Semua Bab THE ALPHA’S PUBLIC REJECTION : Bab 191 - Bab 200

LILLIAN POVBefore I could knock on the green house door, it opened suddenly, and my mother stood there, with a warm smile on her face that brought instant tears to my eyes. “My Lily.”I fell into her embrace. “I needed to see you.”She led me inside to a small sofa and placed a steaming cup of tea in my hands. “Talk to me.”I inhaled shakily. “Where do I even start?”“Start anywhere,” she said softly.And so I did. The words poured out. I told her about Dr. Wanni, who is so friendly and helpful, yet the persistent sting of warning. About Willow, Andre’s beautiful and kind childhood best friend who shared a past I could never touch. About Baron showing up and Andre’s violent reaction that had scared me. “Andre and I….we had dinner last night,” I said and stared into my yea. “We settled things. It was…good. Really good. And I…..” I swallowed with a faint blush on my cheeks. “I feel ready mum. To truly be his mate. To be marked.”She squeezed my hand lightly, with a small smile on her

LUCAS POVThe Alpha meeting was a theater. Drake sat at the head of the table, his voice was steady and his decisions sharp. To anyone else, he was the picture of control. But I had known him since we were pups. I saw the flicker in his eyes whenever he glanced to the window. The slight tension in his jaw whenever their is a pause in the conversation. He was holding himself together with sheer will, but inside he was fighting a battle only him can fight, and it pained me to watch, for there was nothing I could do. He had made his cage and he had shut the door to anyone trying to open it from outside.When the meeting ended, I walked with him as we left the hall, and tried to pull him into the real world.“The new rotation for the eastern border let patrol looks solid,” I said as I glanced at the schedule in my hand. “We should have them shift at dawn instead of midday to avoid the—”Then I realized I was talking to empty air.I stopped and turned. Drake stood frozen five feet back, lo

LILLIAN POVBack at the mansion, I sat at the dining table with Salome and Lydia, pushing food aimlessly around my plate. “So let me get this straight,” Lydia said, with her eyes wide. “Both of them just….froze? Because they caught your scent? Like cheese left in an open field?”I shrugged, feeling emotionally drained. “Apparently so. The mate bond is a strong pull. I did not realize I was broadcasting so loudly.”Salome shook her head, with a serious expression on her face. You should have mask your scent with the blocker spray before going. Especially knowing he was there.”“Maybe,” I said quietly. “But I am glad it happened. It gave me clarity. I saw his choice, right in front of me. There is no more wondering.”Salome and Lydia exchanged a long knowing look.“Lillian,” Salome said gently as she put her fork down. “Are you sure? Are you really okay? This kind of love….the kind You build over more than a decade…..it does not just vanish because you want it to. It leaves a scar.” H

DRAKE POVThe truck’s engine cut out at the border marker, leaving every where so silent. The young warrior behind the wheel turned, with a mixture of duty and concern in his face. “The neutral grounds starts just beyond that ridge. Alpha, I can not go further.”“This is far enough,” I said, my voice rough from disuse. I grabbed the simple bag at my feet, which contains a few change of clothes, basic supplies, nothing that spoke of rank or permanences “Return to the pack. Tell Beta Andre that I arrived safely at the crossing.”“Yes, Alpha.” He nodded sharply.I stepped out. The air was different here, it was thinner, colder and scented with frosted pine. It carried none of the heavy, layered history, of my own territory, no trace of council room polish, of Elara’s cloying perfume, of hospital antiseptic layered over a ghost of jasmine. I inhaled deeply, and for the first time in months, the oxygen did not fee like pieces of glass on my lungs.I did not linger. I stripped immediately a

ANDRE POVIt had been a week since Drake left. Each day was hard. Running the pack without him felt like a dangerous job that could go wrong any minute. Every choice felt big. Every paper needed checking twice. And all the time, I felt Lillian’s sadness in my chest. Our new mate bond told me her spirit was low.I had sent her flowers. I sent her a pretty silver necklace. She texted “thank you,” but the words felt empty. I did not feel her angry at me. I felt her deep, quiet hurt. But the hurt was for another man. For Drake.That hurt me. To feel her pain for him. And it hurt worse knowing I could not fix it. I could not make Drake come back. I could not change what he did. I could only watch her be sad, and that was its own kind of pain.Some one knocked at the office door—Drake’s office, where I was working. Beta Ben came in. He looked serious.“Beta Andre. The full council is in the war room. They want answers.” I rubbed my head in fatigue. “Where is Lucas?”“Already there. He is t