Lahat ng Kabanata ng CONSUMED IN THE TRIPLET ALPHAS' HEAT : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

JAXThe dignitaries from the Northern Crescent Pack arrived just before sunset. I had to be there to greet them.Alpha Winston and his wife Luna Gloria with their daughter whose name I could not remember for the life of me. They were my father's allies. Had stood with us through the worst times.Winston clasped my forearm in the traditional greeting. "Jax. Good to see you thriving.""Alpha Winston. Thank you for coming.""Wouldn't miss the Blood Moon Festival. And congratulations to Kain on the Alpha Primus nomination."I forced a smile. "He'll be pleased to hear it.""We're all worried though." Luna Gloria face was serious. "Your father was chosen for that position before..."She didn't finish. Didn't need to."We're aware of the risks," I said carefully."We'll protect him," Winston said firmly. "Whatever you need. Our warriors are yours."The sentiment was repeated by three other visiting Alphas throughout the night. Everyone worried. Everyone offering support.It should have been c

LIRAI was running like the hounds of hell were on my heels.Afternoon sun burned overhead and even through the dense canopy I could feel its heat pressing down and I knew outside the forest it must be scorching.Last night's rain had turned the ground to mud. I was caked in it from falling, sliding and crawling through undergrowth. My clothes were ruined, my skin was filthy, but I could not stop to care.Branches whipped my face, leaving stinging cuts. My grandmother's cloak was half torn and hanging in tatters but I kept running.Blood ran down my arms from dozens of scratches. My lungs burned and my legs felt like they would give out any second but I pushed through it.Had to keep moving. Had to get farther away.My wolf was screaming inside me. Howling. Clawing at my mind trying to take control.*Go back. Go back to our mates. They need us. We need them.*"Shut up," I gasped out loud. "Shut up shut up shut up."But she would not listen. Kept fighting me. Making it harder to run. Ma

RIVENI could not stand. Could not sit. Could not eat.Could not do anything except pace the temple floors and feel my mind slowly unraveling.Every nerve in my body was screaming. Every instinct telling me something was wrong and I needed to fix it but I did not know how.Where was she? Where did she go? What direction?And more importantly: why?The terror she must be facing right now. Alone in the wilderness. Without protection. Without a wolf to defend herself.Terrible images flashed through my mindRogues finding her. Hurting her. Killing her. I shoved the thoughts away violently because I could not let myself imagine those things or I would lose what little control I had left.Being female and being rogue were two dangerous things separately. Combined they were a death sentence.And Lira was both.The door to the temple burst open and Jax stumbled in looking like he had not slept in days."Did you see her?" I asked immediately even though I already knew the answer from his face

LIRAI had been digging through the undergrowth for hours looking for anything edible when I stumbled out of the forest at dawn and found myself staring at farmland.Cultivated fields. Rows of vegetables. A small cottage in the distance with smoke rising from the chimney.My monthly bleeding had gotten worse overnight and I desperately needed help, supplies, and somewhere to clean myself up.But trusting strangers was dangerous. Every instinct screamed at me to stay hidden.I crouched at the tree line and watched the cottage for several minutes and tried to decide what to do.Then I saw an old woman emerging from around the side of the cottage. Bent with age. Walking with a stick. A basket on her arm.She headed toward the fields slowly and I watched as she knelt and started harvesting vegetables. She looked harmless enough.I made my decision and approached slowly with my hands visible so I would not startle her.But she turned anyway, gasped and nearly dropped her basket."Blessed Go

LIRAI was breathing through both my nose and mouth because one was not enough to get air into my lungs.Exhaustion did not begin to cover it. My legs were made of lead. My vision kept blurring at the edges.The fever from my monthly bleeding was making everything worse. I had not seen anything edible in hours.No berries. No plants. Nothing.Just empty road stretching ahead and my body slowly giving up.Then I saw buildings in the distance and relief flooded through me so strong it made me dizzy.A town. Small. One main street with buildings that looked old but maintained. Mix of residential and commercial.I dragged myself forward and kept my head down and tried not to look at anyone.I knew what I looked like. Dirty. Bloody. Hollow-eyed. Like a criminal or a refugee or both.A few people glanced my way and then immediately looked away like I was something unpleasant they did not want to acknowledge.That was fine. Better to be invisible than memorable.I needed food. Needed to find