Semua Bab Cursed Alpha, Chosen Love: Bab 71 - Bab 80

"You want us to just accept this offer blindly?" Kaelan’s voice cut through the tension in the council chamber. His piercing gaze landed on the scroll laid out on the table, its crimson seal broken. The air was thick with uncertainty, a palpable anxiety that seemed to cling to the walls like an unwelcome shadow. The council chamber, once a place of strategic discussions and fervent debates, now felt like a battleground of ideas, where the stakes were nothing less than the future of their pack.Across from him, Marcus, one of the newly appointed council members, crossed his arms defiantly. “It’s not about blind acceptance. It’s about strategy. The Blackridge Pack is extending a hand—we should at least hear them out.” His tone was firm, but Kaelan could see the nervousness hidden beneath his bravado. Marcus was new to this world of power struggles and alliances, and he was eager to prove himself.Rhea, sitting beside Kaelan, frowned deeply, her brow furrowed in concern. “They didn’t jus

The scent of betrayal was thick in the air, an acrid reminder of the treachery that lay ahead. Kaelan’s sharp eyes flicked between the dark silhouettes emerging from the dense tree line, his senses heightened. The fire in the center of the delegation's camp crackled ominously, casting flickering shadows on the wary faces of his packmates. What had been anticipated as a pivotal meeting with Alaric’s envoys was quickly unraveling into a nightmare. The supposed alliance was nothing but a setup, a trap laid with the intent of destruction."We were fools to trust them," Rhea murmured, her voice low but steady, a thread of steel woven through her words. Her fingers tightened around the dagger at her side, a weapon that had seen too many battles. Kaelan's jaw clenched, a surge of anger coursing through him. His instincts had screamed at him from the moment they had stepped into Blackridge territory, a primal warning he had chosen to ignore in the name of diplomacy. Now, as he surveyed the e

"They're here."The words hit like a gunshot.Kaelan’s head snapped up, his sharp gaze locking onto the scout who had just burst into the war council chamber, breathless and wild-eyed. The room, filled with the tense energy of warriors preparing for battle, went completely silent.Alaric had come."How many?" Kaelan demanded, already moving.The scout swallowed hard. "Too many. They're coming from the north and west, cutting off the escape routes. They’ve set fire to the outer fields—smoke will blind us if we don’t act now.”A sharp growl rumbled deep in Kaelan’s chest. He turned to Fenrir, Garrick, and the rest of his warriors. “We hold the line.” His voice was steady, despite the storm raging inside him. “Get the archers to the rooftops. Reinforce the barricades at the eastern gate. No one gets through.”Fenrir grinned, cracking his knuckles. “Finally. I was getting tired of waiting.”Kaelan wasn’t amused. “You won’t be laughing when their fangs tear into your throat. Get moving.”T

"You expect me to believe you?" Kaelan’s voice was cold, his golden eyes narrowing as he stared at the woman in front of him.Liora smirked, leaning against the wooden table in the dimly lit council chamber. The flickering torches cast shadows on the stone walls, creating an atmosphere charged with tension and distrust. "Believe it or not, Kaelan, Alaric is after something far more dangerous than you realize."Kaelan clenched his jaw, the weight of her words hanging in the air like a thick fog. The council chamber was filled with the uneasy silence of the other members, their eyes darting between Kaelan and Liora, the former ally turned informant. No one trusted Liora; she had betrayed them before, selling information to their enemies and slipping through their fingers like smoke. "What artifact?" Rhea’s voice cut through the tension, calm yet firm. She sat beside Kaelan, her eyes locked onto Liora, searching for any hint of deception. Rhea had always been the level-headed one, her a

"This isn’t you, Kaelan."Rhea’s voice was tight, the tension coiling around her like a snare. She stood firm, her dark eyes locked onto his, searching, pleading. But Kaelan barely flinched. His fingers curled around the glowing shard at his waist, the eerie red light pulsing like a heartbeat against his palm."You don’t understand," he said, his voice lower, rougher. "This is what I need. This is how I protect them."The firelight flickered between them, their shadows stretching across the wooden floor of Rhea’s cabin. The usual warmth of the place—the scent of coffee beans and vanilla lingering in the air—felt distant now, swallowed by the suffocating presence of the shard’s power.Rhea shook her head. "At what cost? Kaelan, I see it changing you."His jaw tightened. He stepped closer, and for the first time since she had met him, she felt herself involuntarily stepping back."You think I’m weak without it?" he asked, his voice a dangerous whisper."That’s not what I—""Because I wa