Semua Bab Alpha's Regret: Return of the Rejected Mate: Bab 371 - Bab 380

Dominic’s POVPenelope appeared at my office door an hour after the Council meeting as I’d been reviewing loan terms that would take years to repay. “People are talking about it everywhere.”“Everyone heard. It was broadcast to the entire Council.” I didn’t look up from the papers. “My complete humiliation is now public record.”“I want to help.”“I got the loans I needed from the Council. We’re covered now.”“Are you?” She came around my desk and looked at the documents. “Because those terms look absolutely brutal from here.”I finally met her eyes. “They’re the best I could negotiate given the circumstances.”“Let me loan you the money instead.” Her voice was matter-of-fact. “Better terms. More flexibility. Actually designed to help you recover instead of punishing you.”“No.” The refusal came automatically and it was sharp and defensive. “I’m not taking money from you.”“Why not?”“Because I already humiliated myself in front of the Council. I’m not adding charity from my girlfrien

Kelsey’s POVSleep would not come to me that night. I lay in my bed and stared at the ceiling until the cracks in the plaster started to look like faces mocking me. The pack wives had ripped me apart at that tea party and their words kept playing over and over in my head like a song I could not turn off.Common. Trashy. Not fit to be near an Alpha.I got out of bed because lying there was making everything worse. My bare feet were cold against the wooden floor as I walked into the hallway. The house was so quiet I could hear my own breathing.That was when I saw the light coming from under Dominic’s study door.Someone was in there at two in the morning. It had to be Dominic working on pack business like he always did when he could not sleep. The man buried himself in paperwork instead of dealing with his actual problems.I walked toward the door without really thinking about why. Maybe I wanted to see if he was as miserable as me. Maybe I just wanted to feel less alone in this house w

Kelsey’s POVI did not sleep that night. I sat in my room waiting for Dominic to kick down the door and drag me away for trying to murder someone. Every sound in the house made me jump. Every creak of old wood made my heart race.But he never came.When dawn finally broke, I heard the front door slam open hard enough to rattle the windows. Heavy footsteps ran up the stairs and Dominic’s voice called out for towels and help.I crept to my doorway and looked out into the hallway. Dominic was carrying Natalie in his arms like she weighed nothing. Blood had soaked through the cloth wrapped around her middle. Her face was pale but her eyes were open and alert.“Get the guest room ready,” Dominic ordered someone I could not see. “And get the healer here right now.”He carried her past my door without even glancing in my direction. All his attention was on the wounded woman in his arms. The look on his face reminded me of how older brothers looked at younger sisters they wanted to protect. It

Nick’s POVThe wolfsbane powder sat in my jacket pocket like it weighed a thousand pounds even though it was barely an ounce. I had bought it from a Rogue supplier weeks ago as insurance in case I needed it. Now I was about to use it to commit murder.Breakfast at the Darkwood main house was normal chaos. Kelsey was trying to get Alexander’s attention but the baby kept reaching for Natalie instead. Dominic sat at the head of the table reviewing papers while drinking his coffee.The concentrated wolfsbane had dissolved into nothing in the dark roast. You could not see it. You could not smell it. The bitter taste was hidden by the strong coffee beans Dominic always preferred. I watched him drink and counted each swallow in my head.One. Two. Three. Four.“She acts like Alexander is her son instead of mine,” Kelsey said. She was stabbing her eggs with her fork like they had personally insulted her. “Taking him places without asking me first. Buying him toys like she is trying to replace m

Nick’s POVThe documents sat in my desk drawer where they had been sitting for weeks. Waiting for exactly this moment. I pulled them out now and spread them across my desk.Legal papers that would name Alexander as Alpha-in-waiting with me serving as his regent until he reached maturity. Every clause carefully worded to give me complete authority over pack operations while making it look like I was just serving the child’s best interests.Pack law was very clear about succession when an Alpha died without adult heirs. The Council appointed a regent to manage affairs until proper leadership could emerge, and who better than the loyal advisor who had served Darkwood faithfully for years?I read through the documents one more time to make sure everything was perfect. Then I gathered them into a folder and headed toward the conference room where I had called an emergency meeting.Senior pack members were already there when I arrived. Still in shock from Dominic’s collapse. Still trying to