All Chapters of Alpha Asher's Forbidden Mate: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The air in the arena was thick with dust, the scent of sweat and iron curling around me like a predator. My heart slammed against my ribs, each beat echoing in my skull as the crowd’s murmurs rose like a low tide. I stepped onto the sand, and it crunched beneath my boots. One wrong move, one misstep, and it would swallow me whole.Three warriors waited for me. Trained, precise, their eyes gleaming with hunger for victory. The Elders had chosen this Trial to test me—to see if I was worthy of the Shadowfang legacy. And yet, in their eyes, I was already a curiosity. A girl who had returned from exile, alone, untested, yet standing on the precipice of survival.I clenched my fists. “I am Aria Thorn,” I whispered to myself. “Shadowfang’s blood runs through me. I survive.”The first warrior lunged, steel glinting under torchlight. My body moved before my mind did, ducking under the arc of his blade. The sand sprayed into the air as I rolled, claws grazing the ground—not literal claws, but i

The heavy door slammed shut behind me, the echo clanging like a sentence. The Alpha’s quarters weren’t just a room—they were a gilded cage. Thick velvet curtains blocked the moonlight, and every breath carried Riven’s scent—smoke, pine, and the sharp edge of dominance. It coiled through me, wrapping tighter than the lock on the door.I pressed my palm flat against the wood, testing it, my wolf snarling inside. Trapped. Again. First the Trial, now this.“I’m not a prisoner,” I whispered, though the silence swallowed the lie.The room itself felt alive, oppressive. Weapons gleamed on the walls, a map of the Shadowfang territory stretched across one side, and the massive bed at the center looked less like a place to rest and more like a throne of power. My heart pounded, furious that he thought he could cage me here for my “safety.”Safety. The word curdled in my chest.When the door finally opened again, my pulse betrayed me. Riven stepped in, his presence filling the air, sharp as ligh

The Shadowfang ruins had a stillness that felt almost sacred, broken only by the soft scuff of my boots against the stone floor. Moonlight slanted through cracks in the crumbling ceiling, painting silver streaks across the debris. I hesitated at the threshold of the library chamber—if it could even be called that anymore. Dust hung in the air, thick and heavy, carrying the faint metallic scent of blood long dried.Some instinct—I didn’t know if it was fear or memory—pulled me forward. And there, half-buried beneath a pile of broken scrolls, was a leather-bound journal. Its cover was cracked with age, the emblem of the Shadowfang crest faintly embossed. My fingers trembled as I lifted it.A shiver ran through me. This was my father’s.I settled onto the cold stone floor, the journal resting on my lap. With a deep breath, I opened it, revealing the first page. His handwriting—uneven, hurried in places—welled up memories of whispered lessons, bedtime stories, and stern warnings. I could

The night air was thick with tension, the kind that prickled my skin and made the hairs along my neck stand on end. The full moon hung heavy above Shadowfang grounds, casting silver light over the ceremonial circle. The elders had gathered around the firepit, their eyes sharp, their murmurs low but urgent. I could feel Riven’s presence before I saw him—cold, commanding, yet tethered to me in a way that made my pulse hammer against my ribs.The chain between us clinked softly as I stepped forward, the metal warm against my wrist. It had become heavier in the last few days, almost alive, as if it knew the rhythm of my heartbeat. I glanced down and froze. Tiny sigils glowed along the links, shimmering faintly with a fire that no one else could see. My stomach twisted. What is this?Riven’s gaze followed mine, and I flinched under the intensity. His hand hovered over the chain, hovering too close, yet he didn’t touch it. “Focus,” he said, his voice low, measured. “Do not let your emotions

I barely had time to catch my breath after the attack when the council demanded answers. The air in the Shadowfang hall was thick with tension, and every pair of eyes seemed to pierce through me, accusing me silently of failing the pack. Riven’s icy glare burned across the room, his jaw tight, every muscle coiled like a predator ready to strike. Damien stepped forward with that infuriatingly calm smirk, the one that had ruined countless moments of my life. “This is an outrage,” he began, voice smooth and commanding, each word measured to perfection. “Accusing me of betrayal without proof is… petty. The real culprits—these masked assassins—were set against the wrong target. Surely, you don’t think I would endanger the pack?” His words dripped with charm, and I felt a prick of unease. The council murmured among themselves, the elders shifting uncomfortably in their seats. I could see their hesitation, the way Damien’s presence bent their judgment, the way his charisma cast shadows ov