All Chapters of Mated To The Alpha Who Bullied Me: Chapter 171 - Chapter 178

Talia’s POV The sensation spread slowly, like a vibration under my skin—deep in my chest, pulsing outward in steady waves. Not painful. Not exactly pleasant either. Unfamiliar. I pressed a hand to my sternum, breath hitching. "What is that...?" I whispered. The bond flared faintly, reactive but distant—Cassian was already too far away to feel it clearly. The hum grew stronger. My skin prickled, goosebumps racing up my arms. The lights above flickered once. I froze. My pulse thundered in my ears as the vibration deepened, settling into my bones. It felt ancient. Heavy. Like something stretching awake after a long sleep. It was almost like that day at the bakery. I wasn't angry anymore. I was overwhelmed. My thoughts tangled, emotions crashing into one another—fear folding into grief, grief into rage, rage into something sharp and unyielding. I am not weak. The mirror across from me cracked. Just a thin line at first, spidering outward from the centre. I

Nicole's POVThe room was submerged in darkness, the only source of light was the sunlight bleeding through the curtains. I didn't bother with the light; I went straight to the bathroom, where Talia was. Her voice had sounded fractured, strained, giving off an impression of urgency. But when my ears finally caught her heartbeat, it wasn't as erratic as I expected it. No—it was calm. It was too calm. Calmer than normal. "Talia?" The soft click of the door unlocking was what I got in response. I turned the knob, pushing the door open tentatively. I froze at the sight in front of me. The bathroom was barely recognisable. Shards of mirror hovered in midair, suspended as if frozen in time. The glass gleamed like a constellation caught in a single heartbeat, trembling ever so slightly.Talia stood at the centre, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her hands trembling—but there was a light in her eyes I didn't understand. Something fierce, something not entirely human or wolf.The

Talia’s POVThis time, I didn't hesitate or wonder. I followed the scent.It tugged at me gently at first, like a thread wrapped around my ribs, pulling me forward one careful step at a time. I wasn’t uneasy this time, I was… confident, curious, eager. I needed to know who or what it was, why it was always around when strange happened. If it was connected to the council. I kept my head down and my steps light as I moved past the edge of the training grounds, away from the noise and the watchful eyes. No one stopped me. No one noticed. Or maybe they did—and chose not to.Good.The scent grew stronger the farther I went, leading me around the back of the pack house where the stone paths cracked into dirt and roots pushed through the ground like veins. The building loomed behind me now, tall and imposing, but its presence faded quickly as the trees thickened.The woods.Of course it was the woods.Every terrible, life-altering thing in my life mostly seemed to start in the damn woods.

Talia's POVCassian came back late, hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled. The door clicked shut behind him, and the bond shifted instantly—tight, warm, familiar. Relief washed through me before I could stop it. My body reacted before my mind did, easing softly. I'd been too worried, too tensed up after the encounter in the woods.Cassian loosened his jacket as he walked in, rolling his shoulders like he was trying to shake the weight of the day off. His gaze found me almost immediately, dark eyes softening when they landed on my face."There you are," he said quietly. "I thought you'd be asleep."I shook my head, sitting up on the couch. "I was waiting."That earned me a slow smile—the kind that usually meant I’d missed you and come here all wrapped into one. He crossed the room, hands already reaching for me, thumbs brushing my jaw.I leaned into him automatically. Then I remembered.My chest tightened."Cassian," I said before he could kiss me properly. "I need to tell you something.