, the tension in the manor was a suffocating blanket. Kael and I were confined to the central area, under the heavy, silent surveillance of Ethan, Kael's Beta.Ethan was the very definition of traditional Pack loyalty: muscular, disciplined, and with an expression of permanent disgust whenever his eyes landed on me. He wasn't just guarding Kael; he was assessing my failure.Kael and I sat in the sprawling library, pretending to work on school assignments. The bond hummed steadily, a secret language between us, maintaining the calm that Kael needed."He's testing us," Kael murmured, his eyes scanning the book in front of him. "Father is not convinced by last night's performance. He wants to see if the bond's stability holds under stress.""What kind of stress?" I whispered back.Before Kael could answer, Marcus strode into the library. He didn't look at us. He walked to the center of the room, pulling a small, atomizer bottle from his pocket.The scent that filled the air w

  • THE ALPHA'S STEPMATE   Chapter 11 THE ALPHA’S DINNER TABLE

    The Thorne manor dining room was a monument to wealth and oppression. The table, a vast expanse of polished black marble, seated only three of us, making the silence feel cavernous. A single, ornate chandelier cast a blinding, cold light on the immaculate setting.Kael was on my right. His presence was a solid, radiating heat - a silent promise of protection and the source of the steady, low thrum in my chest. We had agreed: tonight was a performance. We had to project the illusion of a settled, stabilized bond.Marcus Thorne sat at the head, looking less like a father and more like a judge presiding over a tribunal. He was impeccably dressed, but his salt-and-pepper hair was slightly dishevelled, betraying his recent stress. He didn't speak as the housekeeper served the elaborate meal. He simply watched us.The food was untouched. The tension was the only thing being consumed.Finally, Marcus placed his fork down with a sharp, metallic clink that echoed in the silence."You two seem.

  • THE ALPHA'S STEPMATE   Chapter 10 THE UNWANTED TOUCH

    The next day at school, the silence in the hallways was deafening, a direct contrast to the noise of the previous week. Everyone knew the story now, and the atmosphere was thick with cautious curiosity. Willow Hayes, the step-witch, was a known liability, and people steered clear.Sierra, however, was not deterred. She approached me at my locker after the final bell."You're meeting him, aren't you?" she hissed, her blue eyes narrowed with jealous suspicion. "He never comes to the cafeteria anymore. He’s always watching your wing of the school. You're trying to use the family bond to get to him."I met her gaze evenly, applying the calm Kael had taught me. "You're confused, Sierra. Kael Thorne is obsessed with his father's approval. I'm just an unfortunate complication."My calculated indifference infuriated her. She grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "Don't think you've won! The Stormfang family is old. They have rules for disposal. You're a liability, Willow. And you're o

  • THE ALPHA'S STEPMATE   Chapter 9 THE PRIVATE LESSON

    I waited for Kael in the grand, silent library. The clock struck midnight. The air was heavy, but the throbbing in my head had subsided - a strange calm, as if the Mate bond was anticipating our proximity.Kael slipped into the room, not through the door, but through the window, moving with a silent, feline grace that confirmed his non-human nature. He was wearing clean clothes now, but the scent of damp earth still clung to him."You're late," I murmured, my voice shaking slightly."Had to lose the Beta," he replied, his amber eyes scanning the dark corners of the library, perpetually vigilant. "Ethan is loyal to my father first. He’s watching me."He sat down across the massive mahogany table from me, his posture instantly serious. He pulled a worn leather-bound journal from his bag."We start with the Trials," he said, opening the book to densely handwritten notes. "The Alpha Trials are a series of tests: Strength, Strategy, and Loyalty. I have to win all three to secure the succes

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