All Chapters of THE ALPHA’S GHOST: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

KAYE”S POVThe coffee pot is burning my hand but I cannot let go because Mrs. Henderson at table four needs her third refill and she tips in quarters when she is happy. My shift started eleven hours ago. My feet stopped hurting around hour eight, which probably means something bad, but I do not have time to think about what. The truck stop diner smells like grease and diesel and the kind of exhaustion that settles into your bones and never leaves.I am wiping down table seven when I feel it. Eyes on me. Not the normal trucker stare or the lonely salesman hoping for a smile. This is different. Predatory. My wolf stirs for the first time in months, pressing against my ribs like she is trying to claw her way out through my chest.Don't shift. Don't shift. Don't shift.I keep my head down and spray more cleaner on the table even though it is already clean. The chemical smell burns my nose but it is better than the alternative. Better than letting my wolf's senses take over and confirm wha

KAYE’S POVThe servant quarters are in the basement, which I suppose makes sense. Keep the prisoner where she cannot see sunlight, where she is surrounded by stone and earth and the weight of an entire packhouse pressing down from above. The room they shove me into is barely large enough for a twin bed and a dresser that looks like someone found it on the side of the road. There is a single small window near the ceiling, the kind that opens maybe six inches if you are lucky, and all I can see through it is grass and the bottom of a fence post.The lean enforcer whose name I still do not know unlocks the silver cuffs around my wrists. The relief is immediate and overwhelming. I cradle my hands against my chest and try not to look at the raw, weeping burns where the metal ate through my skin. They will heal eventually. Werewolf healing is fast, even for someone like me who has not shifted in six years. But right now they hurt so badly that I feel sick."Sit," he says, nodding toward the

ETHAN'S POVThe quarterly security report is spread across my desk in neat columns that are supposed to make sense but currently look like gibberish because I cannot focus. Lucas is explaining patrol rotation adjustments, his voice steady and professional the way it always is, and normally I would be paying attention because border security is not something to take lightly. But right now all I can think about is the constant hum of the mate bond at the back of my mind, that awareness of Kaye somewhere in my packhouse that I cannot shut off no matter how hard I try.Three days. It has been three days since they brought her here and three days of fighting every instinct my wolf has. He wants to go to her, wants to check on her, wants to make sure she is okay even though I know exactly what is happening to her because I am allowing it to happen. The pack needs to see that I will not show favoritism. They need to know that being my mate does not protect her from justice.Except it is not

ETHAN'S POVThe camera sits on my desk like an accusation, small and black and absolutely not supposed to be in my private quarters. I stare at it and try to make sense of what it means, who would plant it, why they would risk discovery. Military-grade surveillance in an Alpha's bedroom is not just bold, it is suicidal if caught. Whoever did this either has massive confidence in their ability to avoid detection or they do not care about consequences.Neither option is comforting.Lucas knocks once and enters without waiting for permission, the way he has since we were teenagers and formality seemed stupid between best friends. He looks alert despite the early hour, already dressed for the day in tactical pants and a tight black shirt that probably has at least three concealed weapons. My Beta takes security seriously, which is one of the many reasons I trust him with my life."You said it was urgent," he says, closing the door behind him. His eyes land on the camera and his expression

ETHAN'S POVThe report comes in at three in the morning, Lucas's voice crackling through the radio with the kind of tension that means something is very wrong. Owen didn't return from patrol. I am awake immediately, the Alpha in me responding to threat before my conscious mind fully processes the words."How long overdue?" I ask, already pulling on clothes."Four hours. He was due back at eleven." Lucas's voice is steady but I can hear the concern underneath. "I sent Marcus to check his route but Marcus isn't responding either."My stomach drops. Two enforcers, both experienced, both overdue. That is not coincidence. That is a problem."Organize search parties. I want every available wolf on this. Cover his entire route, check in every fifteen minutes, no one goes out alone." I am moving through my room, grabbing weapons, strapping on the tactical vest I keep for emergencies. "I will meet you at the garage in five.""Ethan, maybe you should stay here. If something is targeting enforce