Claimed by the rogue Alpha のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

The Weight of CrownsThe moon was high, silver light cascading over the ruins of a kingdom forged on blood. Stale smoke and the rancid smell of war hung in the air, but underneath it lurked something new — possibility.Victoria gazed out from the balcony of the remains of the stronghold at the city below. The buildings had crumbled, the streets still spattered with the residue of a battle that had broken out, but in the distance she could hear voices murmuring. Not fearful, not mournful, but something else — something wary, something expectant.Hope.She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, the burden of it all weighing down on her shoulders more than it ever had before. She had fought for this. She had bled for this. But now — now the real battle started.A door opened behind her with a slow creak. She didn’t need to look to know who it was.Kenzo.He came to stand beside her, peaceable silent for a second, him centered and obedient. When he did speak, his voice was low, gruff with e

THE POINT OF NO RETURNVictoria sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the dim light coming through the cracked blinds, fingers clenched around the thin blanket draped across her lap. The sleep had never arrived, not really, not when her mind wouldn’t quiet, not when the weight of what was coming settled onto her chest with the steadiness of an iron weight. She had always known her family’s world was built on corruption, on power plays and alliances that cared little for love, but the betrayal, the sheer depth of it, still stung more than she cared to confess. Her mate—ex-mate—and her own sister. It was no longer just about the humiliation. It was about the reality that they expected her to do that. To bow. To submit.But she was no longer that girl.A low sound rolled around the room, and she glanced at the couch where Kenzo sat, arms crossed, head craned back, eyes closed, though he was not asleep. He hadn’t slept either. She could sense it by the tautness of his shoulders, the strai

The Price of TreacheryTHE RIDE BACK WAS CHOKING. No one spoke. No one could. The shadow of Victoria’s deal with Damon loomed like a boulder in the back seat, crowding the space between them so that every breath felt like a struggle. Kenzo’s knuckles were white from gripping the wheel, his jaw set tight and hard, a wolf snarl sitting just under his skin. Caleb, the one most likely to fill silence with offhand comments, gazed out the window with his reading smirk absent, his fingers drumming an uneasy tattoo against his thigh. And Victoria — Victoria could feel the weight of her choice settling into her bones like a slow, creeping poison.She had struck a deal with the most dangerous man in the city.She had offered herself.And now she had to live with it.At last Kenzo spoke, his voice precise and low, slicing through the quiet like a knife. “What the hell was that?”Victoria raised her chin, determined not to flinch. “A negotiation.”Kenzo laughed, but not in a way that was funny, o

Kenzo didn't fall asleep. Sitting on the edge of his bed, his body tight, his brain keeps wandering some ways he doesn't want to think about. Over to the other side of the room, curled up in a ball, Victoria breathed steadily. But he knew she never slept now. He could sense it in the way she held herself and the fists she made of her hands as she lay there motionless. He wanted to reach out to her, shake her, demand that she tell him how she could still sit there pretending everything was all right when it wasn't. Nothing was now.Finally he couldn't bear it any longer. "How much more are you going to pretend?"His voice was rough, edged like a blade. What did he care?Victoria rolled over, but didn't look at him. "Pretend about?"Kenzo let out a bitter laugh. "That everything's going to be fine. And to a monster you mean you didn't just turn. All that he wanted-look at you handing himself and everything over, clinking it on a silver platter."She let out her breath in a slow, even str

Victoria lay in the gray light of Kenzo’s small apartment, dazed with the scent of him, which had clung to her, like a second skin. She still felt the way his arms had wrapped around her, the way his breath had hitched as if he were holding back something deep and primal. It wasn’t merely desire; it was something primal, something on fire. And he was fighting himself, fighting the wolf within, and she didn’t know how much longer he could restrain it.Kenzo sat at the window, moonbeams slanting across his face. His jaw tightened, eyes flashing gold in the dark. He hadn’t said a lot since they had lain down, but Victoria could feel the weight of his thoughts against the quiet. She rolled over onto her side and looked at him. “You can’t sleep much, can you?”Kenzo let out a short laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Not when my head won’t stop talking.”Victoria looked him over, the way his muscles tightened even in stillness. “You’re thinking about something. Or someone.”Kenzo didn’