All Chapters of Claimed By The Biker Alpha: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Jolie POV I spend the next two days trying to be invisible.It's harder than it sounds in a compound full of bikers who notice everything. But I manage to slip through routines like a ghost - helping in the kitchen before anyone else wakes up, doing laundry in the basement while everyone's busy with pack business, staying in my room when the common areas get crowded.I'm good at being invisible. I've had years of practice.The cuts on my hands are healing, though they still throb when I grip things too tightly. Doc offered to rewrap them yesterday, but I told him they were fine. The less attention I draw, the better.I'm in the garage now, trying to organize the tool area without touching anything too expensive. Knox found me here an hour ago and just nodded before going back to work on his bike. He doesn't seem to mind my presence as long as I stay quiet and out of the way.That's when the tears start.I don't know why they come now. Maybe it's the smell of motor oil and metal that

Jolie POVI wake up screaming.Again.My throat burns raw and my sheets are soaked with sweat. The nightmare clings to me—Thorne's hands reaching for me, Gio's cold smile as he counts money, the sound of pack wolves howling for my blood."Just a dream," I whisper to the darkness, my voice cracking. "Just a dream."But my body doesn't believe it. My heart hammers against my ribs and I can't stop shaking. These nightmares are getting worse, coming every night now like some twisted routine. I press my face into my pillow, trying to muffle the sobs that won't stop coming.A shadow fills my doorway."Jolie?" Ryder's voice is rough with sleep, concern visible through the exhaustion.I freeze, mortified. How loud was I screaming? Did I wake the whole compound?"I'm sorry." I choke out the words between gasps for air. "I'm okay. Go back to sleep."Instead of leaving, he steps into my room. The floorboards creak under his weight as he moves closer to my bed. I brace myself for impatience, for

Jolie POV"You need real clothes," Luna announces, appearing in my doorway with car keys dangling from her finger. "Not borrowed t-shirts and jeans that are three sizes too big."I look down at my outfit Knox's old Iron Fangs shirt hanging off my small frame like a tent. "These are fine. I don't need""You need clothes that fit." She crosses her arms, giving me a look that says arguing is pointless. "And you need to get out of this compound before you start growing roots."An hour later, I'm following her through a small mountain town, trying not to stare at everything like the sheltered runt I am. The Nightshade Pack controlled our territory so tightly that I rarely left the estate. This normal human world feels alien and overwhelming."Breathe," Luna says, steering me into a clothing store. "They're just people. They can't even smell that you're a wolf."The next two hours are a blur of trying on clothes, Luna rejecting anything that makes me look smaller than I already am. She has

Jolie POV"Get some sleep, Ryder," I say softly, my voice barely above a whisper in the dim room. "Your war can wait until morning."He doesn't move from where he sits on my bed, his weight creating a small dip in the mattress. His dark eyes study me like I'm something precious he might lose. "Stay with me for a minute," he murmurs, his voice rough with exhaustion.My heart skips, heat creeping up my neck. "You're in my room," I point out, though the protest sounds weak even to my ears."Then let me stay." He reaches for my hand, his calloused fingers wrapping around mine, his touch gentle despite the blood still crusted on his knuckles. "Just until you fall asleep."I should say no. Should maintain some kind of boundary between us. But the loneliness in his voice matches the ache in my chest, so I nod, unable to form words around the lump in my throat.He stretches out on top of the blanket, fully dressed in his blood-stained clothes. I curl up beside him, my body fitting against his

Jolie POVI wake up alone.For a moment, I panic, thinking last night was a dream. But then I see the dried blood on my pillowcase and the first aid kit still open on my dresser, and I know it was real.I healed him. Actually healed him.My hands still tingle with phantom warmth as I drag myself out of bed. Everything hurts—not the bone-deep agony of shifting, but a hollow exhaustion like I gave away too much of myself.The compound is busy when I stumble outside. Wolves are everywhere, working on bikes and carrying supplies. A few glance my way, but no one stares neither do they whisper.They don't know. Thank god, they don't know."Jolie." Knox appears beside me, his massive frame blocking out the sun and casting me in shadow. "You look like hell," he observes bluntly, his eyes scanning my face with concern."Good morning to you too." I rub my eyes, trying to clear the exhaustion that clings to my vision. "Have you seen Ryder?" I ask, hoping my voice doesn't betray the desperate nee