Lahat ng Kabanata ng Marked for Ruin: The Alphas’ Rejected Mate: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

ELLAThe air was dry during the day, then cold and damp at night. I wasn’t sure if I liked it, but it was a new experience compared to where I was coming from, so I accepted it.As I walked through the parking lot, I thought about what Quincy had said. I still didn’t believe his confession of love, but it was surprisingly comforting to know that someone felt that way about me.The prospect of starting my own pack and being away from the Blackthorns filled me with both excitement and fear.Starting fresh was no easy feat. I would be in a different town with people I had never lived with before—I didn’t know their temperaments or understand their way of life.At the same time, it was an opportunity to begin again. There wouldn’t be any social ladder to climb.I didn’t have to impress cliques or keep trying, after failing multiple times, to be part of people who clearly wanted nothing to do with me.It was one thing to dream of a life where I could be whoever I wanted. It was another to

ELLAPerhaps watching the entire procession would help me understand what I was dealing with. I had never experienced anything like this before.I wasn’t sure how to navigate this new ability—there were no seers to ask, no council of elders to tell me how to channel this power or even what to call it—but the thrill of encountering something unknown piqued my curiosity.It was fascinating to discover that I could tap into the mind of another wolf, but whose thoughts had I ventured into? There was only one way to find out, so I steadied my nerves and decided to observe.The whole thing was surreal—I had gone from being annoyed and irritated by everything around me to trying to unravel what I had just unlocked. If there had been a memo about this happening, I had clearly missed it.I focused on the events unfolding on the other side. Whoever this was, they were in a meeting with other werewolves. But it wasn’t a regular pack meeting—it felt more like something arranged in secrecy. And wh

ELLAThis new revelation seemed to throw Kade off balance. He clearly wasn’t expecting their helper to be someone within his social sphere, nor did he think there were any other alphas around the area.And this confirmed one thing for me as well: the group he was speaking to weren’t from our pack—or at least not all of them. If they were, their loyalty would lie solely with the person speaking to them and his twin.Their devotion to someone else, strong enough to keep a secret of that magnitude, was a clear indication that something else was at play here.“An alpha?” Kade said, disbelief evident in his tone. “Why would an alpha help you?”“They had… well, they had similar goals, and when they found out we wanted information on the victim, they gave it readily.”“And your excuse for not killing them?”A pause swept through the group, and they shook their heads in unison. I could tell they were all thinking the same thing.“You might be an alpha and we might be mercenaries, but we know

ELLAAt this point, I was happy I hadn’t told him about the conversation between Kade and the group.He would probably have a basic explanation for that or say I was thinking about going back to the twins, and that was why my mind was playing tricks on me—finding ways to convince me to go through with this new thought. It felt unfair to make such conclusions, but then he had taken my experience and made light of it. I didn’t know what to think anymore.“Let’s go to bed. Tomorrow you’ll wake up, and you’ll see that everything feels so much better,” he said and tapped the empty space beside him. I shook my head and walked toward the bathroom.“I need to take a long bath, and I need some time to myself. I spent the last few hours outside. I think I need to soak up.”He nodded, then closed his eyes. “If you need anything, all you have to do is wake me up, and I’ll make sure you get it. And oh, your food is on the table.”As he spoke, I glanced at the table and saw the dish covered. I didn

ELLAI started hoping that I wouldn’t have to encounter being in Kade’s mind once more, but as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I heard a loud whistling sound, and my vision split in two.It happened faster than I anticipated, but I soon realized that I was no longer looking at just the stream.I could see the waterfall back home, and a feeling of dread enveloped me when I realized I was in Kade’s mind, and he was standing in the clear area where Lyla and I had our training sessions.I swallowed and tried to be as subtle as possible, but in a few minutes, I realized that he had caught onto what was happening.“I know it’s you,” he said, and a chill ran up my spine.I felt annoyed that even with the distance between us, he still had that effect on me, and didn’t bother to hide my irritation.“I wish I had connected with someone else,” I answered. The irritation I felt was evident in my tone, and I hoped he had caught onto it. “I was looking forward to talking to someone that is act