All Chapters of The Alpha's Mute Mate: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The late afternoon sun hangs low over Cedar Grove when I finally arrive, my legs aching from the long trek and my nerves frayed from hitching rides with three different humans who asked too many questions. The pack house looms ahead, its familiar stone facade both welcoming and suffocating at once.The second I step through the heavy wooden doors, conversation dies. Every head in the entrance hall turns toward me—some surprised, others curious, a few openly hostile. The attention makes my skin crawl, and I resist the urge to turn around and walk back out.Before I can make sense of it, a girl around my age breaks from the crowd. Kimberly Richards, with her bottle-blonde hair and too-tight dress, rushes toward me wearing the most painfully fake smile I've ever seen."Oh my God, Eveline!" She throws her arms around me like we're long-lost best friends. "I can't believe you're back!"I stand rigid, my arms pinned to my sides, refusing to return the embrace. My hands itch to push her away

"I had heard it was amazing, but I didn't know it could be this delicious." The vampire pulls back, fangs sliding free from my throat. My blood drips from his mouth in dark rivulets.My legs give out. I crumple against the tree behind me, bark scraping my back through my hoodie as I slide down. Every breath feels like drowning. The forest tilts sideways, trees blurring into dark smears.He leans in again. His fangs sink deeper this time, right over the puncture wounds he's already made. The pain is white-hot, then nothing. Just cold spreading through my veins like ice water.I try to shove him away. My hands won't cooperate—they fall uselessly to my sides before they even reach his chest."Oh my." He pulls back again, wiping blood from his chin with the back of his hand. His pale skin is flushed now, almost human-looking. "I can feel myself getting stronger the more I drink." He tilts his head, studying me like I'm some fascinating specimen. "I wonder what a werewolf like you is doing

EVELINEMorning light filters through the curtains when I wake, confusion settling over me like a fog. I'm in my own bed—but I don't remember getting here. The last thing I recall is falling asleep on Anton's office couch while waiting for him to finish his meetings.Anton's scent clings to the sheets, to my skin, to the air itself. Pine and winter, so strong it's like he's still here. He must have carried me home last night. The thought makes something warm bloom in my chest before I can stop it.I swing my legs over the side of the bed, intending to head for the bathroom, when it hits me.Fire.It starts in my fingertips—a tingling burn that races up my arms like someone's holding a lighter to my skin. I gasp soundlessly, my hands flying to grip my forearms, but touching them only makes it worse. The heat spreads—down my spine, through my legs, into my chest until even my heart feels like it's combusting.No. Please, not this. Not now.Heat. I'm going into heat because I found my ma

EVELINEThe following day, Ana, Chloe, and I descend on the mall like we're preparing for war.We've been shopping for hours—moving from store to store, trying on outfit after outfit until my arms ache from carrying bags and my feet throb in the new heels Ana insisted I break in. Designer dresses, tailored blazers, silk blouses that cost more than a month's rent at my old apartment. Everything Anton said I needed to look "appropriate" for his council meetings.And then some.I made sure to pick the most expensive items in every store. The limited edition handbag. The cashmere coat. The shoes with the red soles that make Ana's eyes go wide. It's petty, I know. Childish, even. But I can't fight Anton, can't even argue with him properly without a phone in my hand. So I'll hit him where I can: his wallet.Will it bankrupt him? Of course not. He's an Alpha with resources I can't even comprehend. But God, it feels good to swipe that black card over and over, watching the numbers climb highe

For two days, I’ve been watching YouTube videos and practicing how to do vampire-like makeup convincingly. I’m getting ready to go before the sun sets, doing my makeup. I don’t want to be out when the sun is down because Vampires are more likely to be out. Only the oldest ones, the Originals, can walk freely under the sun without consequence.I lean close to the mirror, adding one final touch of shadow beneath my cheekbones. Then I close my eyes and pull my scent inward, masking it completely until there's nothing left.My plan is simple: climb out the window, avoid the trackers downstairs, and slip into vampire territory before anyone notices I'm gone. I reach for the window latch when my bedroom door slams open.Lucas fills the doorway, his eyes wild and golden. "Vampire," he growls, his body already shifting into a protective stance as he yanks me behind him.I blink at his back, confused. My hands move through signs he can't see. "What?""I smell a vampire," Lucas says, scanning e