บททั้งหมดของ THE SUBSTITUTE MATE FOR THE ALPHA KING: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

The guard’s command sliced through the lingering haze of the nightmare, jolting me fully awake. My heart, which had only just begun to slow, seized up again. This was real. The dark, the cold floor, the fear—they were all real. The dream had been a premonition, a ghost of what was to come.I carefully untangled myself from Elisse, my movements slow and deliberate, trying not to wake her. Her peaceful, sleeping face was a stark contrast to the terror tightening my chest. The guard stood impatiently by the door, his expression unreadable in the flickering lantern light.As I passed the elderly caretaker’s pallet, her eyes fluttered open. In the dim light, I saw it—not sympathy, but a sharp, calculating glint. And something else. A faint, almost imperceptible nod. It was so quick I might have imagined it, but it sent a fresh chill down my spine. Was she in on it? Was she part of Gideon’s web?The walk to Gideon’s office felt like a walk to the gallows. The stone corridors seemed longer,

The sight of Riri in the flickering matchlight, her face a mask of triumphant malice, was a plunge into ice water. My arms tightened around Elisse, her sleeping form my only anchor in the spinning, treacherous darkness.“Riri,” I breathed, the name a curse and a plea all at once.“Did you really think it would be that easy?” she whispered, her voice like silk unraveling in the dark. She took a step forward, the knife glinting. “That you could just slink out of here with your bastard child and disappear?” She let out a low, ugly laugh. “Kelra’s always been soft. A few whispered threats about his family, and he was so eager to prove his loyalty. And the old crone? She’ll be dealt with.”Betrayal. It was all a setup. A beautifully laid trap, and I had walked right into it. Kelra’s help, the caretaker’s warning—it had all been orchestrated by her. She had used my desperation against me, leading me to this isolated, perfect place for my disappearance.“Gideon will have your head for this,”

The next few days were a grueling journey through rugged, unfamiliar territory. Renejay’s men were efficient and mostly silent, treating me with a detached, professional courtesy that was more unnerving than outright hostility. They fed us, ensured my wounds were cleaned and re-bandaged, but their eyes held no warmth. I was a tool to them, a valuable asset to be delivered intact to their leader.Elisse clung to me, quiet and withdrawn. The spark in her eyes had dimmed, replaced by a watchful fear that broke my heart. I tried to soothe her, to whisper promises of safety I couldn’t guarantee, but my words felt hollow even to my own ears.Renejay himself was a constant, unsettling presence. He would walk beside me for stretches, asking seemingly casual questions about the Cresendo Pack’s defenses, about Kairi’s habits, about the loyalty of his Betas. Each question was a probe, a search for weaknesses. I answered vaguely when I could, lied when I had to, my every word feeling like a betra

The world narrowed to the horrifying sight of the crossbow bolt protruding from Kairi’s chest. Time seemed to slow, each second stretching into an eternity of shock and disbelief. He knelt there, his eyes wide, fixed on me, his mouth forming a silent word that might have been my name or might have been a curse. Then he pitched forward onto the forest floor, motionless.A scream lodged in my throat, strangled and silent. My body moved before my mind could process the betrayal. I shoved a stunned Beta Kelra aside and lunged for Kairi, dropping to my knees beside him. Elisse, jostled awake, began to wail.“Kairi! No, no, no…” My hands fluttered over him, unsure where to touch, terrified of causing more damage. The bolt was buried deep. Blood, shockingly dark and vivid, soaked the front of his tunic, pooling on the leafy ground beneath him. His breathing was a wet, ragged gasp.“He’s alive!” I cried out, looking up at Kelra, whose face was a mask of horror and fury. “Help him!”But Kelra

The voice was a ghost’s whisper, a rasp of air forced through a wounded chest, but it carried an Alpha’s command that froze every single person in the clearing.“Stop.”Heads whipped around. The guard’s hand froze on the lever. My heart stuttered, a wild, impossible hope flaring to life inside me.Pushed through the crowd in a makeshift litter, pale as death and supported by two grim-faced warriors from his personal guard, was Kairi.He was alive.A sob choked in my throat. He was alive! He had come! He would tell them the truth! He would save us!The crowd parted like a sea as the warriors carried Kairi’s litter to the foot of the gallows platform. He was horrifically pale, a massive bandage visible beneath his open tunic. But his eyes were open, and they scanned the scene—the noose around my neck, the desperate faces—with a cold, assessing clarity that made my newfound hope flicker uneasily.He winced as the litter was set down, his face contorting with pain. His gaze swept over the