All Chapters of Betrayed Luna To Alpha Queen: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Laura dragged herself onto the rocky riverbank, her body shivering uncontrollably. The icy water had numbed her skin, but it couldn't numb the searing pain from the deep gash on her thigh. She must have hit a rock during her wild ride downstream."Stupid, stupid," she muttered through chattering teeth.Blood trickled down her leg, mixing with river water. Laura pressed her palm against the wound, wincing at the sharp sting. It was deep—too deep to ignore.She glanced at the sky. The sun hovered just above the mountain peaks. Another hour, maybe less, and she would win. All she had to do was stay hidden until then.But the blood...Laura knew what blood meant in a forest full of predators. It was like ringing a dinner bell.Or worse, it was a beacon leading Dante straight to her.Gritting her teeth, Laura tore a strip from the bottom of her shirt. She wrapped it tightly around her thigh, but the makeshift bandage quickly soaked through with red."Come on," she hissed, applying more pre

The drums pulled them together, their rhythm settling deep into Laura's chest as she moved, and Dante moved beside her with an easy grace that made the complicated steps look simple as he showed her the pattern—three steps forward, a turn, back again, hands reaching up toward the moon."See? You've got it," he said as she matched him without thinking, her body moving before her mind could catch up, and she realized with a strange jolt that dancing with him felt natural in a way nothing else had since she'd arrived here.Around the fire, other dancers fell into the same pattern, their movements echoing hers and Dante's, and the steps grew more intricate as the drums built to something wild and primal, but Laura found herself following instinctively, her feet knowing where to go as long as Dante was there guiding her with the warmth of his presence.When the dance shifted and they turned to face each other, Laura's breath caught in her throat at the intensity burning in his golden eyes,

Sunlight streamed through the cave entrance when Laura opened her eyes. She stretched, a smile lingering on her lips before she realized she was alone on the fur bedding. Her hand reached for Dante, finding only empty space, already cold.She sat up, wrapping a fur around her naked body. The events of last night flooded back in vivid detail—Dante's hands on her skin, his lips against her neck, the way he'd looked at her as if she were the moon itself."Get it together," she muttered, feeling her cheeks heat up.Laura stood and found her clothes neatly folded nearby. As she dressed, her body hummed with the memory of Dante's touch. Every movement reminded her of how their bodies had moved together, how he'd whispered her name like a prayer."Stop thinking about it," she told herself firmly, but her body wasn't listening.She was just pulling on her boots when Freya appeared at the cave entrance."Good morning," the healer said, eyes twinkling with knowing amusement. "Sleep well?"Laura'

"Kade, Renn," Dante barked, his voice sharp in the night air. "Flank Laura. Don't let them near her."Two wolves moved instantly to Laura's sides—Kade with his broad shoulders and Renn with his quick, watchful eyes. The pair who had accompanied Dante when he came for her in Zephyr's territory."I can fight," Laura protested, gripping her knife tighter.Dante's eyes met hers for just a second. "I know. But we don't know what these things are."The strange wolves charged without warning. They moved as one unit, their black eyes fixed on the patrol. Laura's heart hammered against her ribs as the forest erupted into chaos.A creature with matted gray fur lunged at Renn, who dodged sideways and slashed at its flank. Blood sprayed from the wound, black and thick like tar, but the wolf didn't even flinch. It turned, jaws snapping at Renn's throat.Kade was already locked in combat with another, their bodies rolling across the forest floor in a blur of teeth and claws. All around them, Crimso

Every touch was deliberate, just shy of intimate. Laura fought to keep her breathing steady as his hands worked their way up her body, leaving red marks in their wake. When he finished, Dante sat back on his heels, admiring his work. Laura had never felt so exposed, so seen. "Now you," he said, offering her the clay pot. Laura blinked in surprise. "Me?" "It's an exchange," he explained. "I mark you, you mark me. Equal strength, equal claiming." The word 'claiming' hung in the air between them. Laura dipped her fingers into the cool clay and began tracing symbols on Dante's broad chest, copying what she had seen others doing. "Tell me what they mean," she said, drawing a curved line across his pectoral. "That one is for victory in battle," he said, watching her fingers move against his skin. She drew another across his shoulder. "And this?" "Loyalty to pack." Laura worked in silence for a moment, feeling the powerful muscles beneath her fingertips. When she reached his lower a