Semua Bab The Alpha King's Human Mate : Bab 71 - Bab 80

JACQUELINEThe smell of pepperoni filled the living room, mixing with the faint scent of hand soap from the cardboard box I’d just opened. I sat cross-legged on the couch, biting into a steaming slice. The crust was thin, crunchy at the edges, and cheesy at the center.“This is so good,” I mumbled around a bite. “But nothing like the one I had at Blair’s.”Mom raised an eyebrow and sipped from her glass of Coke. “Better or worse?”“Different,” I said, licking grease from my fingers. “It was homemade. Kind of rustic, you know? Thick crust, a little uneven. They used whatever they had—onions, fresh tomatoes, canned mushrooms. Nothing fancy, but it was perfect. They don’t have much, but somehow, they make it work.”Mom chewed slowly, her eyes distant and thoughtful.“There’s something kind of special about that,” I added. “I don’t know. Being able to make something warm out of what little you have.”She gave a small nod. “Sometimes it’s not about how much you have, but what you do with i

EZRAAs Tarius and I stepped back inside, he moved with the efficiency of someone born to war. His hand clamped around Beatrice’s neck in one swift motion, and without ceremony, he yanked her to her feet like she weighed nothing.Her lips curled into that same smug smile that always made me want to rip her throat out. But she didn’t fight him. No. She let herself be dragged up, that collar still glowing faintly around her neck.“Oh, look. The lapdog’s got hands.” Her lips twisted. “Did your master teach you that trick, or did you figure it out all by yourself?”Tarius didn’t flinch. But his grip tightened.“I should snap your spine,” he muttered.She snorted and then turned those eyes on me. “You think cages work on creatures like me? You’re getting slow, Ezra. You forget things. Like who your enemies are.”Tarius didn’t blink. He kept his grip tight, eyes forward. Beatrice, however, kept talking.“It’s always the ones you protect who drive the knife in deepest,” she murmured. “The on

JACQUELINEThe door was locked.I stood there for a long moment, hand hovering over the knob like it would magically turn if I waited long enough. But it didn’t. My stomach knotted.Me Philips wasn't truly here. Where else could I look?I stepped back, hugging my bag to my chest. I didn’t know where he lived. I didn’t even know if he had family here. I didn’t know anything about him, did I? Just a name. Ezra Philips. And that he taught poetry. That he smelled expensive...like cedar and mint and something darker. That his fingers were long and calloused. That he had tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and said nothing about it afterward.I swallowed hard.I moved to a bench in the hallway, cold plastic against my thighs as I sat. My phone felt heavy in my hand. I tapped on his name and pressed call, my breath catching as it rang once, turn, twice. A minute later, God voice came on. Low. Terse. Controlled.“You’ve reached Ezra Philips. Leave a message.”A beep followed.I froze.W

JACQUELINEUnfortunately, Blair couldn't join me in my frantic social media search for information about Mr Philips. “I gotta head home early today. Amy gets cranky if I’m late.”I was a little disappointed that I was going to have to do this alone, but I completely understood. Amy couldn't be by herself. “How’s she doing? With the arm and the ribs?”Blair gave a soft smile. “Better. She’s stopped whining about the ribs, which means they’re healing. Still stuck in that cast, though. She decorated it again this morning. Put glitter stickers all over it. I told her it looked like a disco ball.”I laughed. “Sounds like her.”“Yeah. She’s been sleeping more, eating well. The worst seems behind us.”“That’s good,” I said. “Really good.”She glanced sideways at me, her expression soft. “Mom keeps saying she wishes she could thank whoever helped us out with the hospital bills. She’s still trying to figure it out.”My throat tightened.Blair kept talking, her voice quiet, like she wasn’t tryi

EZRAI had always hated to teach those unruly young adults, but somehow as I sat on my couch I realized I was going to miss lecturing a little. For several weeks, teaching had become my lifestyle and even though it was something I thought I hated, I realized I would miss it.The way they walked into my class with bags under their eyes, the hum of their barely contained gossip, the smell of ink and over-sprayed perfume. And then there was her. The girl who had been brave enough to kiss me and alter my brain cells completely.Now I was leaving. Not just the college. Not just the job. The entire human realm. I was done. If Gyai was not here, in the human realm, there was no point staying. I had to find her. I had to find my mate. If she was in the Grim pack, then that was where I was going to go.I rubbed my thumb down the back of the orange cat curled beside me on the armrest, the only living thing in this world that had the nerve to curl up beside me like I was a heater. The cat purred