All Chapters of FALLING FOR THE ALPHA'S SHADOW: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

Kairos POV “Count them.” The words came out sharper than I meant, but no one argued. Silas moved first, grabbing Mael’s shoulders. “Say your name.” She blinked. “Mael.” “Again.” “Mael.” Her voice steadied. Good. Around us, the others stood in uneven clusters. Pale. Confused. Wet with sweat like they’d run miles without moving an inch. “Names,” I called. “All of you. Out loud.” One by one, they answered. Some strong. Some shaking. But present. I counted silently as they spoke. All accounted for. That should have eased something inside me. It didn’t. Seren stood just outside

Seren POV “Don’t trust the next breath.” The warning slipped out before I could soften it. Kairos’s eyes snapped to mine. “Why?” “Because,” I said, “it might not be ours.” No one inhaled. For one stretched second, we all just… held. The forest held with us. Then my lungs burned, and instinct won. I sucked in air. It tasted wrong. Not foul. Not poisoned. Just… unfamiliar. Mael coughed. “Did you feel that?” Silas nodded fast. “Like breathing through someone else’s chest.” Kairos exhaled slowly. “They replaced it.” “Yes,” I whispered. “A micro m

Kairos POV“Don’t react.”The warning came out sharp.Too late.The clearing blinked.One instant we stood inside the circle. Dirt under our boots. Names carved deep.The next…We were sitting around a campfire.Warm light flickered across our faces. The air smelled like smoke and cooked roots. Night insects hummed softly.Peaceful.Wrong.Silas smiled. “This is better.”My stomach turned. “No.”He blinked at me. “What?”Mael stretched her hands toward the fire. “We made it out. See?”Seren stood slowly. Her eyes scanned the trees. “Nobody move.”Silas frowned. “Why are you acting like this?”I looked down.My blade was gone.In its place sat a wooden cup in my hand.I dropped it.It didn’t fall.The cup hovered for a fraction of a second before gravity remembered its job and pulled it down.That was enough.“This is the replacement,” I said.Silas shook his head. “No, this is… normal.”Seren stepped toward him. “Tell me how we got here.”He shrugged. “We walked. We rested. We made ca

Kairos POV“Don’t answer.”The command left my mouth before Seren could move.Her shoulders locked. Good.The voice came again from the trees.“Seren… please.”Soft. Frayed. Familiar.Silas flinched. “That’s her mother.”Seren’s breath hitched.I saw it land. The sound went straight through her guard and buried itself somewhere deep.“No,” I said quietly. “It’s bait.”Seren didn’t look at me. Her eyes stayed fixed on the dark line of trees.“It sounds exactly like her,” she whispered.“That’s the point,” I said.The forest held its breath.“Seren,” the voice called again, closer now. “I’m scared.”Her fingers curled into fists.Mael stepped beside her. “Seren… don’t.”Seren swallowed hard. “She used to say that when storms hit.”The air tightened.The voice answered immediately.“Storm’s coming, baby. Stay close.”Seren staggered back like she’d been struck.Silas shook his head. “It’s reading her.”“No,” I said. “It’s replaying her.”Seren’s jaw trembled. “I just want to see…”“No,”

Seren POV “Take me instead.” The words burst out before fear could stop them. The clearing answered with silence. Then the hum sharpened. Not loud. Precise. Like a finger pressing on a bruise in reality. Kairos turned on me. “No.” “Yes,” I said. “If it wants two, we choose the terms.” Silas shook his head hard. “That’s not how this works!” Mael grabbed my sleeve. “Seren, don’t.” The hum pulsed again. The air folded inward. A pressure built behind my eyes, and suddenly I could feel it thinking. Not words. Not intent. Selection. Kairos stepped in front of me. “You&rs