บททั้งหมดของ The Alpha's Bargain: บทที่ 141 - บทที่ 150

(Catherine POV)I leaned down until my lips were barely an inch from his, close enough to feel the warmth of breath that had been growing steadily weaker. His scent filled my senses—pine and winter air and the particular musk that clung to his skin like aromatic evidence of his dual nature—but underneath lay something else now, something that smelled like hope mixed with magic."I choose you," I whispered against his lips, the words carrying more weight than any vow I'd ever spoken. "Not because I have to, not because circumstances leave me no alternatives, but because you're what I want. What I need. What I've been looking for without knowing it since I was old enough to understand that home was something you found rather than something you inherited."The kiss was soft at first, gentle as butterfly wing against skin that was too cold but warming under my touch. But as our lips met, as I poured everything I was into connection that had been building since the moment I'd stepped th

(Kieran POV)She slept beside me like trust given physical form, her dark hair spread across pillows that had never held anyone else, her breathing steady with the particular rhythm that spoke of someone whose mind was finally at peace. One hand rested on my chest, palm warm against skin that no longer carried the constant tension of transformation held in check.Even in sleep, she was beautiful in ways that went beyond mere physical attraction. The stubborn set of her jaw that had challenged my authority from the first night, the gentle curve of fingers that had touched my wolf form with wonder rather than revulsion, the rise and fall of breath that had become more necessary than my own.She'd chosen this. Chosen me, chosen the pack, chosen a life that would never be simple or entirely safe but that offered connection she'd been seeking without knowing it since childhood. Had looked at impossible circumstances and found ways to make them work anyway, had turned captivity into belo

(Catherine POV)The practical part of my mind immediately conjured images of everything I'd be leaving behind permanently—Mother's gentle guidance, Father's slowly healing guilt, Jamie's bright enthusiasm for life that hadn't yet been dimmed by adult disappointments. The human world with its comprehensible limitations and predictable consequences, where women might be constrained by society's expectations but at least understood what those expectations were.But even as I thought of them, even as I felt the familiar tug of family obligation that had governed most of my adult decisions, I knew with crystalline clarity where my heart had already made its choice. The letter from home still sat on my writing desk like reminder of world I'd been born into, but it felt like artifact from someone else's life rather than urgent summons back to place I belonged.I belonged here. Had belonged here since the night I'd looked at Kieran's transformation and chosen wonder over horror, since the

(Kieran POV)The ancient words felt strange on my tongue despite decades of witnessing these ceremonies, weighted with significance that personal experience couldn't fully prepare anyone to understand. But I spoke them clearly, letting my voice carry across clearing where my pack waited to witness bond that would reshape our collective future."Catherine Montgomery," I said, using her full name because ceremony demanded formal acknowledgment of who she had been before choosing transformation. "I offer you my protection, my strength, my life itself in service of bond that will tie our souls together beyond death, beyond time, beyond any force that might seek to part what we join here tonight."The words echoed off ancient stones, absorbed by earth that had heard similar vows spoken by generations of alphas who'd understood the weight of what they were undertaking. But none of them had offered bond to human mate, had navigated territories where biology itself became negotiable rather

(Catherine POV)The wolves emerged from shadows like materialization of moonlight given form, their massive shapes flanking us with synchronized precision that spoke of choreography practiced over generations. But this wasn't performance—this was family, pack bonds expressing themselves through movement that required no conscious coordination to achieve perfect unity.Lucas ran point, his gray-furred form cutting through underbrush with efficiency that cleared paths for those who followed. Elena and Marcus flanked our group, their attention focused outward toward threats that might challenge pack activities rather than inward toward whatever ceremony we were fulfilling. Thomas and the twins wove through trees with liquid grace, their younger energy finding expression through leaps and bounds that would have looked like showing off if not for the obvious joy that drove their movements.Through the bond, I could feel their emotions as clearly as my own—satisfaction at successful cere