All Chapters of The Rogue King's Protection: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Zane's POVThe Council of Alphas was the nightmare of every rogue and the reason most of us stayed hidden in territories they couldn't reach. A coalition of the strongest pack Alphas who enforced wolf law across territories, they answered to no one and showed rogues no mercy. I had avoided them for ten years and built my kingdom in places they didn't care about. Now they were here.Six Alpha flags flew from the convoy of black SUVs that rolled to a stop at the edge of our makeshift camp. Blackwood, Silverstream, Ironhide, Moonvale, Stormcrest, and the one that made my blood run cold, Shadowfang. My former pack. The Alpha who exiled me was here too.The convoy stopped fifty yards away and engines cut off in perfect synchronization. Doors opened and Alphas emerged from their vehicles, power radiating from each one like heat waves. These weren't just pack leaders. They were the most dominant wolves in the region and they knew it.Behind me, the freed wolves started shaking in fear. Some

Dalton's POVWhat I said made everyone quiet. The place went still as death and even the wind seemed to hold its breath. Every eye turned to me and I felt the weight of their attention like a physical pressure on my chest.Alpha Blackwood moved closer, his expression intense. "What exactly did your mother tell you?"I swayed on my feet and Tehila's hand steadied me. My head still felt clouded from the drugs and my thoughts moved like they were wading through thick mud. But I forced myself to remember, to pull up every word my mother had whispered in those final moments."She mentioned a network," I said slowly. "They were breeding facilities in five other territories. Trafficking rings that moved wolves between locations. Wolves sold to the highest bidder, sometimes to other packs who wanted specific bloodlines, sometimes to humans who paid more."My voice cracked. Saying it out loud made it real in a way it had not been before."Genesis Labs was just one node in a larger operation,"

Dalton's POVJade was dead. The words hit me but they did not feel real. They floated somewhere outside my body, refusing to sink in and become truth.My first emotion was guilt. Sharp and immediate and cutting straight through me. I had contributed to whatever spiral led to this. My rejection, my coldness, my inability to love her the way she desperately needed. That blood was on my hands whether I pulled the trigger or not.My second emotion was concern for Tehila, who stood frozen beside me with her face completely unreadable. No tears, no shock, just blank stillness that scared me more than crying would have.The messenger, one of Clearwater Ridge's younger wolves with nervous eyes and dirt under his fingernails from hard travel, continued his explanation. His voice shook slightly as he spoke. "Jade was found in the forest three days ago. Apparently, she committed suicide. It was silver poisoning, self-inflicted according to the pack doctor who examined her body. She left a note b

Dalton's POV "Do you smell that?" Tehila whispered beside the casket. I moved closer and inhaled carefully. "The scent markers are wrong." "She did not die in the forest." Tehila took her time for a few seconds. "She died in the pack house, here in the Alpha's quarters." Our eyes met and we understood what had happened. Someone was covering up a murder. "We need to investigate quietly," I said under my breath. "If they know we suspect something, we are next." "Agreed." Tehila straigh

Tehila's POV I did not know why I stopped Zane from killing Thorne. The words left my mouth before my brain could process them. Maybe I had seen enough death in the past few days and could not stomach more blood on the ground already soaked with it. Maybe killing Thorne in cold rage made us no better than him, just another cycle of violence that never ended. Maybe my father had just died proving that people could change even in their final moments and I wanted to believe that meant something. Zane released Thorne immediately at my command. His jaws opened and Thorne collapsed onto the dirt, defeated and bleeding but alive. The fight went out of him completely and he just lay there gasping. The Council's enforcement team arrived minutes later, their timing frustratingly late but at least they were here. Armed wolves in Council uniforms surrounded the courtyard and took control of the situation with sp