All Chapters of Bound To The Ruthless Alpha: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

I turned back to the mirror and stared at myself.The dress was simple, fitted in a way that flattered without inviting. The color: midnight blue. Regal. Cold. The neckline dipped just enough to draw the eye, and the sleeves bared my shoulders.Mira had chosen it carefully. I could see that now. Blue to match my eyes, to make them appear larger, more striking. Cut to suggest elegance without sexuality. Sophisticated enough to command respect from visiting councilmen.There were no scars visible now.Just skin.Hair braided down my back.Eyes hollow, but framed.I didn't look like someone who'd been punished.I looked like someone meant to be seen.Like a weapon.But not the kind that draws blood. The kind that draws attention. That makes statements. That serves as proof of power and control and the ability to transform enemies into ornaments."What time?" I asked quietly."Just after dusk," Mira replied. "I'll begin your hair after you eat."I nodded once.Behind me, in the reflection

I could feel their eyes like physical weight pressing down on me. Some curious, some pitying, some calculating what my presence here meant for their own political positions. None of them looked at me like I was a person—only like a piece in a game they were all trying to understand.Even the ones who didn't look directly at me—I felt their attention.Held like breath in a room full of wolves.The air was thick with unspoken questions. What was I doing here? Why had Kael chosen to display me so publicly? What message was he sending by seating his conquered enemy's daughter at his right hand?I'm the message. I'm the threat and the promise and the warning all rolled into one midnight blue dress. Look what I can do. Look what I did do. Look what I'll do to you if you cross me.I kept my head high. Kept my eyes straight. Mira had taught me how to walk without looking afraid, even when fear pressed like a second skin beneath my dress.Each step was deliberate. Measured. The kind of walk th

The kind of conversational snare that looked innocent on the surface but had razor-sharp edges underneath. Whatever I said, however I responded, he would twist it into something that served his purposes.Still… I didn't spring it.He waited.Patient as a spider in its web, confident that his prey would eventually struggle into the strands he'd laid.Then added, voice lowering like venom slipping beneath skin—"In Karl's arms, I mean."The mention of Karl's name sent a spike of something through me—not quite anger, not quite pain, but something that burned nonetheless. The memory of being carried, of gentle hands and worried eyes, of someone treating me like I was worth saving.I turned to face him.Slowly.My heart was loud, but my voice wasn't."He was doing what needed to be done," I said. "You left me there."Truth. Simple, clean truth.The words came out steadier than I felt. Matter-of-fact. Like I was discussing the weather instead of the moment when Karl had found me broken and

The laughter around the table had changed.At first, it had been light, harmless—the kind of banter wolves shared when wine was poured and platters of meat were carved. The air had been thick with smoke and satisfaction, the scent of roasted meat mingling with expensive wine and the musk of powerful wolves celebrating another successful gathering.But the deeper the cups were drained, the sharper the edges of their words became. Wine had a way of loosening tongues and sharpening claws, and what had started as camaraderie was slowly transforming into something more dangerous. More predatory.I sat still, my spine straight as a blade, Kael's hand heavy on my thigh beneath the tablecloth, while I pretended to study the shimmer of my untouched wine. The goblet felt cold against my palm, the silver stem slick with condensation. I tried to drown out the noise, the endless boasting and sly insults that seemed to bounce off the stone walls and echo back twice as loud, but every sound seemed t

He thought Kael was about to speak in his defense. That his silence had been patience, not calculation. That perhaps this time—this once—Kael would recognize him as an equal before the table of Alphas. Would claim him as family, would defend the bond between them.I saw it in the way he lifted his chin, just slightly. The way his shoulders eased, as if readying to nod in agreement with whatever Kael said next. The pathetic gratitude that crept into his eyes.A son-in-law speaking for his father-in-law.A bond. A unity.A lie so beautiful he couldn't help but believe it.But I knew him.I knew the way his mind worked, the way he played with his prey before he devoured it.And I knew he wasn't going to defend anyone.Not me. Not my father.Least of all my father.Kael raised his goblet higher, his voice even and smooth when it finally came, carrying across the table without effort. Every word was perfectly enunciated, each syllable designed for maximum impact."Correction," he said, and