Semua Bab The Alpha King's Human Mate : Bab 31 - Bab 40

EZRAThe seat was empty again.That made two days in a row.And this time, she had missed the preliminary test. That meant an automatic F. There was no wiggle room, no leniency. Not even if I wanted to give it—which I didn’t. Jacqueline Blackwell had earned this failure with bold, reckless determination. But even as I moved through the test instructions with my usual dispassion, I could feel her.She was here. Somewhere.Her scent was faint at first, but it slithered past the layers of sweat, cheap perfume, and nervous pheromones the other humans exuded. Hers was sharper. Warmer. Distinct in a way that clung to memory like moonlight on blood. My jaw clenched.She was hiding.She was hiding from me.I scanned the classroom as the students scribbled their answers, most of them guessing, if the scent of panic was anything to go by. My eyes roved over them, unamused, increasingly irritated. Their minds were dull today. Slower than usual. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the test, or

EZRAThe air in the clearing was already thick with her fear before she even arrived. I could smell it on the breeze, a sour tang that coiled in my gut. It was the scent of prey, and my own wolf stirred restlessly, eager for the hunt or the fight.She stepped through the trees, looking smaller and more fragile than the day before. Her failure yesterday had hollowed her out, leaving dark circles under her eyes. Good. Failure should leave a mark.“You’re on time,” I said. My voice was a flat, hard thing in the quiet woods. “Don’t expect praise for it.”She just nodded, her jaw clenched. She hugged her arms around herself, a futile attempt to ward off the chill in the air, or maybe the chill that was me.“Yesterday was a pathetic showing,” I stated, circling her slowly. I moved with a predator’s purpose, letting my presence press in on her. “You whimpered. You gave up. You let the pain win. Today, you won’t.”“I tried,” she whispered, her voice tight.“Trying is for children.” I stopped

JACQUELINEBlair's calming words had given me a sliver of peace. We had dusted off our lunch, but none of us were ready to return to class. Blair sat beside me, arms draped loosely around her knees, her presence quiet but grounding.Then her phone rang.She frowned as she pulled it from her pocket. “It’s my mom.”I glanced over, watching her expression as she answered. “Hello?”Her posture stiffened. “Wait, slow down—what do you mean she was hit?”I sat up straighter, my breath catching.Blair stood. “I—I’m coming. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She hung up and turned to me, pale.“My sister got into an accident. A car hit her—my mom’s freaking out. She’s at the hospital.”“Oh my God.” I stood too, instinctively reaching for her. “Do you want me to come with you?”“No, no,” she said quickly, grabbing her bag. “You’ve got your own mess. I just... I need to go.”“Text me, please?” I said. “Let me know she’s okay.”Blair gave me a tight nod before jogging toward the parking lot, disap

JACQUELINEAs I slipped my key into the door, I couldn't stop thinking about the scene at the parking lot.Sammy's lurking...Had he followed me? Was it just a coincidence? Or were they—he and Nina—already cooking up some new way to humiliate me?My hand hesitated on the key.I swallowed hard.I had hugged Mr. Philips. Buried my face into his shirt and clung to him like he was something solid in a world that wouldn’t stop shaking. My cheeks burned just thinking about it. The memory wasn’t clear anymore—it came in pieces. The strength in his arms. The way his voice had cut through the panic like a cold, clear bell. The moment I felt his chest rise and fall under my cheek.It had felt good. Maybe too good.But if Sammy saw that...A sick feeling slid through my stomach. He wouldn’t care that I’d been upset. He wouldn’t care that his girlfriend had been tearing me apart in public. No—he’d twist it. Spin it. Feed it to Nina like gossip over wine. And she’d know exactly what to do with it.

JACQUELINE Sunlight came through the window and touched my bed, causing me to stir. It was warm, soft, too gentle for the way I felt inside.I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to open my eyes. But I did.And just like that, everything from yesterday came rushing back.Nina’s voice. Her lies. Her smile as she went live and told the world things that weren’t true about me. The comments that had poured in...mean, hateful. Strangers calling me names. People believing her lies.I had never felt so small.Then another memory came, this one that made my chest feel warm for just a second.Mr. Philips.His eyes, cold, gray, like a storm, but when he looked at me yesterday, there was something else behind them. Something sharp, but not unkind. He’d asked me what was wrong. His voice had been a little rude at first, but he had asked.And when I started crying, he didn’t walk away. He didn’t say anything cruel.He held me.His arms were strong. His chest was warm. And when I held him, it felt