Lahat ng Kabanata ng Alpha's Regret: Return of the Rejected Mate: Kabanata 361 - Kabanata 370

Penelope’s POVI knocked on Darkwood’s front door with Debbie bouncing beside me, her excitement about seeing Alexander providing perfect cover for what I was really here to do. Check on Natalie’s progress, get updates about Nick’s activities, gather intelligence about—Though who was I kidding? Natalie could have met me anywhere to report. I was here because I wanted to see Dominic.“Penelope.” He opened the door himself, and the way his eyes lit up when he saw us made my chest warm. “And Debbie.”“Is Alexander awake?” Debbie asked immediately. “Can we play? I brought him a book!”“He’s napping right now, sweetheart, but he’ll be up soon.” Dominic stepped aside to let us in. “Maybe we could have lunch first?”The normality of it hit me hard. Walking into his house like we belonged here, Debbie chattering about school while Dominic listened with genuine interest. Like we were a real family instead of two broken people pretending everything was fine.Over sandwiches and fruit, I watched

Penelope’s POVDominic’s bedroom felt like stepping into another lifetime. Familiar but foreign, filled with memories of who we used to be. He led me here while Natalie took Debbie to play with Alexander.“I’ve missed this,” he said softly, gesturing around the room that had once been ours.“Missed what?”“Having you here. Having all of us together under one roof.” He moved closer, his hands settling on my waist. “It feels like home again.”The words made my chest tight. This had been home once.His mouth found mine, gentle at first, then deeper when I kissed him back. His hands tangled in my hair. When he pulled me toward the bed, my resistance crumbled.This time was different than our desperate encounters during battles. Slower, more deliberate. He took his time undressing me, his hands relearning every curve and sensitive spot. When his mouth followed the path his fingers traced, I gasped and arched beneath him.When he moved over me, when our bodies joined with desperate need, it

Penelope’s POVThe shaking got worse the farther we drove. I had to pull over onto the shoulder twice—just sit there gripping the steering wheel while waves of something horrible rolled through my body.“Mommy?” Debbie’s voice came from the backseat, small and worried. “Are you sick?”“Just tired, baby.” I forced myself to loosen my grip on the wheel. “Mommy’s just really tired.”“Do you need medicine?”“No, sweetheart. I just need to rest when we get home.”But I wasn’t tired. Not the normal kind of tired that sleep could fix. This was something else. Something wrong happening inside me that I didn’t understand and couldn’t stop.By the time we reached our house, my whole body ached like I’d been beaten with clubs. My muscles wouldn’t stop trembling and my skin felt hypersensitive—even my clothes rubbing against me hurt.I managed to get Debbie unbuckled and inside. Her hand in mine felt too warm, or maybe I was too cold. I couldn’t tell anymore.Mom was in the kitchen making dinner.

Penelope’s POVThe potion tasted like someone had dissolved knives in bitter herbs and added fire for good measure.It burned all the way down my throat and seared the inside of my mouth, leaving a metallic taste coating my tongue that wouldn’t go away no matter how much water I drank afterward.“Again,” Mom said. She held out the cup.I’d already thrown up twice in the last hour. My stomach was completely empty but the nausea wouldn’t stop. It wouldn’t even ease up.“I can’t—” I started.“You can.” Her voice was firm, not cruel but not gentle either. “The text says the bloodline fights back. Your body is trying to reject this because it knows what we’re attempting. It knows we’re trying to weaken its control.”I took the cup. My hands shook so badly some of the liquid sloshed over the rim.“All of it,” Mom said. “Every drop.”I forced myself to swallow. The potion tasted worse the second time, like my taste buds had learned to recognize the flavor and recoiled from it.My stomach lurc

Dominic’s POVSomeone knocked on my bedroom door before dawn had broken. I slipped out of bed carefully because I didn’t want to wake Penelope, and I pulled on pants and a shirt quickly. When I opened the door, Gerald stood there looking like he’d aged ten years overnight.My pack accountant was usually composed with his neat suits and organized papers, but now his hair stuck up at odd angles and his hands shook when he tried to hold his briefcase.“Alpha,” he said, and his voice cracked badly. “I need to speak with you urgently.”My stomach dropped before he’d said another word. “Give me a minute.”I closed the door as quietly as I could and grabbed the rest of my clothes, then I scribbled a quick note for Penelope saying I’d be back soon. After that I led Gerald downstairs to my office where we could talk without being overheard.“What’s wrong?” I asked once the door was firmly shut.Gerald set his briefcase on my desk and pulled out a folder so thick it barely closed properly. Paper