Semua Bab THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA: Bab 121 - Bab 130

LUCIANThe door clicks softly behind me as I step out of our room, sealing away the warmth of my mate and daughter behind me.The soft scent of Ingrid still lingers on my clothes, wrapping around me like a memory I wasn’t ready to let go of.My chest aches with the weight of this choice—no, this duty.I was trying to be strong for her, reminding her who she was, coaxing that fierce spirit to the surface… but the truth was, I was terrified.Terrified of what might happen to her while I was gone. Terrified of what might happen to me—because being away from her again, so soon, felt like a punishment I hadn’t earned.She had just given birth and Emily was barely days old. I should be holding my daughter, memorizing every expression on her tiny face, learning the rhythm of her breathing as she slept against my chest.I should be kissing Ingrid's forehead every time she closes her eyes, reminding her and myself that this was real and that we had found our way back to each other after all th

INGRIDI can’t sit still. My body is in the living world, but my mind… is somewhere else—somewhere cold and dark and dangerous.Lucian had been gone for hours, and with every minute that passes, a cold wave of dread climbs higher up my spine.Something is wrong. And I can feel it.I stand, for the fifth time in less than twenty minutes, and pace toward the window.The moon is full, casting long shadows on the courtyard below. A few pack members loiter near the guard post, but even from here, I can tell their energy is off.Their postures are slumped, their eyes clouded. They aren’t talking to each other. Just… existing, waiting, and dreading. Just like me.I press my hand to the glass, hoping—praying—that any second now I’ll see Lucian step out from the trees, bloodied maybe, tired even, but whole. Breathing and alive.But the trees stay still. Silent. And that silence is louder than any scream.Suddenly Emily’s cry fill the room.A sharp, piercing wail that sends my heart rocketing i

INGRIDEmily finally sleeps, her breathing soft and even, her tiny fists curled beneath her chin.I don’t take my eyes off her. Not for a second.The fever is gone—thank the Goddess—but I don’t trust it. It’s been tormenting her for hours, and now that peace has arrived, it feels too delicate, too fragile to believe in.I sit beside the bed, my legs tucked beneath me, elbows resting on my thighs, staring as if I blink too long, it might all disappear.My heart still races, as though my body hasn’t gotten the message that the worst is over, at least for now.I want to rest, I need to, but I can't. I feel like if I let myself relax, even for a moment, her fever might return.That thought alone sends panic coursing through me, and I shift closer, brushing a lock of hair from her damp forehead, letting out a shaky breath.“She’s okay. She’s here. That’s what matters.”Moments later, I hear voices outside. Muffled and quick, like people are trying not to be heard but failing anyway.My spi

INGRIDI couldn’t hear anything. Not the murmurs of the people standing next to me, the wind, or even the sound of Emily breathing in my arms.All I could hear was the deafening pound of my heartbeat, a thunderous echo against my ribcage, drowning out the world.The words Lucian is gone loop in my mind, refusing to settle. They don’t make sense, because there is no way they couldn’t be true.My vision blurs, the edges of the world go dark, and my knees buckle beneath the weight of those words, but before I can collapse, Logan rushes over to me, his steady arms gripping my shoulders, keeping me upright.I look up at him, my lips trembling, eyes wide. “What—” My voice cracks, raw and hoarse. “What did he say?”He doesn’t answer.My gaze snaps to Sam, his face pale, and he is barely standing, his left arm hanging limp by his side, the other pressed to a wound in his stomach.“What do you mean Lucian is gone?” I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper.Sam flinches, eyes dropping to the

INGRID’S POVEzra lies still, but I stay by his side, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest.His breathing is steady now, and his heartbeat is strong, meaning the transfusion has worked.My arm aches. My head spins and I feel like my bones are made of smoke and shadows.Every muscle in my body screams for rest, and my vision blurs at the edges, as I sway slightly where I sit. I feel like I might pass out, but I can’t, because of Emily. I have to get back to her.The nurse brings me something—a tonic or an energy booster, I don’t even know, and I drink it down without question, hoping it will help me feel better, but it barely touches the fatigue clawing at my body.I push myself up slowly, using the edge of the bed for support."I need to go back to Emily," I whisper hoarsely.The nurse nods in understanding as I take a few unsteady steps toward the door, every movement burning, every breath a struggle.Just as I reach for the handle, the nurse’s voice floats after me. "Is it tr