All Chapters of The Alpha's Broken Pet: Chapter 21 - Chapter 27

AlecMaya's scream cracked through the hall like glass shattering.At first, I ignored it. Maya screamed often over dresses, food, and maids. I had learned not to respond. But then I heard something else.Begging.My chest tightened. I stood frozen, listening. A low whimper. Another hit. The sound of something being dragged.Vanessa.My wolf roared beneath my skin, pacing, agitated. I clenched my fists. My steps were fast, nearly thunderous, across the corridor. I reached the door, ready to kick it down, but I stopped.Breathe. Think.She’s still a servant.I couldn’t go storming in like she was mine.I opened the door.And there she was. On her knees. Hands raised in defense.Maya stood above her with a fistful of hair and a wild look in her eyes. Her hand came down again hard.I moved.My hand caught Maya’s wrist mid-air. “Enough.”Her head snapped toward me. Vanessa didn’t move. Her shoulders shook. Her braid lay limp across her back, half undone.“Let her go,” I growled, barely ho

VanessaI sat in front of the broken mirror, brushing through my hair like it was a mission. Each stroke was precise. I wasn’t going to give Maya the satisfaction of finding fault again, not over something as ridiculous as hair.The stupid comments from yesterday still rang in my head. Smelling like a mutt? Filthy hair in her food? Tch. If she wanted to see how wild I could get, she should try touching me again.But I wasn’t going to let it get that far.I parted my hair down the center and began twisting the ends inward, tucking the length into itself, pinning and styling it low against my neck in a way that made it look shorter and almost forgettable. Cut it? Goddess forbid. I’d rather rip the sheets off her precious Luna bed.I stared at my reflection. The cracks in the mirror blurred the image, but I could still make out the final look. It was clean and simple. Let her say something now.A part of me whispered that maybe this was all just envy. That even if Maya was forcing herse

VanessaThe basket was light in my hands, but my thoughts felt like boulders stacked on my chest. I kept my pace steady, heading to the garden and fixing my eyes on the trail of petals scattered from the night’s wind. Maya wanted fresh apples, and I needed an excuse to stay out of sight.Isabella's words echoed in my skull. It made no sense that Nina was trying to help me. Why would she help me if she once had Alec? What woman reaches out to the girl bonded to the man she once loved?Maybe Olga was right. Maybe kindness was just manipulation wrapped in softer packaging. Nina could be helping me to soothe guilt. Or maybe she pitied me. Maybe she just wanted to get close enough to watch me fall.My chest tightened.Jealousy tasted bitter. It clung to the back of my tongue, refusing to be swallowed. I didn’t want to feel anything for Alec, let alone this fire in my stomach every time I pictured him with someone else. Especially Nina.They were werewolves, not priests. Sex was nothing her