Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE ALPHA’S PUBLIC REJECTION : Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

DRAKE POVThe second day of Lillian’s absence was a different kind of torture. I tried to focus on the trade folders spread across the council table, but my mind was mikes away, trapped in a clinic, watching her every move through Andre’s eyes.Lucas and Beta Ben sat with me, the three of us focused on the documents in a silence interrupted only by the rustling of papers.“The grain yields from the eastern sector are down fifteen percent from last season,” Ben noted, as he frowned at a report. “We should consider rotating the crops—”A guard entered, cutting him off. “Alpha. An emissary from the Silvermane Pack in here. He requests an audience.”I exchanged a glance with Lucas. The Silvermane Pack was a strong, neutral ally to the north. This was unexpected. “Send him in.”A tall, stern looking man entered and bowed deeply. “Alpha Drake. Thank you for receiving me. I bring a message from my Alpha, Kael.” He produced a sealed scroll from his cloak and handed it to me.I broke the seal

ANDRE POVI found Lucas already in Drake’s study, leaning against the desk with a mischievous smirk on his face. “Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. How was another day playing shadow?”I ignored the snicker and dropped tiredly into a chair, with the weight of the day heavy on my shoulders. “The clinic was quiet. The patient, Baron, is…recovering. He and Lillian had quite the conversation today.”Lucas’s smirk widened. “Oh? Do tell. Was our mysterious woodworker charming?”“That’s the problem,” I grumbled and ran a hand over my face. “He was. Intelligent. Well-traveled. And he seems genuinely taken with her.”Lucas chuckled. “So the threats are coming from all side now. Eastern Pack scouts, a suspiciously charming patient, and now…” He gestured towards the door to indicate the rest of the pack house. “The Sharon situation.”“The Sharon situation is a disaster,” I said flatly. “She is unhinged. Proposing to him in front of Beta Ben? Does she have no shame?”“Desperation makes pe

LILLIAN POVA strange, restless energy had been buzzing under my skin for two days. It was not like the familiar warm pull of the mate bond with Andre, or the sharp awareness I felt whenever Drake was near. This was different. It felt like the weather before a bad storm, a heavy, restless sense of anticipation that made my wolf whine softly in the back of my mind.I tried to brush it off. The entire pack was tensed as they prepare of Alpha Kael’s visit and everyone else seemed…excited. Hopeful, even. So I buried the feeling, squeezing it up to with my own mess of emotions.Avoiding Drake had been a necessary survival tactic. After overhearing the bad argument in his office…his confession, Andre’s pain….being near him felt like standing too close to a fire. I could feel the heat, and I knew I would get burned. So, I pulled my energy in, kept my head down, and focused on my work. It was easier for everyone that way.The clinic door opened, and Lucas walked in with his usual lazy smirk i

DRAKE POVThe knock on my door was a disturbance I didn’t want. I stood before the mirror to adjust the collar of my jacket, trying desperately to force the Alpha mask back into place, but the face that stared back at me was a stranger’s….hollow, shrunken, tense. “Enter.”The door swung open to reveal Lucas, leaning against the door frame with his usual playful smirk on his face. Then it wavered slightly when he saw me. “Well, don’t you look like you are going to a funeral instead of a a feast?”“What do you want, Lucas?” I grumbled and turned away from the mirror. “If you are here to mock me, save your breath.”“Mock you? Brother, the universe is doing a far better job of that than I ever could,” he said, and stepped inside. “I just came from the clinic. Thought I should come check on you before the main event. How is the happy couple?”I glared at him angrily. “Don’t.”“Right, sorry. Touchy subject.” He held his hands up in mock surrender before pouring himself a drink from my bar.

ANDRE POV“….and with the combined strength of our northern patrols, any invasion from the Silvermane Pack would be nothing short of suicidal,” Alpha Kael said and tapped a thick finger on the table for emphasis. He took a long drink from his wine goblet and his eyes, sharp and calculating, never leaving mine. “This alliance makes us the dominant power in this territory. A new era of stability.”I placed a practiced, diplomatic smile on my face and raised my wine glass. “Luxembourg has always valued stability, Alpha Kael. We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership.” The words tasted like ash on my tongue. Every laugh that echoed through the grand hall, every clink of glass, was a reminder of the personal cost of this ‘prosperous partnership.’My smile felt like a broken mask. My entire focus was divided, a part of me was here at this table, playing the dutiful Beta, and the other part connected to a pain so huge that it hurt my heart so bad. The mate bond with Lillian was a