Lahat ng Kabanata ng Fake Dating The Alpha Hockey Player : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Kaidora's POV Alpha Rowan's office feels like a tomb. The air is thick with tension, every breath I take shallow and inadequate. My hand is still locked with Zane's, and I cling to that connection like it's the only thing keeping me tethered to reality.This is it. The moment I've been dreading since I first stepped foot on Highcrest's campus. The moment where all my carefully constructed lies crumble and the truth— or at least part of it— comes spilling out.“Shall we begin?” Alpha Rowan's voice cuts through the silence like a blade.He's exactly as imposing as I imagined. Tall, broad-shouldered, with grey-streaked hair and eyes that could dissect a soul. Looking at him makes my skin crawl, but I force myself to hold his gaze, even though there's something about him that I can't seem to place. Show no weakness. That's what Zane said.“These files paint an interesting picture.” Rowan picks up a sheet of paper, examining it like it's a specimen under glass. “Kaidora Hayes, registered

Zane's POV The next day.The pack house looms before us like an executioner's block. Eight forty-five AM. Fifteen minutes until the verification that will determine whether Kaidora lives or dies, until everything I've been trying to protect crumbles under the weight of truth.Marcus drives in silence, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Kaidora sits in the back seat with me, her hand locked in mine, her face a mask of composure that I can see straight through. She's terrified. We both are.“We don't have to do this,” I say for the third time this morning. “We can turn around right now. Leave, then disappear.”It's a bad idea, I know, but it seems to be the only way of this mess right now. “And then what?” Kaidora's voice is steady despite the way her hands are shaking. “You become an absconder. Lose your pack, your future, everything. I won't let you throw it all away.”“It's mine to throw away.”“Not for me, or like this.” She squeezes my hand. “Besides, running just delays th

Kaidora's POVThalia's dwelling sits at the edge of pack territory, nestled between ancient oak trees that seem to lean inward, as if protecting the small cottage from prying eyes.The air here feels different— thicker, charged with something I can't name. Magic, maybe. Or just the weight of centuries old secrets.My palms are sweaty as Zane and I approach the wooden door. He squeezes my hand once, a silent reassurance, but I can feel the tension radiating from him too. We're both walking into the unknown, both desperate for answers we're not sure we want to hear.Zane knocks twice, and the door swings open before his knuckles leave the wood.“Come in, children.” Thalia's voice drifts from somewhere inside, warm but carrying an edge of something ancient.The interior is exactly what I expected and somehow more. Dried herbs hang from the ceiling in thick bundles, filling the air with a scent that's both bitter and sweet. Shelves line every wall, crammed with jars of powders, roots, and

Kaidora's POVThe drive back from Thalia's cottage is suffocating.Zane hasn't said a word since we left, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles have gone white. His jaw is clenched, eyes fixed on the road ahead like if he looks at me, something inside him might break.I've tried three times to start a conversation, but been met with one-word answers or silence.Whatever Thalia told him, it's eating him alive.“Are you going to tell me what she said?” I finally ask, unable to take the silence anymore.“She said you're safe for now.” His voice is flat, void of any emotions. “That she'll keep helping us maintain your cover.”“That's it?” I twist in my seat to face him. “That's all you talked about for fifteen minutes?”“Yes.”The lie sits between us like a wall. I can feel it, solid and impenetrable. He's shutting me out, and I don't understand why.“Zane.”“Can we just... not right now?” He cuts me off, and there's something raw in his voice. Pain, maybe. Or fear.

Kaidora's POVThe pack house towers before us like a monument to everything I should fear. Three stories of stone and glass, built to intimidate. Built to remind everyone who enters that this is Alpha territory, and we're all just visitors in Rowan's domain.My palms are sweating as Zane and I walk through the entrance. Pack members mill about in the common areas, their conversations dying as we pass. Eyes follow us, curious, assessing, judging.The future Alpha and his mate. That's what they see.If only they knew the truth.We climb the stairs to Alpha Rowan's office in silence. Each step feels heavier than the last, my heart hammering against my ribs. I've been in Rowan's office before, survived his interrogation during the verification. But this feels different somehow. Zane's hand finds the small of my back as we reach the door— a gesture of support that sends warmth through my chest despite my anxiety.He knocks once.“Come in.” Rowan's voice commands from within.The office is