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Not love?

Author: SB
last update publish date: 2026-07-15 22:32:18

Dustan's POV

The door to our chambers clicked shut behind us, and I was still trying to process what was happening.

One moment, I had been sitting in the corridor, working up the courage to knock on my wife's door with a flower I had picked from the gardens—a pathetic peace offering after my silence…for my cowardice…for not being the husband she deserved…for not being able to show up for whatever reasons.

The next moment, Elara had appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a maid's uniform, her eyes
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  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   Ally

    Dustan's POVThe council chamber was in total chaos when I arrived.Voices clashed like thunder, accusations flying through the air like poisoned arrows. The long oak table that dominated the center of the room was strewn with documents, maps, and the remnants of a hastily abandoned breakfast. The windows had been thrown open, but the morning light did nothing to dispel the suffocating tension that hung over the room like a shroud.Cassian stood at the head of the table, his face pale, his hands braced against the wood as if he needed the support to remain upright. His eyes were wild, darting from one council member to the next as they shouted over each other."—an outside attack! The wards must have been compromised—""Impossible! The wards are ancient magic, bound to the bloodline. No one outside the family could have—""Then it was someone inside! Someone with access to the King's chambers—""Are you accusing a member of this council? Someone from this house?!"I rolled into the ro

  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   Could she

    Dustan's POVI watched the soldiers retreat like the cowards they were.My hand was still wrapped around Elara's. I could feel her trembling, could sense the rapid beat of her heart through the pulse points in her wrist. She was scared. But more than that, she was tereified that I would find out whatever she had been hiding. I knew it. I had known it since I first saw her in that maid's uniform, dust on her hands and the scent of old parchment clinging to her skin. I had known it when she practically attacked me in our chambers. I am not going to complain. Man! I enjoyed her desperation. Not everyday my beautiful , sexy wife throws herself at my feet and makes sure I am looking at her and nothing else… Ahhh! Worth everything… Her eyes kept darting towards the bed. Not at me. Not at the door. At the bed. Specifically, at the space beneath the mattress where her hand had been moments before I arrived. That confirmed something. She had hidden something there. And she was terrified I

  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   By order of

    Elara’s POVI closed the door behind me, leaning against it for a moment as I caught my breath. My heart was still racing, my skin still flushed from the encounter with Dustan. The taste of him lingered on my tongue, and I forced myself to swallow it down, to push the memory aside.There was no time for that. No time for guilt or confusion or the strange conflicting warmth that had bloomed in my chest when he said those three words.I had a file to read.And before that, I had to dismiss the trembling maid. I paid her generously and for her safety, I asked her to take a leave, travel back to her village for at least a few weeks. Once she was gone, I crossed to the bed, and pulled the folded dress from where I had hidden it. My fingers trembled as I retrieved the file. I sank onto the edge of the bed, the file open in my lap, and began to read.Mother… . The words blurred before my eyes. I blinked, forcing myself to focus, so I could absorb every detail.The accused was charged guil

  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   That's the plan

    Elara’s POVI felt the weight of his words settle over me like a blanket—warm, suffocating, and extremely dangerous for me at the moment. Three words I had never expected to hear from him at that moment. Three words that threatened to unravel the careful composure I had constructed. For a moment, just a moment, I let myself feel it. The hope in his eyes. The vulnerability in his voice. The way his hands trembled slightly as they held me.But then the reality of my situation crashed back down around me.I couldn't afford to be soft. I couldn't afford to let my guard down. I blinked, forcing the glassiness from my eyes, and schooled my features into something more seductive. More in control."Love is a complicated thing, Dustan," I murmured, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "But right now, I don't want to think about complicated things. I just want to feel."His brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. I could see the questions blooming in his eyes—I

  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   Not love?

    Dustan's POVThe door to our chambers clicked shut behind us, and I was still trying to process what was happening.One moment, I had been sitting in the corridor, working up the courage to knock on my wife's door with a flower I had picked from the gardens—a pathetic peace offering after my silence…for my cowardice…for not being the husband she deserved…for not being able to show up for whatever reasons. The next moment, Elara had appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a maid's uniform, her eyes gleaming with something wild and desperate.And now she was wheeling me into our bedroom with a seductive smile that made my blood run hot… What the hell was happening? She was definitely hiding something. I could tell that much as I watched her move around the room with a frantic energy that belied her calm exterior. She was most definitely hiding something.The maid's uniform was rumpled. There was dust on her hands and smudged across her cheek. She smelled of old parchments. It was the unm

  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   Surprise

    Elara’s POVI kept my head low as I stepped into the Record Room. My heart hammered so loudly I was certain it would give me away.The room was vast, stretching far beyond what I had expected. Towering shelves lined every wall. It was crammed with leather-bound tomes, rolled scrolls, and stacked files. Dust motes danced in the slivers of pale morning light that filtered through narrow, grime-covered windows. I moved quickly as my borrowed uniform scratched against my skin. My cap was pulled low over my face. I kept my steps light, my posture hunched, trying to look as insignificant as possible. Just another maid. Just another servant going about her duties.But then I heard voices."—you can't just keep hiding things from the…! You know the rules—""Rules? Don't talk to me about rules when you've been padding the numbers for months!"I froze, my breath catching in my throat. Two Gammas stood in the middle of the aisle ahead of me, their faces red with fury, their voices rising with e

  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   Agreed

    Elara’s POV I stared at the impeccable specimen. To me, he looked nothing more than a demon, freshly out of hell, trying to test out its tyranny on lower mortals. Disgust curled deep inside my stomach!“Royal property, huh?” I repeated under my breath, my lips curling. “Are you actually serious r

  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   Strange feeling

    Dustan’s POVI woke up later than usual.Not because I was tired,just unwilling to start the day.Last night lingered in fragments—uninteresting, half annoying. Nothing worth dwelling upon.Or so I told myself.A soft knock followed by the creak of the door interrupted my thoughts.“Good morning, youn

  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   Verity

    Elara's POVI couldn't sleep much.Umm, honestly, not even for a second.I just lay there,staring at the ceiling,replaying everything. Over and over and over again like some cursed loop I couldn’t shut off.My entire life was playing backwards… then forward and then in a mess… By the time the sky st

  • Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha   Wedding gift

    Elara's POVI was expecting something grand.Or at least intimidating.Instead, when the heavy doors of the King’s castle opened and I was led inside, the place felt eerily empty.Not abandoned—but quiet in a way that made my skin prickle.No crowd was there waiting to mock me.No curious nobles whispe

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