Semua Bab The Alpha’s Bane : Bab 61 - Bab 70

Aria didn’t remove her hand from his. Not when they left his chambers. Not when they walked through the corridors. His grip wasn’t desperate—just firm, certain.They turned toward the west wing towards the Shadow training hall. As they reached the gates, the two guards straightened at attention.“Summon the elite,” Kael ordered. “All of them. To the Elites’ Hall. Now.”The guards didn’t hesitate. They ran off quickly. Then Kael and Aria walked to the Elites’s hall. Kael held her hands till they got to the door, then he let go. Lucan was already inside when they entered. He leaned against a pillar, his arms crossed.“Well, look who didn’t die,” he said, a small grin tugging at his lips.Aria rolled her eyes. “Nice to see you too, Lucan.”He chuckled. One by one, the other Shadow Warriors began to arrive. Laura first, her hair tied back and sweat dripping from her body. They were called out mid-training. Then General Thorne and Beta Darian. Then Selene.Selene was the last to enter,

Aria pushed the door open quietly, hoping they’d be asleep.No such luck.“There she is!” Mira’s voice cut across the room before Aria even stepped in fully.Aria groaned. “Do you ever sleep?”“Not when my roommate decides to skip dinner and disappear all night.” Mira sat cross-legged on her bed, hair tied up, she was still in her training boots. “We were about to start a search party.”Lira was leaning against the wall with a book in her hand. She closed it slowly, her eyes scanning Aria like she was studying a suspect. “You didn’t eat.”“I’m fine,” Aria muttered, kicking off her boots.“Fine,” Mira mocked, throwing a pillow at her. “That’s what people say when they’re absolutely not fine.”Aria caught the pillow and tossed it back. “You’re dramatic.”“And you’re avoiding us.” Mira leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. “So? Where’d you go? Don’t tell me you’ve been lingering in the training yard. Or…” Her voice pitched higher. “…don’t tell me you were with the Alpha.”Aria froze for ha

The Beta Chamber was quiet. Selene sat cross-legged on a low stool behind Laura, her fingers pulling through Laura’s long brown hair, weaving it into a tight braid. Laura had one leg hanging up on the edge of her chair, lazily sharpening her dagger against a stone. Lucan lay across the couch by the wall, one arm resting on the side rest, tossing a coin and catching it as it fell.“Stop pulling,” Laura muttered, wincing slightly.“I wouldn’t have to if you’d stop moving your head every two seconds,” Selene replied dryly.“Maybe if you weren’t trying to braid it like you’re prepping me for war.” “It’s practice,” Selene cut in smoothly, pulling the braid tighter. “One day I might be doing this in the middle of a battlefield. You should be grateful I’m fast.”Lucan snorted. “Remind me never to let Selene braid my hair. I’d come out bald.” Selene smirked. “You don’t have enough hair worth braiding.”Before Lucan could talk back, the door creaked open.Beta Darian stepped in, calm as eve

The night smelled different here. Thicker. Ancient. Kael shifted back to his human form as the towering gates of the Council fortress stood ahead, his six guards doing the same behind him. They were silent, their breathing steady, their eyes fixed on the stone walls that stretched toward the sky.“Alpha Kael of Nightfang,” the sentries at the gate announced, their voices echoing through the walls. The doors opened with a light groan and the first thing Kael saw was firelight, the torches lined the path ahead, and drummers stood on either side, beating a slow, heavy rhythm.Then came the dancers.They stepped into the path barefoot, their bodies painted with the colors of the Council. Every movement was deliberate, calculated. The arms swaying, feet striking the ground in time with the drums, it was a dance of welcome, one Kael had seen a hundred times before, but never enjoyed. Nightfang was a pack of warriors. They didn’t dance. They conquered.Kael walked forward anyway, his blac

“Run it back,” Beta Darian said, leaning forward on the table, his hands clasped.Lucan stood straight, still dusty from the patrol. “They weren’t rogues,” he said. “At least, not the kind we’re used to. The tracks were… strange. Too deliberate. And they didn’t scatter when we engaged them.”Aria kept her eyes low. “The markings on the trees were the same as the ones we’ve been warned about,” she said, “but something felt… staged. Like they wanted us to see them.”Darian nodded slowly. “How many?”“Five,” Laura answered. “All of them fought like rogues, but they weren’t starved. And they fought to the death. Only the last one fled, and she was a young wolf.” Darian’s jaw tightened, but his tone stayed calm. “You did well to handle it and make it back alive. I don’t care what anyone says; walking into an ambush and coming back is no small thing.”Lucan turned his head slightly, but his eyes stayed on his father. “What now?”Beta Darian tapped the table. “At dawn, we’ll ride to the bor