Semua Bab Curse of the Alpha demon: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Ryker's POVI was still thinking about the kiss with Serena when someone knocked on my office door. The way she had responded to me, the way she had pulled me closer before I broke away - it kept replaying in my mind. I told the person on the door to come in and Jaxon stepped in. The serious look on Jaxon's face when he walked in quickly pushed my thoughts aside."Alpha," he said, closing the door behind him. "We have a problem."I straightened in my chair. "What now?"Jaxon placed a folder on my desk, his expression grim. "Two more of our pack members were found dead this morning. Toni and Max from the eastern patrol."My blood turned cold. I opened the folder and looked at the photos inside. The same brutal wounds, the same savage attack pattern. There was no doubt about what had killed them."Vampires," I growled, feeling my wolf surge forward with rage."Yes, sir. Same as the others. Their bodies were found near the old mill, about three miles from our border."I slammed my fist

Serena's POVI was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that had happened today. The kiss with Ryker kept replaying in my mind, making my lips tingle every time I remembered it. I was angry at myself for responding to him the way I had, for wanting more when he pulled away.The house had been unusually quiet all evening. I hadn't seen Ryker since our confrontation in my room, and part of me was grateful for that. I didn't know what I would say to him if I saw him again. I didn't know how to process the feelings that kiss had stirred up inside me.I was just starting to drift off to sleep when I heard commotion downstairs. Voices shouting, footsteps running, doors slamming. My heart immediately started racing. Something was wrong.I got out of bed and grabbed my robe, wrapping it around myself as I opened my bedroom door. The hallway was filled with maid rushing back and forth, all of them looking worried and urgent."What's happening?" I asked one of the

Ryker's POV“And what’s that? The work?” Serena asked again. I stood at the door, my hand still gripping the doorknob, feeling the weight of Serena's. The concern in her voice when she asked where I was going had caught me off guard, and for a moment, I had almost considered telling her the truth.But how could I explain that I was going to kill someone? How could I tell her that I had to hunt down and execute a bloodburn, a werewolf who had committed the ultimate sin by killing and feeding on humans? It was my duty as Alpha, my responsibility to protect both our kind and the innocent humans who had no idea we existed. But it was also the part of my job that haunted me the most.The silence stretched between us, and I could feel her eyes boring into my back, waiting for an answer I couldn't give her."What sort of work is it?" she asked again, her voice softer now but no less insistent.I remained silent, my jaw clenched tight. There was no way to explain this without revealing the d

Serena's POVI sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the closed door and replaying the events over and over in my mind. Why had I pushed Alec away? That had been exactly what I wanted, an opportunity to get closer to him, to make him care about me enough to help me escape. It had been the perfect moment, and I had ruined it.The logical part of my brain kept insisting that I could fix this, that I could apologize to Alec tomorrow and explain that I had just been overwhelmed. But every time I tried to convince myself to go through with the plan, something held me back.A soft knock at my door interrupted my brooding thoughts. "Come in," I called, expecting to see Alec. Instead, Mendy stepped into the room, carrying a fresh set of towels and wearing that same gentle smile that had put me at ease this morning."I hope I'm not disturbing you, Miss Serena," she said, setting the towels down on the dresser. "I just wanted to check if you needed anything before retiring for the evening.""N

Serena's POVI stared at Ryker's retreating figure, fury boiling in my veins. How dare he just walk away like that? How dare he make decisions about my life without even giving me a chance to respond? My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I watched him disappear down the hallway, every muscle in my body screaming with the need to chase after him and tell him exactly what I thought of his high-handed attitude.But before I could move, Alec's voice cut through my rage."Serena, I'm sorry."I turned to look at him, my anger momentarily forgotten in the face of his obvious distress. "What?""About the other day," he said, his voice quiet and strained. "I know you’re still awkward about it. That’s why you don’t want to talk to me."The genuine remorse in his voice made my chest tighten with guilt. Here I was, furious at Ryker for his presumption and control, while Alec was apologizing for something that had been entirely my fault. I had been the one manipulating him, using his feelin