UNDER THE ROGUE ALPHA'S PROTECTION のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

The words on the letter echoed in my mind like a haunting melody I couldn’t escape. My father’s tone—desperate, apologetic, but most of all, resigned—gripped my heart in a vice.“Cassie?” Gwen’s voice was laced with worry as she sat beside me on the bed. “Talk to me. What did your dad say?”I swallowed hard, trying to steady my shaking hands. The letter trembled in my grip as if it carried the weight of his fears directly into my veins. “He said… he doesn’t have much time. He thinks someone’s after him.” My voice cracked as I tried to get the words out. “He said not to trust anyone.”Gwen’s expression darkened, her brows furrowing in concern. “That doesn’t sound good. Did he say who it is? What’s happening?”I handed her the letter, unable to say more. As she read it, I could see the same unease settling over her features. She finished reading and looked at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.“This is serious, Cassie,” she said, her voice hushed. “If what he’s saying is true—if someone’

I couldn’t stand it any longer. The days of waiting for news about my father had stretched on like an endless abyss, and the silence only grew heavier with every passing hour. I was trapped in a cage of uncertainty, my mind spinning with endless questions and fears. What happened to him? Where was he? Why hadn’t he contacted me, like he always promised he would?The letter he left behind only deepened the mystery. It spoke of allies—people who could help me, who knew more than I did about whatever danger he was facing—but it gave me nothing concrete. No names, no addresses, just vague instructions to seek out these allies if I wanted answers. How was I supposed to find them with nothing but a cryptic message and a burning sense of panic?I couldn’t stay here anymore. Waiting, hoping that someone would come to tell me that he was okay—it wasn’t working. My father had always been the one to protect me, to guide me, but now it was my turn. I had to find him. I had to do whatever it took

The shock of Zero’s statement left me paralyzed, my mind reeling as I stared up at him. "Are you serious?" I finally managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.Zero’s sharp blue eyes glinted in the dim light of the alley as he stood to his full height. Without saying a word, he pointed directly at me, a slow and deliberate motion that sent a shiver down my spine. His meaning was clear even before he spoke again, his voice low and unwavering. "I want you, Cassie. Your body. Your loyalty and everything about you that could satisfy me. I want to claim you mine."The weight of his words crashed down on me like a tidal wave. My breath hitched, and I stumbled back a step, my back brushing against the cold, rough wall of the alley. The realization hit me with brutal clarity: I had only just been freed from the shackles of being mated to my ex-husband, and now I was faced with the possibility of being bound again—this time to a rogue whose reputation was as dark as the blood staining hi

A dull throbbing pain spread through my neck as I slowly regained consciousness. My body felt heavy, as if the weight of the world had settled over me. The scent of something warm and slightly metallic lingered in the air, making my stomach churn. I groaned softly, shifting slightly, only to feel a strong arm tighten around my waist.Panic flared in my chest. My eyes flew open, and I found myself staring into the golden gaze of Zero. He was leaning against the headboard, his arm lazily draped over me, his expression unreadable."Easy there," he murmured, his voice rough with sleep. "You're still adjusting."Adjusting. The word sent a shiver down my spine as memories flooded back—pressing the doorbell, stepping into his domain, his mark burning into my skin, the overwhelming heat consuming me. My fingers instinctively brushed against my neck, feeling the raised edges of the fresh bite.His mark.I tried to sit up, but Zero's grip didn't loosen. Instead, he exhaled slowly, as if he was

The rain began to fall harder, washing the blood from my hands but not from my memory. I descended the fire escape, the cold iron biting into my palms, a welcome anchor to reality. Zero’s presence loomed behind me, a silent, predatory shadow.“You’re quiet,” he observed, his voice cutting through the drumming rain. He landed softly beside me in the alley, his movements unnervingly graceful. “No witty retort? No declaration that you’re not a monster?”I kept walking, my boots splashing through the crimson-pink puddles. “What’s the point? You’d just twist it into something else.”He fell into step beside me, so close his arm brushed mine. A jolt, hot and unwelcome, shot through me at the contact. “I’m not twisting anything, Cassie. I’m just the only one willing to look you in the eye and tell you the truth. You were magnificent up there.”“I was an animal,” I snapped, finally stopping to face him. Rain plastered his dark hair to his forehead, dripped from the sharp angles of his cheekbo