Semua Bab The Alpha’s Pretty Mistake: Bab 101 - Bab 110

KolWe were both in the room, as quiet a pin drop, yet the words that Aria had spoken was louder than the silence. They hit me as sharp as a knife would.“You have a son.”I blinked. Once. Twice. The syllables didn’t register. They couldn't. Because the only person who could’ve said something that world-ending… was Lira.My voice was low, unsteady. “What did you just say?”Aria didn’t flinch. I could see in her eyes, when she was about to speak. How she braced herself for the burden of the weight of what she needed to tell me. Her eyes were placid, not cold.“I found a locket in Lira’s possession,” she began. “There was a folded piece of paper inside. Coordinates. An address.”I couldn’t breathe. My lungs weren’t cooperating.“I went there,” she continued. “There was a house. And a woman. Her name is Anna, she said she was a nurse, a caretaker… someone Lira trusted. And there was a child. A boy.” She swallowed. “He called me ‘mummy.’”Every piece clicked together in my brain too quick

Kol“Ah!” I groaned. The whiskey I had downed burned as it slid down my throat. I stared down at a carved wooden wolf lying on my desk. I picked it up, getting reminded of the memories these craved creature held.I twisted it in my hand slowly, breathing in deep. I leaned back, letting my head rest against the chair. The leather creaked, and the silence around me deepened.“Memory always had a cruel way of creeping in when you least wanted it.” I said to myself.I was maybe five when he first hit me. I don’t even remember what I did. Knocked over something, probably. Shattered a glass. Forgot to bow when he walked in. I just remember the sound of my father's voice, loud and booming and filled with disappointment. Not anger. Disappointment.“You’re not some useless mutt,” he’d barked. “You’re going to be Alpha one day. Act like it.”I’d cried, back then. I cried a lot. When he left the room, my mother would always find me. I’d be in the hallway, curled into a ball, or hiding in my clo

KolI was already in my study that morning. All over my desk were reports, invitations, but I really was paying no attention to it. Elias, leaned by the bookshelf with clenched jaws and crossed arms, lost in thought.“We would have to prepare a room for my boy at the west wing of the estate.” I said casually. “It’s the quietest part of the estate. Close enough to keep watch. Far enough from the council rooms.”Elias nodded slowly. “You sure you want him in the estate right away?”My eyes flicked up to him. “He’s my son. He’s not a secret I’ll keep locked in some simple home.” I paused, letting the weight of it settle. “But I will protect him.”Elias exhaled, stepping closer. “You know how this will look. The pack has barely recovered. And now a child? Lira’s child that happens to be yours as well?”I grinded my teeth not because he what he said was wrong but because what he said was right. All the soldiers, every elders, every pair of curious eyes would look at Emory and wonder. Wonde

KolI was seated in the council hall long before the others arrived, tapping my fingers against the wood of the Alpha’s seat. The room was cold, and even colder because of the pressure building behind my ribs.Aria sat beside me, folding her arms. Her face was unreadable, but I could see the tension in her shoulders.“They’re not going to take this well,” she said softly.“I know,” I murmured. “But they’ll listen. They have to.”We’d debated all morning how to go about it. How to reveal to the council that the boy they’d seen roaming the estate was not a ward, not a stray, not a charity case. He was my son. And hers, by extension, through choice.“How do we say it?” I asked, for the fifth time. “That I have a son with the woman who nearly burned this pack down?”“We don’t defend it,” Aria said finally. “We own it. The truth doesn’t need justification.”A moment later, the heavy doors opened, and the council filed in. Kalis, Sorah, Gavran, Elise, all dressed like they were already judg

KolThe estate was buzzing with movements and activities. Servants hung soft cream and gold streamers around the garden where the farewell would be held. Tables were being set with food and drink. Soft music filled the air from the young harpist Elias had arranged. It was more than just a goodbye. It was a tribute to one of our best healers.I stood in the arch of the hallway, crossing my arms as I watched the workers below.“She deserves this,” I muttered to myself.From behind me, I heard light footsteps. I didn’t have to turn to know who it was.“You’re going all out,” Aria said softly.I looked at her, taking in the way her arms folded across her chest and how her eyes refused to meet mine.“It’s the least I can do,” I said.Aria nodded slowly. “It just feels like... a lot. And fast. You’ve barely spoken to me since she told you she was leaving.”I sighed. “Because I’ve had a lot to organise. It’s not like she’s dying, Aria. She’s just... going.”She flinched.“Is this jealousy?”