บททั้งหมดของ The Rogue's Reluctant Mate: บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 76

The silence returned, deeper, more profound. This they understood. The cold, clinical threat was far more terrifying than Roric’s red-faced rages. “Your lives are about to improve” I continued. “But your freedom to be stupid, treacherous, or lazy is over. This pack will become strong again. It will become feared by our enemies, not ourselves. You will work. You will obey. And in return, you will eat. You will be safe. You will have a future.” I stopped pacing and turned to face them fully. “That is my bargain. Take it, and thrive. Reject it…” I let the threat hang in the air, cold and absolute. I didn’t wait for a response. I turned and walked away, Selena falling into step beside me. We left them standing there, stunned, trying to process this new, terrifying, pragmatic kind of leadership. The rest of the day was a grind. Endless meetings. Marcus brought me lists. Lists of supplies. Lists of personnel. Lists of grievances. A Beta named Kael, who’d been in charge of the granaries

The water had gone lukewarm, the steam thinning to a faint haze. We’d stayed in the pool until our fingers pruned, until the immediate, frantic need for connection had been sated, replaced by a deeper, more settled calm. I’d washed the sweat and the lingering scent of the den from her skin, my hands moving over her with a possessiveness that was now more ritual than conquest. She’d done the same for me, her touch firm and sure, scrubbing away the grime of the day, the metaphorical blood of a dozen petty decisions.We dressed in silence, the simple act feeling more intimate than what had happened in the water. The clean clothes ..a fresh tunic and trousers for me, another simple wool dress for her, felt like a new skin. A small reclaiming of order.Back in the Alpha’s den, the pile of ledgers and scrolls still waited, a silent accusation of work unfinished. I looked at them, and for the first time, the sight didn’t coil a knot of pure annoyance in my gut. It was just work. A problem

I stopped, leaning against the rock wall just inside the tunnel entrance, content to watch her, unseen. This was her time. Her ritual. One she’d discovered in the human world, a small piece of peace she’d carved out for herself. As the sun crested the mountains, flooding the valley below with brilliant, blinding light, she lifted her face to it, eyes closed, as if soaking in its warmth. The sight of her, silhouetted against the dawn, so still, so peaceful, hit me with a force I wasn’t prepared for. It wasn’t lust though.. It was something else entirely. Something quieter. Something that made my chest feel too tight. She must have sensed me. Her posture didn’t change, but she spoke, her voice soft, carried by the wind. “I wondered if you’d come find me.” “I woke up and my property was missing,” I said, pushing off the wall and walking towards her. My tone was light, a deflection. “I was concerned.” She smiled, her eyes still closed. “Liar. You were curious.” I came to stand bes