A Different Kind of Alpha: Blood Oath의 모든 챕터: 챕터 161 - 챕터 170

KieranThe sun is too bright. The air is too clean. The world is persisting in its rotation with an indifference that I find personally offensive.I’m standing in the center of the sparring ring, waiting for Guard Captain Horgus to stop hesitating.Horgus is a mountain of a man. He has shoulders like boulders and a swing that could fell an oak tree. He is also, unfortunately, afflicted with a terminal case of deference.“Come now, Captain,” I say, lowering my practice sword until the tip rests lazily in the dirt. “I’ve seen you brawl in the tavern over a spilled pint. Surely you can muster that same enthusiasm for your Alpha.”Horgus shifts his weight, looking miserable. “Sir, with respect, you aren’t wearing armor.”“Armor slows me down.”“And you look tired, Alpha.”“I’m not tired,” I lie. I’m exhausted down to the marrow of my bones. I’m vibrating with a sleepless energy that feels less like vitality and more like the frantic hum of a wire about to snap. “I am bored. And your relu

VorlagThere is a frenetic energy to the Keep today that I find deeply distasteful.It reminds me of an anthill that has been kicked. Servants are scurrying across the courtyard with bundles of fresh linen. Scullery maids are scrubbing the front steps until the stone groans under the friction. The smell of roasting lamb, a scent usually reserved for the high holidays, is wafting from the kitchens, thick enough to chew on.I stand at the window of my townhouse, swirling a glass of brandy worth a guard’s yearly wages."Look at them," I sneer, gesturing with the glass toward the hive of activity below. "Running around like headless chickens because the 'Allies' are coming."Hollis is sitting at my table, waiting for his next orders. "It’s Ronan Vale. People tend to run when he approaches. Usually in the opposite direction.""It’s pathetic," I mutter. "Kieran spends three weeks turning this place into a silent monastery, and the moment a Blackthorn banner appears on the horizon, he throw

EliThe East Wing is perfectly nice. It has high ceilings, silk tapestries depicting hunts that definitely didn't happen in this territory, and a bed large enough to fit a small army.It is also, geographically speaking, in a different time zone from the Alpha’s quarters."He’s hiding," I announce, flopping back onto the mattress while Ronan methodically unpacks our travel gear. "He put us here because he thinks if we’re a mile away, we won’t notice he’s having a nervous breakdown."Ronan places a dagger on the bedside table. The metal clicks against the wood with a heavy, decisive sound."He put us here because he wants space, Eli.""He wants a buffer zone," I correct. "He’s treating us like a containment breach."I roll over onto my stomach, resting my chin on my hands, watching my Alpha. Ronan is a wall of calm in a world I usually find too chaotic or too boring. Watching him move is my favorite pastime. The way the muscles in his back shift under his black shirt. The way his han

RonanEli sleeps like he lives. Sprawled out, taking up all the available space, completely unapologetic about it.I stand by the side of the massive four-poster bed in the East Wing, buttoning my shirt. The room is dim, the heavy velvet curtains drawn tight against the dawn, but I can see him clearly. He’s face down, one arm hanging off the edge of the mattress, the sheets tangled around his waist. The red marks from my hand are fading on his back, faint echoes of the peace I beat into him last night.He looks innocent. He isn't.I lean down and brush a stray lock of blond hair from his forehead. He grumbles something unintelligible and burrows deeper into the pillow."Stay," I whisper.He doesn't wake. The exhaustion of the journey, combined with the energy he burned in bed, will keep him under for a few more hours.I grab my coat and check my weapons. Two daggers at my belt. One in my boot. I leave the room, locking the door silently behind me.The corridors of the East Wing are

MarcusThe silence is back. For two days, the Keep felt alive. It was tense as fuck, and filled with the kind of frantic energy that usually precedes a storm, but it was alive. Eli Vale’s laughter echoed off the stone walls. Ronan’s heavy tread intimidated the floorboards. Doors slammed. Voices were raised.There was conflict. There was heat.Now, they’re gone. The heavy iron gates have groaned shut, sealing us back inside our gray stone box. And the silence that’s rushed in to fill the vacuum is heavier than it was before. It’s suffocating.I stand outside the door to the Alpha’s bedroom, my hand raised to knock, but I hesitate. I’m holding a tray of chicken broth, bread, and a mug of tea. The same meal I’ve brought him three times today, and ended up carting back to the kitchen, cold and untouched.I take a deep breath, trying to convince myself that everything will be fine.He collapsed.The image of it is seared into my mind. The way his knees simply gave up. The way his eyes roll