All Chapters of TRAPPED BY THE ALPHA WHO HATES ME: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

VeraThey dragged me through the palace halls in chains like I was already dead, and the worst part was how much the pack loved the show. My bare feet scraped against the cold marble, leaving faint streaks of dirt and dried blood. Every step sent the silver cuffs biting deeper into my wrists. Hundreds of eyes followed me—wolves lining both sides of the corridor, whispering, growling, some even smiling like it was Christmas morning. I could smell it all: the sharp tang of bloodlust, the sour edge of judgment, and underneath everything, that faint sweet warmth coming off my own skin. My pregnancy scent. Please, I thought, don’t let them catch it. Not here. Not yet.A woman near the front spat on the floor as I passed. “Poisoning bitch.”“Hope the Alpha rips your throat out himself,” someone else muttered louder.I kept my chin up, even though my legs felt like water. Sarcasm was the only weapon I had left. “Careful,” I called back, voice rough from days in the dungeon. “Keep talking lik

Vera The day after the trial, I walked into the kitchens and felt something shift in the air, like the entire palace had learned to hold its breath differently. I was prepping vegetables when Greta found me, moving between the counters with the kind of purpose that meant she had something to say. She was one of the senior cooks, and had been working at Bluemoon for so long that her hands knew the rhythm of this kitchen better than her own heartbeat. "You're still alive," she said, sliding a cutting board next to mine. "Apparently," I replied, keeping my voice level. "The Sages don't reverse verdicts often." Greta started chopping, her knife moving with practiced precision. "Never seen it happen in my forty years here." I glanced at her, trying to read whether this was kindness or something else entirely. "Why are you telling me this?" "Because the younger girls are talking," Greta said quietly, not looking at me. "They're saying maybe you didn't actually do it. That maybe the

VERA “Pray that boy survives,” Jade said quietly. “Because if he doesn’t, your witnesses won’t be enough to save you if you’re found to have had anything to do with this rubbish.” ~~~ I was measuring out the third blend of herbs when old Tom shuffled into the kitchens, his weathered face creased with that familiar servant's tiredness. "Cup ready?" he asked, nodding at the small table where I'd set three matching porcelain cups. "Just finished steeping," I said, moving them to a tray. The liquid was dark, almost black, layered with the medicinal bite of wolfsbane and bloodmoss. "This one's for Councilman Reeves. Second for the head steward. Third is for.." "For whoever complains the loudest," Tom said, and I actually smiled. He was reaching for the tray when a younger servant, someone whose name I could never remember, bumped past him hard enough that Tom nearly dropped the cups. "Sorry," the kid muttered, not really meaning it. "Watch it," I said, steadying the tray. "Thes

VeraThe alarm ripped through the palace like someone had torn the whole world open.Noah was gone.I heard the shouting from the kitchens where I was supposed to stay put. Servants running, guards calling out his name, doors slamming. My hands froze on the dough I’d been kneading. The boy who hated me more than anyone had disappeared, and something in my chest twisted so hard I couldn’t breathe.Because no matter how much he hated me, he was my dead sister’s only child.I wiped my hands on my apron and stepped into the hallway even though I wasn’t allowed to leave my work area. Nobody stopped me at first. They were all too busy panicking.I started searching too.I moved through the corridors, listening to the chaos around me. “All guards, out now!”Jade’s voice carried from somewhere upstairs, cold and sharp, ordering everyone to check the perimeter again. I kept walking, my mind going back to the little things Noah used to like. The abandoned greenhouse at the edge of the east

Kieran I walked into the palace courtyard late just before the emergency meeting started, my shirt was still sticky with Edric’s blood. Lights were on everywhere, and a big crowd had gathered in front of the main hall. The whole place was buzzling up like someone important had died. Vera stood near the front of the main hall among the pack members, arms wrapped tight around herself like she was trying to hold everything together. Jade had called everyone out for an emergency meeting. His voice carried over the murmurs, cold and sharp. I pushed through the people until I reached her. “We’ve already lost someone.” Vera turned fast. Her eyes went wide when she saw the blood all over me. “Kieran… What happened? Are you hurt?” “Not my blood,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Head Scribe Edric is dead.” My jaw tightened. “Last night I decided he would be my next lead. He was Lord Cassian’s secretary—the one person who might have known what was really happening behind closed doors.