All Chapters of The Alpha's Bargain: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

(Catherine POV)Lucas's eyes were starting to drift closed, and that scared me more than the blood that kept seeping between my fingers despite pressure that was probably causing additional pain. Unconsciousness meant his body was shutting down non-essential functions to preserve whatever resources remained for critical systems.Systems that might not be sufficient to maintain life if shock progressed beyond current levels.Resources that were being depleted faster than supernatural healing could replenish them.Critical functions that could cease entirely if intervention didn't prove adequate to trauma that exceeded normal parameters."Hey," I said sharply, using tone I'd learned from

(Catherine POV)Color was returning to Lucas's face as the herbal treatment worked with his supernatural healing to address trauma that had seemed overwhelming but was proving manageable with proper intervention. His breathing had steadied, becoming deeper and more regular, suggesting that immediate crisis was passing into territory of recovery rather than deterioration.Recovery that would take time but seemed increasingly probable.Healing that would require continued care but appeared to be proceeding successfully.Treatment that had proven traditional knowledge could complement supernatural capabilities rather than being rendered obsolete by them.Success that demonstrated pack mem

(Kieran POV)The courtyard felt smaller with my entire pack assembled within its ancient walls. Bodies pressed together in the space where last night's violence had painted abstract patterns in blood and broken stone. Some bore visible wounds from the battle—Marcus still favored his left arm, Elena's shoulder remained heavily bandaged—but they stood straight, proud, united in the way that only shared survival could forge.This was my family. Every weathered face, every calculating stare, every soul who'd chosen to follow me into whatever darkness leadership demanded. They'd bled for this domain, for each other, for the idea that isolation could become sanctuary if defended with sufficient brutality.Now they waited for explanations I'd spent three sleepless days avoiding.The morning air carried the scent of autumn's retreat and winter's inevitable advance. Smoke from the bonfire where we'd burned the rogues' remains mixed with pine and dying leaves, creating an atmosphere that felt

(Kieran POV)The weight of every stare in that courtyard pressed against my mate like a physical thing—some curious, some calculating, a few that held edges sharp enough to cut. Wolves were inherently hierarchical creatures, and introducing a human into established pack structure was the kind of change that could destabilize everything if handled poorly.But Catherine stood under that scrutiny without flinching, her spine straight and shoulders squared like someone who'd faced worse judgment and survived it. The morning light caught highlights in her dark hair, painted her profile in shades that made something possessive unfurl in my chest with enough force to make breathing difficult.Mine, the wolf whispered with satisfaction that felt like drowning in sunlight. Finally, completely, acknowledged as ours.I couldn't touch her. Not here, not with the pack watching for signs of weakness or favoritism that might compromise the authority they depended on for survival. But I could let my

(Catherine POV)I sank into the chair by my fireplace, Mother's letter still folded on the table beside me like a reminder of everything I'd be leaving behind permanently. The human world with its comprehensible rules and predictable consequences, where women might be constrained by society's expectations but at least understood what those expectations were.Here, I was fumbling through customs I didn't understand, navigating politics that could turn deadly without warning. The pack dynamics alone were labyrinthine—hierarchies within hierarchies, alliances and enmities that stretched back generations, codes of behavior that everyone else had learned from birth while I tried to piece together fragments from observation and overheard conversation.What was the proper way to address pack members of different ranks? How did disputes get resolved when they involved the alpha's mate? What happened if I inadvertently insulted someone through ignorance of supernatural etiquette that humans w