Semua Bab Alpha's Regret: Return of the Rejected Mate: Bab 21 - Bab 30

Penelope’s POVI hurried up the steps into Sophia’s embrace. Her arms wrapped around me, strong and warm and nothing like Dominic’s cold ones. She still used the same perfume, a blend of lavender and spice that brought back bittersweet memories.“Look at you,” she said, stepping back to examine my face. “So beautiful and strong now. Nothing like the frightened girl who left us.”“Thank you for inviting me,” I replied, suddenly emotional. “I’ve missed you.”Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “Come inside. We have years to catch up on.”The pack house interior was also unchanged with its clean marble floors, antique furniture, portraits of past Alphas lining the walls. The smell of lemon polish and old wood brought back a flood of memories, not all unpleasant.Sophia led me to her private sitting room, a cozy space with plush chairs and bookshelves that reached the ceiling. A tea service waited on a small table.“Sit, darling,” she urged, taking my hand. “Tell me everything. These years

Penelope’s POVI stepped into Sophia’s room, rummaging through the luxurious wardrobe.A deep burgundy wrap dress caught my eye. I pulled it free, the hanger scraping against the wooden rod. I’d just lifted it over my head, standing in my underwear with the new dress clutched to my chest, when footsteps sounded.I spun around. Dominic stood in the doorway, eyes widening as they met mine.“Get out!” I snapped, pressing the burgundy fabric against myself. “I don’t need any help.”His jaw tightened. Without a word, he turned toward the door, his hand closing around the brass knob. He twisted it sharply.Nothing happened.Dominic’s shoulders tensed. He tried again, jiggling the handle harder. His eyebrows drew together, confusion replacing his previous indifference.“It won’t open,” he muttered, yanking the handle with more force.I quickly slipped the burgundy dress over my head. “What do you mean it won’t open?”“I mean it’s locked.” He rattled the door again. “From the outside.”I rus

Penelope’s POVThe crash turned out to be Kelsey, standing at the shattered doorway with an axe in hand. Her eyes burned with rage and jealousy as she glared at me. Splinters of wood littered the floor around her feet, and the door hung from a single hinge, completely destroyed by her attack.“I knew it!” she shouted, her hands shaking around the axe handle. “You planned this, didn’t you? Trapping yourself with Dominic to seduce him! You couldn’t stand that he finally moved on, could you?”Dominic stepped between us, facing Kelsey. “Put the axe down,” he ordered firmly, his Alpha voice slipping into the command.“Why? So you two can continue whatever you were doing?” Kelsey spat, looking past him at me. Her makeup had smeared under her right eye, giving her a deranged appearance. “I saw how she looked at you at the banquet. This was her plan all along!”“We weren’t doing anything,” I said, adjusting my dress and keeping my voice even. “And if I wanted to seduce someone, I wouldn’t ne

Edward’s POVI stood in my laboratory, surrounded by equipment most wolves would never understand. Half-empty containers littered the counters. Many were crusted with dried residue. The room stank like a chemistry accident, like acidic fumes mixed with something rotten underneath.“Perfect,” I murmured, holding a serum up to the light. The viscous liquid shimmered green and blue, throbbing like it might jump from my hand. “Almost ready for mass production.”The body on the floor groaned softly. Not just anybody—Edward’s body. The real Edward, heir to Northern Crescent Pack.Or what remained of him.“Quiet now,” I scolded, kicking him without looking down. “The sedative should have kept you under longer. How disappointing.”I set the vial down and turned to my unwilling guest. The man’s face was a bloody mess—I’d removed most of his skin already, carefully preserving it for my own use. His muscles twitched beneath the exposed tissue, nerves firing randomly in his agony. He wouldn’t s

Penelope’s POV“You know about the mutations?” I asked, surprised.“I’m just guessing,” Edward said, shrugging. “That werewolf had a very distinctive form, completely different from normal werewolves. The plant integration was unlike anything I’ve seen before.”I frowned, recalling the horrifying creature—part wolf, part plant. “It controlled plants somehow. Made vines grow to hold me down. No normal werewolf has that ability.”“Fascinating,” Edward murmured, then quickly added, “and terrifying, of course. I’ve been following news about the detention camp run by the Council. Some reports mentioned similar mutations, though nothing quite this advanced.”“The council needs to know about this immediately,” I said. “If there are more of these things out there…”“Agreed.” Edward nodded. “But first, you need to recover your strength.”He leaned closer, his eyes dropping to my neck. “Your scars are glowing. Did you notice?”I touched the marks again. “I noticed. They’ve been like this since I