All Chapters of The Alpha's Dragon: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

The afternoon sun spilled golden light over the courtyards of Tungsten Keep, glinting off rows of drying armor and silver-threaded cloaks. The air carried the faint scent of wet stone, soap, and pine....the usual perfume of the laundry court.Mio hummed as she worked, her fingers masterly stitching a tear in Valia’s battle tunic. She sat cross-legged on a smooth slab of rock, her short frame almost swallowed by the heap of clothes around her. Stray threads clung to her leg like cobwebs of silver.“You know,” she said, squinting at the seam, “if you keep fighting in this, Valia, you’ll soon be half naked in the middle of battle. And I refuse to sew that much torn clothing back into decency.”Valia snorted, lounging against a water barrel. “Then stop complaining and finish it faster. Your Alpha doesn’t wait for wardrobe malfunctions.”“Oh but The Alpha notices your wardrobe alright, not just others,” Mio said with a grin, biting off a thread with her teeth. “And you definitely notice hi

Thunder rolled somewhere above the forest canopy. The air was heavy with tension when Avail Bruce entered the war hall.The chamber flickered with obsidian, its amber glow licking at the carved wolf totems that lined the walls. Around the table sat the commanders of Tungsten. River Drew, who just came back from a mission, sat with his usual calm brooding stare. Valia stood as tense as the beta and omega captains nearby. Men and women whose hollow eyes and drawn faces spoke of too many sleepless nights.At the head sat Ligon. His expression was unreadable, but the muscle ticking in his jaw said enough.Avail dropped a torn scrap of cloth onto the table and the room stilled.River’s eyes narrowed. “That stinks....badly,” he said, giving voice to what everyone else was thinking.Avail nodded grimly. “RedMorning Pack. I tracked it from the clearing where Mio had vanished. They masked their trail with ash and mud, but I still caught it.”Valia stiffened. "They took her.”“Her and others

Chapter Fifty Six: A Concoction of Strategy and SeductionThe Shades had just arrived at the bustling inn two villages after Tungsten, their boots damp from the long road, the air thick with ale and smoke. She had made sure this particular inn was chosen, after all, it had the tavern he frequented.“Why this one?” Norya, one of the new recruits had asked, tossing her travel cloak over a chair.Valia smiled, her tone light. “The ale’s cheap and there are enough rooms. What more could we want?”Norya shrugged, none the wiser. Valia had other plans in mind for her stay in CloudClaw, other than gathering information with the Shades. She had collected information from the information guild at Tungsten on what tavern her target visited, so when the Shades had asked where they were to rest for a night, she had pointed out this inn-tavern as an option, which they took.Valia’s eyes were already sweeping through the room, she was certain he was going to be here. Loud laughters burst from a c

“That isn’t what you were told to do." His brows wrinkled in a frown "Such a reckless act. What would you have done if you had been caught? Your head would have been...no, perhaps your paycheck would never have been,” Finric’s concerned voice from two days past still echoed loudly in Valia’s mind.After he had caught her in the act, spying on the royals, she had spent the next few days doubling her efforts, expressing her gratitude at every chance and dropping subtle flattery every time he came by, just to keep him from reporting her. “Caught you again,” Finric said, arms crossed as he leaned upon the stable door. “You’ve been polishing that saddle for an hour. Either it’s cursed, or you seek to win my favor.”Valia straightened, brushing a strand of hay from her sleeve. “Perhaps both,” she replied gruffly. “I would not wish the saddle to shine brighter than its master.”He blinked, clearly taken aback. “I—well, I suppose not,” he stammered, coughing once, then twice, a flush creepin

Valia strode towards Ligon, almost reaching his desk.“This is the information I gathered,” she said, her voice steadier than her pulse.But as she extended the package, it slipped from her damp fingers sideways and hit the floor with a dull thud.“Curses,” she muttered, bending quickly to retrieve it.Ligon’s composure nearly cracked. His gaze, traitorous and unrepentant, followed her downward. The white cloth tied at her waist pulled taut as she bent, the butterfly knot shifting slightly. His pulse thrummed, deep and loud.He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the desk, fingers interlaced. His chin came to rest on his joined hands, but his gaze stayed fixed, dark and unreadable, following her every motion like a predator observing something far too tempting to ignore.“Do take your time,” he said, voice velvet with amusement. “You seem… rather occupied.”She shot him a glare as straightened, parchment in hand. “Yes.” She stepped closer, her boots squelching faintly