All Chapters of The Alpha’s Forbidden Mate: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The Council ChamberThe oak doors groaned as they opened, spilling golden torchlight into the corridor. My boots echoed against the stone as I entered the chamber, every step heavy with the weight of centuries.Inside, the council had gathered—the elders in their long dark cloaks, Darius at the head of the table, his sharp eyes watching everything. And beside him sat Lyra.She was radiant, in a calculated way. Her silver gown shimmered like water under moonlight, her dark hair coiled into an intricate braid. Every movement of hers was deliberate, practiced. I inclined my head in acknowledgment, though my wolf bristled inside me, restless, unwilling.“Alpha Kael,” Darius said smoothly, his voice carrying the authority of both diplomacy and threat. “We are honored you’ve joined us. Tonight, the matter of union is to be finalized. The packs have waited long enough for peace.”My jaw tightened, but I gave a curt nod. “Let’s not waste time, then.”Lyra’s lips curved in a small smile. “Str

Kael POVSleep refused me.I lay in the chamber the Darius pack had given me, staring at the ceiling beams as shadows crept across the walls. The air was thick with silence, yet my wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless, pacing, snarling at the edges of my control.It wasn’t about the union. It wasn’t about Lyra.It was her.That girl.The way the forest itself seemed to bend around her presence. The way my heart had thudded when our eyes met. The way my wolf had risen like it had finally found what it had been searching for.And the scent—wildflowers and rain. Even now, I swore I could still taste it in the air.I turned over, fists clenching.I couldn’t go on like this.I was Kael, Alpha of my pack. Every decision I made, every order I gave, shaped the lives of hundreds. I had no room for weakness. No time for distractions.Yet here I was, haunted by the face of a stranger.What if she wasn’t a stranger?The thought whispered through me like a shadowed knife. My wolf growled in agre

KaelThe sun rose warm and golden, its light spilling over the treetops as if the forest itself had been set aflame.I had not moved all night.My back ached from leaning against the oak, but the ache was nothing compared to the restless pounding of my wolf beneath my skin. Every minute spent waiting had been its own kind of torment.But now, with the day fully born, the town began to stir. The faint murmur of voices drifted toward me. Doors creaked open, wooden wheels rolled across cobblestones, chickens clucked in protest as they were carried into pens.It was time.I pulled my cloak tighter, the hood shadowing most of my face. Humans weren’t foolish, but neither were they quick to suspect what moved among them. I would pass as one of their own easily enough—as long as I kept my wolf in check.With a deep breath, I stepped out of the forest and into the waking world of men.The Human TownThe streets were already filling. Merchants lifted their carts into place, their hands smudged

Elara The forest swallowed us whole. One moment, I was in the noisy town, the smell of bread and smoke clinging to my clothes. The next, it was just silence, broken only by the crunch of leaves beneath our steps and the steady thrum of my own heartbeat. The woods were different this time. Last time, they had swallowed me whole—dark, endless, a maze of shadows I’d stumbled through with fear clutching my throat. But now, with him beside me, it felt… changed. Alive. The air hummed around us, thick and heavy with a strange electricity. My heart raced so loudly I wondered if he could hear it. We walked in silence, his steps steady, mine uneven as I tried to keep pace. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to demand answers, yet my lips trembled with the weight of words I wasn’t sure I should speak. Finally, I forced them out. “Who are you?” Kael The question cut through the quiet, sharper than any blade. Who was I? Alpha of the Nightfangs. Heir of blood and war. The wolf who

The moment I stepped through the door, I felt my mother’s eyes on me.She was sitting at the chair, a half-folded piece of cloth in her lap, her needle frozen mid-stitch. Her gaze swept over me quickly—my tangled hair, my flushed cheeks, the dirt on the hem of my dress.“Elara,” she said slowly, her voice steady but sharp, “where have you been?”My chest tightened. I gripped the basket tighter, praying she wouldn’t notice how my hands trembled.I forced a smile. “I went to Mira’s house.”The lie tumbled from my lips before I could stop it. My heart thudded hard, each beat echoing in my ears.For a moment, she didn’t answer. She just studied me, her eyes narrowing slightly.Finally, she set the cloth down. “All this time?”“Yes,” I said quickly. “We were just… talking. I lost track of time.”Her silence pressed heavy on me. I could feel it—her suspicion, her knowing.But she only nodded once and rose from her chair. “Wash up for dinner.”I breathed out, relieved. Yet something in her e