All Chapters of Back Into The Alpha’s Arms: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

ELEANOR Some moments in life change you—not suddenly or dramatically, but in subtle, gradual ways. A single conversation. A lingering glance. A truth you weren’t ready to hear but can’t seem to forget.Tristan’s words had followed me into the night, curling into my thoughts like smoke, impossible to grasp but suffocating all the same. His regret had been real. I hadn’t imagined it. And yet, regret didn’t change anything. It didn’t undo the past. It didn’t erase the distance between us.So, I did what I always did when I didn’t want to think—I threw myself into work.The scent of dried herbs clung to my hands as I ground a mixture of valerian root and feverfew into fine powder. My fingers moved on instinct, pressing the pestle into the mortar with more force than necessary. The rhythmic motion should have been soothing, but my thoughts wouldn’t quiet.A sharp knock broke the silence.I looked up. Serena stood in the doorway, her expression tight.“Eleanor,” she said, breathless. “We n

CEDRIC“You’re pacing.”Aurora’s voice cut through the silence like a blade, but I didn’t stop.My study felt suffocating, the air thick with the weight of my own frustration. The room, lined with old books and maps of pack territories, suddenly seemed smaller—like the walls were closing in on me.Maybe they were.I clenched my jaw, gripping the edge of my desk so tightly my knuckles turned white. “I’m thinking.”Aurora stepped inside, shutting the door behind her with a quiet click. “No,” she said, folding her arms. “You’re obsessing.”She wasn’t wrong.My body had nearly healed from Beta Maurice’s attack, but my pride? That was another story. That bastard had come into my territory, left me bloodied, and walked away like I was the dirt beneath his feet.And then Alpha Tristan—that arrogant son of a bitch—had refused to let me see Kate.I exhaled sharply through my nose. “She’s the mother of my child.”Aurora tilted her head, her expression unreadable. “She’s your past.”I finally lo

TRISTANI shouldn’t be here.I knew that.Hell, I’d told myself a hundred times on the way over. Reminded myself that Eleanor wasn’t mine, that she had made her choice. That it didn’t fucking matter how my body had reacted to hers in the office earlier, how every second of that damn conversation had been a struggle not to reach for her, not to test the pull between us.But I was here anyway.Because something was wrong.And I wasn’t the kind of man who ignored things just because they were inconvenient.My fingers curled into a fist at my side as I stood outside her door, jaw clenched. The moment between us earlier replayed in my head, sharp and unforgiving. The way she’d looked at me, the way her body had reacted to mine, the way I had almost lost control and fucking kissed her right there in my office.I had barely pulled back in time.Because she was still Cedric’s wife.Even now, the thought sent something dark rolling through me, something ugly and possessive. It wasn’t just jeal

ELEANORI kept myself busy.That was the plan. That was the only way I knew how to cope.The scent of crushed herbs filled the air as I ground them with steady, practiced movements. The rhythmic scrape of the mortar against stone should have been calming. The familiar motions should have anchored me, kept my thoughts from straying.But they didn’t.Because I could still feel him.Tristan.His presence lurked at the edges of my awareness, a quiet pull I had been trying to ignore since sunrise. The Mate Bond was getting stronger.But it wasn’t just the Bond.It was him.I clenched my jaw, tossing a handful of dried leaves into a boiling pot. The steam curled into the air, carrying the sharp scent of sage and valerian. I focused on that, on the simple act of brewing tonics, mixing salves, and grinding roots.Anything but the way my body reacted to the mere idea of him.Anything but the memory of last night.Kate’s laughter. The way Tristan held her like she was something that mattered.

TRISTANThe messenger from Moonclaw arrived at dawn.Maurice and I met him at the packhouse gates, the early morning mist curling around our feet. The tension in the air was thick, but not out of fear—out of anticipation. Maurice's energy was restless, coiled tight. Nightshade was stronger than Moonclaw. Everyone knew that. But Cedric was reckless, and that made him dangerous in a different way.The cloaked figure stood still, his presence neither a threat nor a challenge. He pulled back his hood, revealing a face carved from stone—expressionless, cold. His dark eyes flicked between us before he reached inside his cloak and pulled out a rolled parchment. He extended it toward me.I didn’t take it immediately. Instead, I studied him, searching for any sign of deceit, any trace of unease. There was none. Just patience. Just silence.Then, finally, he spoke."Alpha Tristan of Nightshade," he said smoothly. "I bring word from Beta Cedric of Moonclaw."Maurice scoffed beside me. His fists