All Chapters of Alpha Nolan: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Nolan:The corridors were quiet, but my footsteps weren’t.And with every step I took, it felt harder to breathe. I was angry. Change for the mood that I had before.Each step that I took hit harder than the last as I followed Alessandro, my chest still tight from…Her.Damn her.“Who is it?” I demanded as we turned the corner. “And more specifically, what the Hell's going on? What the hell did they do? Or is it one?”“Rogues. They've been roaming around too close, looking, searching, as if waiting for something to happen.” Alessandro replied, quick and clipped. “Two sightings near the east perimeter. Patrol brought one down, the other escaped. The body’s in the courtyard. It’s… not clean. I don't know how to explain it better than this.”“Not clean?” I asked, trying to process what he was saying. “I believe that the best way to it would be through words. You know, you can use your mouth to speak.”“You’ll want to see it yourself.” He said, taking a breath.I didn’t respond.I didn’t

Nolan:For a long moment, I just stood there, staring at her.I just stood and watched in silence as I looked at the woman who I thought was nothing more than a wife, at least by name. A woman who was raised to submit, just like her father often claimed.I knew the reputation that he carried and I knew how cold and cruel he was. I knew that he would not allow her to have such a responsibility or to even care to understand any of this for her to know such strategy, for her to be as smart. Confidence, her steady gaze and their refusal to shrink under the weight of my silence. I found myself being impressed.I did not say a word as I watched her before I turned my attention to Alessandro and nodded.“Alessandro,” I said, my voice low but carrying through the courtyard.“Yes, Alpha.”“Take two teams to the perimeter. Pull them back just inside the tree line. Leave the patrols light where they can be seen, make it look sloppy. Make them look weaker than those that they're used to. Make the

Nolan:“You know, she is a good, you know, around at least in front of the pack members, she managed to do something that is good.” Alessandro said, walking out to the veranda where I stood watching the preparation around the pack, watching as they readied themselves for what was to come.“I know that she is good, but it doesn't make sense to me. If you have a daughter that is that good, if you have a leader by blood, why would you just send her away? Why treat her as if she is nothing and then just have her leave?” I asked, shaking my head in question as I took a sip of my drink. “Nothing about her presence makes sense if she is a spy or if she's playing this game with her father…”“I doubt that she would be a spy. She has that aura around her that shows that she isn't.” He said, and I shook my head.“You are trusting her too much for your own good, Alessandro. You know for a fact that her presence here is simply for a deal.”“Is that what you're calling it right now after the two of

Nolan:She stormed out of the dining hall like a thunderclap. No words. No glances. Hell, she did not even hesitate or even look back before walking out. She didn't even care that she was causing a stir.Just the sound of her chair scraping against the floor, the sharp click of her shoes, and the echo of her frustration seared into the silence she left behind.Everyone noticed.Everyone waited for me to react.And for a few seconds, no one moved. It was as if they just froze. The one person who seemed amused by this was Alessandro, who shook his head as he kept his eyes on his plate.I saw the way their heads turned, the uncomfortable shift of shoulders, forks pausing mid-air. No one said anything, no one dared, but they all felt it.But I didn’t react. At least, not in front of them. I did not say a word…I clenched my jaw, slowly lowering the glass in my hand. The taste of wine had soured on my tongue. I didn’t finish the meal. I didn’t say a word. I didn’t need to. Everyone saw the

Nolan:The knock on my office door came just as Alessandro left, thankfully before I said something I’d regret.I didn’t look up.Though the tension within the pack was not one that I did not notice, whoever came had masked their scent. Still, I knew that no one would be foolish to come and make a mistake like this one within my own grounds.“Enter.”The door creaked open slowly, and in walked Elder Mathew, ever regal in his pressed robes, his salt-and-pepper beard trimmed, posture impossibly upright. His presence always carried the weight of tradition. Of expectations. Of judgment.His eyes were dark with anticipation, and for a second he just looked around without saying a word. He was studying me, waiting for me to flinch, but I was not going to give him that. I was no fool. And this was a game that I knew well.“Nolan,” he said in that low, authoritative voice that had once made even my father stand straighter. “It’s time we speak. I believe that this conversation is long overdue.