All Chapters of THE ALPHA'S MISTRESS : Chapter 21 - Chapter 25

(Cullen’s POV)Orders were simple. Too simple for what I was really doing.Extra rations. Carefully counted. Delivered at unusual times. Female supplies, discreetly labeled. Guards told not to enter my chambers without permission. Not a single soul.It raised eyebrows, of course. Whispers followed me like shadows. But I didn’t care. Not yet. Not until she was safe.Séraphine. She was hidden just beyond the wall of my old storage room—safe, silent, unseen. The mask of my authority kept anyone from guessing the truth. And for now, that was enough.The first night passed with nothing but the occasional creak of wood underfoot. I moved quietly, checking on her without revealing my own frustration. Every sound felt magnified: the faint rustle of fabric, the soft settling of shelves, the distant howl of a lone wolf. My mind was taut, alert. Every sense screaming.By the second day, my orders had drawn attention. Extra food, female supplies, private guards. Even my most trusted pack member h

(Cullen’s POV)I shouldn’t have come back.The council could wait.The pack could wait.But something about the way she looked at me before I left—Like she already knew how this would end.It pulled me back.I shut the door behind me harder than necessary.The room felt smaller this time.Warmer.She was still there.Exactly where I left her.But not untouched by the silence.Her fingers were curled slightly against her palm now. Her shoulders tighter. The calm was still there—but it was thinner.“You didn’t go,” she said.It wasn’t a question.“I will,” I replied.I didn’t move closer.That was the mistake.Because she did.Just one step.Slow.Deliberate.“You don’t like being watched,” she said quietly.My jaw tightened. “No one watches me.”“They are now.”