CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA PRINCIPAL のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

Eden froze mid-step.Rafe was leaning against the wall opposite the office door, arms folded, one foot propped casually behind him. The lazy curve of his mouth said he’d been waiting.“For me?” she asked, voice tighter than she meant.He grinned. “Who else?”Her pulse skipped. She glanced over her shoulder at Kael’s closed door, then back at Rafe. “You shouldn’t-““-be here?” he cut in smoothly, pushing off the wall. “Maybe. But you looked like you needed rescuing.”“I don’t,” she said, but her voice lacked conviction.Rafe stepped closer, close enough for her to catch the faint scent of his cologne. “He’s protective. Overprotective.” His eyes narrowed slightly, studying her face. “Why’s that?”She swallowed. “You should go.”He smiled faintly, leaning just enough to make it feel like the hallway shrank. “You’re interesting, Eden. And I like interesting things.”Before she could reply, the office door opened behind her.Kael stepped out.His gaze swept the scene in an instant Rafe sta

Kael did not move for several long seconds after the creature vanished into the treeline. His gaze lingered on the shifting shadows between the branches, the faint rustle of leaves giving away the wind’s passage rather than the intruder’s. His breathing was steady and measured, but inside, something coiled tight. His instincts screamed that the words had been meant to crawl beneath his skin and take root.And they had.She is marked.The phrase lingered in the air even after the shapeshifter’s scent began to fade, as if the trees themselves had whispered it back to him in a mocking echo. It was not a casual taunt. No creature like that wasted breath unless it had something to gain.The pack arrived seconds later, four men and two women moving quickly across the grass to form a protective half circle around him. Their movements were precise, silent except for the faint crunch of shoes on dried leaves. Their eyes scanned the tree line, the edges of the grounds, the rooftops. They were t

Eden had been halfway through fixing her hair in the glass when it started.It was not a sound at first. More like a shift in the air behind her, the way a room feels when someone else steps inside and you just know you are not alone. The hallway was full of voices and footsteps, but all of that seemed to blur into the background until she could only hear her own breathing.She kept her eyes on her reflection, fingers still smoothing the strands, pretending she had not noticed. But the air felt heavier now, as if a storm had slid in through the open windows. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose, tingling, and her chest tightened with something she could not quite name.Someone was watching her.She told herself it was ridiculous. This was Crestwood. Students, teachers, security nothing dangerous happened here. And yet, the longer she stood there, the more certain she became that the weight of those eyes was not imagined.Her pulse thudded low in her throat. She shifted her bag

Kael’s steps were measured, each stride carrying him through the halls like a predator concealed beneath a gentleman’s exterior. The morning chatter of students washed around him, but he did not hear it the way they did. His senses were sharpened beyond the ordinary, tuned to every shift of scent, every flutter of a heartbeat that struck out of rhythm.He told himself he was hunting the shapeshifter. That was the excuse. It was safer than admitting what his wolf was truly after.And then he caught it. The scent that silenced the noise of the world.It clung to the air like smoke and sunlight entwined, sweet and burning all at once. The moment it slid into him, his wolf surged forward, claws raking at the inside of his skin, howling with recognition. His gaze cut through the sea of students until it landed on her.Eden.She was standing by her locker, head bent slightly as she fixed her books. Nothing about her movements should have captured him, but they did. The tilt of her wrist, th

Do you want to come inside? I asked Tentatively and was happy when he did not refuse. The air inside my house was still, almost heavy, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. I dropped my bag by the couch and turned to lock the door, only to feel him close behind me. His presence filled the small space, so much larger, so much more consuming than the wide halls of Crestwood. Here, there was no one watching. No one to pretend for. It was just me and him.Kael.I could hear the faint rhythm of his breathing. Deep, controlled, but not calm. When I turned around, he was already watching me. His eyes looked darker here, the shadows wrapping around him, making the lines of his face sharper, more dangerous.“You should rest,” he said, his voice low, almost rough.I nodded, but my body moved differently. Instead of stepping back, I stepped closer, as if some hidden tether was pulling me toward him. His jaw flexed, his eyes dropping for a split second to my lips.It was enough.