All Chapters of The Mate She Can’t See: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SEVENGRAHAMThe forest didn’t feel right tonight.It was too still and too quiet. There were no night birds, no wind in the branches, nothing. Even the wolves on patrol were on edge, ears flicking at every whisper. It crawled under my skin in a way I couldn’t shake off.I’d sent the first patrol back to rest, deciding to take the next sweep myself. I trusted them, but after what Charlie had seen and how no one believed her, I couldn’t leave it to chance. If something was out there, I needed to see it with my own eyes.Zoey had offered to come with me, but I told her no. Whatever this was, I’d handle it. I couldn’t risk her, not with how important she’d become to everyone, and most importantly, to me.My beta, Ronald, flanked me as we walked the western edge of the territory. The scent markers had been refreshed earlier, but the air already felt wrong. It felt damp and moldy.“Anything?” I asked, voice low.Luke shook his head. “Nothing yet.”I nodded, bu

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY NINEGRAHAMThey lunged, but then stopped all at once, like something yanked invisible chains that were holding them. Their heads turned in eerie unison toward the thing still crawling from the earth behind them.It was larger, much larger. Its shoulders tore chunks out of the bark as it forced its way up from underground. The smell rolling off it made my stomach twist. The smell was a suffocating, living rot that clung to every breath.I shifted my weight, claws ready but hesitant. Fighting this many, especially with that beast leading them, was a death wish.The smaller ones trembled, almost bowing as the huge thing straightened up. Its skin was so thin it looked ready to split, black veins crawling across its flesh like worms. Its hands were long, clawed, curved like reapers’ hooks.Then I saw its face or what passed for one. A gaping hole where its mouth should be, filled with sharp, pulsing teeth, nothing else. No eyes, no nose, no humanity. Just a f

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ONEGRAHAMThe moment the creatures disappeared into the trees, I stood there, breathing hard, the taste of something sour still in the back of my throat. Their retreat was too clean, and too purposeful like something had pulled them back on a leash.I waited, straining my senses, making sure it wasn’t a trap. The moon shone brightly and a dead kind of silence came back over the clearing. My wolf still paced under my skin, furious, wanting to tear them apart, but I forced him down. We needed answers, not blind violence.“Ronald,” I mindlinked, forcing my voice to stay calm. “Report.”“We’re closing up the borders,” he answered a heartbeat later. I could feel the tension in his mind, the fear he was trying to swallow. ”I’m posting guards every twenty yards. No one gets in or out without my say-so.”“Good. Keep them on high alert,” I replied. “And don’t tell Zoey yet. I don’t want to scare her before I know more.”“Understood,” Ronald said.I ended the li

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREEGRAHAMNight had fallen by the time I reached the edge of Elder Mathias’s house. His estate stood apart from the rest of the pack with tall iron gates, stone walls, and windows that flickered with warm light. It looked peaceful, like any other home but I wasn’t fooled.I moved through the night, silent, keeping my wolf close to the surface. I wasn’t here to start a fight but I needed to see him, to look him in the eye, and to know for certain if the enemy I was hunting was sitting right in front of me all along.At the gates, I didn’t bother to knock. I pushed them open with one hand, letting the metal creak loud into the quiet night. I did it to let him know I was here and let him wonder why.By the time I reached the front steps, the door opened. Mathias stood there, he wasn’t dressed in council robes but in simple clothes, as if he were any ordinary wolf. His eyes, though, they were sharp, and calculating.“Alpha Graham,” he said, voice smooth.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVEGRAHAMThe Council hall smelled like old wood and the air felt too thick. I walked in with Ronald right behind me, keeping my face steady, though my mind was anything but calm. Every seat around the table was filled, Elders with their cold eyes and stony faces, waiting for me to slip.Mathias sat at the far end, calm as ever, with that slight smirk that made my wolf want to tear him apart. His daughter, Nicole, wasn’t there, probably for the best. I didn’t need more distractions.“Alpha Graham,” Elder Bako began, folding his hands, “thank you for coming.”I nodded, though I didn’t thank him back. I didn’t owe him anything.He cleared his throat. “We’ve received concerns about security. The recent attacks—”“Were handled,” I cut in, voice calm and controlled.He hesitated. “Still, the pack is nervous. There are rumors, Alpha. People are asking if you have things under control.”My jaw clenched. That’s exactly what they want, I thought.“I have it un