All Chapters of CLAIMED BY THE COLD-HEARTED ALPHA: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

GRAYSON’S POVHamish’s words hung in the air long enough to make the room feel colder than the Veil itself. For a moment, no one moved. Ashen stared at Hamish like he hadn’t fully understood what had been said, and maybe he hadn’t. The weight of that revelation hit me far faster than it reached him.Another consciousness.Inside him.Waking.My blood iced over.I held Ashen tighter, feeling the tremors moving through his body even though he tried desperately to hide them. His breath brushed weakly against my neck. He didn’t understand the meaning yet. But I did. And every instinct inside me reacted with violence.“Explain,” I said. My tone wasn’t a request. “Now.”Hamish lifted his staff and leaned on it heavily, as if even he was exhausted by what he had just witnessed. “The awakening is not merging just Solven’s essence. Something else is responding to the eclipse bloodline.”Ashen blinked. “What do you mean something else?”“Another ancient echo,” Hamish said. “Another form tied to

GRAYSON’S POVAshen agreed to deepen the bond, but the moment the words left his lips, I felt the tremor traveling through him. Fear. Hesitation. Responsibility. He was trying not to show it, but every breath he drew revealed where his thoughts had shifted. I tightened my grip on his shoulders, grounding him again, pulling his focus back before the doubt could take root.“You don’t have to rush this,” I said quietly. “We will do it on your pace.”Hamish cleared his throat. “Grayson, you cannot give him unlimited time. His awakening is progressing faster than any eclipse wolf recorded. Delay will only strengthen Ateron’s imprint.”I glared at him. “I said he decides the pace.”“And I am saying the pace cannot be slow,” Hamish responded.Ashen glanced between us, rubbing at the seal mark on his chest. “Can we not argue? Please.”I stepped back instantly, lifting my hands slightly to show I wasn’t trying to pressure him. “I’m not arguing. I’m setting boundaries.”Hamish gave me a tired l

GRAYSON’S POVAshen was exhausted by the time Hamish dismissed us. He didn’t collapse, but the way he leaned into me said everything his voice didn’t. His body felt heavier, like the awakening was demanding more energy than he could currently give. I kept a steady arm around his waist as we walked back through the corridor toward his room, my presence shadowing him with every step.When we finally reached the door, he sank onto the edge of the bed with a tired exhale. His shoulders slumped. His hands trembled slightly. Not from fear, but from overuse. I had seen warriors tremble after battle. Ashen had trembled the same way today.I crouched in front of him, resting my hands on his knees. “Drink,” I said, handing him a glass of water.He took it, his fingers brushing mine lightly. The bond pulsed in my chest—subtle but warm. Still forming. Still adjusting. Still choosing.He drank slowly before whispering, “Do you think Hamish is right? Do I really need to learn to suppress Ateron wit

GRAYSON’S POVAshen tried to hide the tremor in his fingers, but I saw it. I always saw everything he tried to conceal. The bond pulsed faintly between us, soft but persistent, like a warning and a plea woven together. When he said he felt something calling his name, every part of me responded like a blade pulled from its sheath.I didn’t waste time.“Get your boots,” I said. “We’re going to the library.”Ashen exhaled shakily but nodded, slipping off the bed to gather himself. I stayed close enough to catch him if he stumbled but gave him the illusion of space. He needed that much. Control, even the smallest amount, kept him steady.When he was ready, he walked beside me down the corridor. Guards bowed as we passed. I felt their fear—quiet, controlled, but palpable. Word had already spread about the creature that tried to breach the mansion. And now there was something worse—something waking inside the person I would kill the world for.Ashen’s voice broke the silence. “Grayson… plea

GRAYSON’S POVThe moment Ashen said it—three—the entire room changed.Not physically.Not visibly.But the air shifted with a pressure that made every instinct inside me rise like a storm preparing to break. Hamish’s expression tightened, his fingers gripping his staff with so much force the runes along it flickered. Ashen still trembled in my arms, his breath uneven against my chest, his pulse too fast for someone who claimed the third presence felt gentle.But gentle did not mean safe.Gentle did not mean harmless.Gentle often meant something far more dangerous.I tightened my hold on him. “Ashen, breathe slowly and look at me carefully now.”He did, though his eyes drifted toward Hamish as if seeking confirmation that he wasn’t losing his mind to awakening. Hamish stepped forward slowly, his voice low and cautious.“Ashen,” he said, “this third presence… what did it feel like exactly?”Ashen swallowed hard, fingers curling into my coat. “Warm. Balanced. Older than Solven. Older