THE ALPHA’S PUBLIC REJECTION のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

LUCAS POVThe northern woods were quiet, a deep, watchful silence that only the deep woods can manage. My team moved with practiced knowledge, setting up a perimeter that was more for a show than anything else. I stood by the central fire pit, the flickering flames doing little to warm the chill of restlessness in my bones.I knew why I was really here.The order from Drake had been specific, urgent and utterly transparent. Sing a of Eastern Pack camping near the northern border and it should be dealt with utmost urgency. I had read the words, then read the truth in between the lines. There was no camp. There was only a desperate Alpha and a heartbroken Beta.And a woman caught between them.Salome’s words from her last mind link still echoed in my head. ‘He is sending him to you. Andre is….shattered, Lucas. Be gentle with him.’ My mate’s sorrow was like a faint, sympathetic pain ache in my own heart. She loved Lillian like a sister and cared for both Drake and Andre as if they were h

ANDRE POVThe first light of dawn was a pale grey patch of light in the sky as i emerged from my tent. The air was scorchingly cold, a start contrast to the fire that had burned in my veins all night. Sleep had been a useless pursuit, every time I closed my eyes, I saw two faces. Lillian’s, with dismay clearly written on it and a pain that mirrored my own. And Drake’s, a mask of cold authority hiding behind a betrayal so deep it felt like a sword in the heart.I had clung unto Lucas’s words like oxygen. ‘You return a day early…and then you go to your mate.’ That was the plan. The only thing getting me through this whole drama. We would conduct our swift, perimeter sweep, report nothing and I would be back by nightfall. Back to her.But as I stretched out my muscles, my senses immediately sharpened. The camp was too still, too quiet for a unit preparing for a morning raid. My men were lounging about, but their postures were tense with their eyes flicking towards where Lucas stood in a

DRAKE POVThe courtyard was a scene of controlled chaos. Which was welcomed. Warriors dismounted, doctors checked for minor injuries, and the captured Eastern wolves were dragged roughly towards the prison cells. But I was more focused on the entrance gate.I stood on the stone steps of the pack house, my posture rigid like I am awaiting a report. But inside I was a mess. Relief that they were safe mixed with guilt so huge it was physical weight on my shoulders, which was so heavy to bear. And beneath it all, my possessive, jealous other side of me yearned to find out her whereabouts, to know if she was here, if she would come to him.Then they appeared. Andre and Lucas, side by side with their armor smudged with dirt and blood that wasn’t their own. They looked weary and worn out. Andre’s eyes scanned the courtyard, and I knew exactly who he was looking for.I climbed down the steps. “Andre. Lucas,” I said, my voice carefully controlled to convey authority, not the mess within. “Welc

DRAKE POVThe damp, cold air of the underground cells clung to my skin like an outer skin, a huge contrast to the warmth of my study. The image of Andre’s kiss was implanted behind my eyes, a relentless, torment. I focused on the metal bars in front of me, on the three Eastern wolves caged inside. This was a problem I can solve with force.Andre and Lucas waved at me and the tension sparked back to life. The silence was thick and only the sound of the ragged breathing of our prisoners were heard.“You are on our land,” I said, my voice low and lethal, which was echoed off the stone corridor. “Why?”One of the captured wolves, a male with a huge gash across his cheek, lifted his head up and spat on the floor near my boots. “We take what we want,”“And what is it you want?” Andre growled, taking a step closer to the bars.The wolf’s eyes, clouded with pain but sharp with malice, rested on Andre, then on me and a cruel smile appeared on his lips. “The doctor. The little mate.” He chuckle

DRAKE POVThe war council chamber was thick with tension with Maps spread all over the wide oak table, marked with the recent raids. I stood at the head with my palms flat on the wood, feeling them all staring at me.“The northern ridge was a scouting party,” I stated sharply. “They were testing our defenses. They confirmed what we already suspected. They are not just raiding. They are planning something.”Elder Marcus, whose caution often been seen as cowardice, cleared his throat. “Alpha, with all due respect, their demands have been consistent. They want the girl. The unclaimed mate.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Perhaps….perhaps a negotiation is not entirely out of the question. For the sake of the entire pack’s safety….could we not consider…?”I did not let him finish. I growled menacingly as my eyes flashed, the Alpha power in the room spiking with full force and every person at the table flinched.“Consider what, Elder?” I whispered. “Consider handing over a member of