Chapter 41

Scarlett’s POVI woke up to sunlight streaming through the tall windows, painting golden bars across the dark floorboards. For a few seconds, I lay there staring up at the ceiling, feeling… well, alive. Not necessarily good, but alive.Better than screaming awake from cryptic dreams, I supposed.With a tired groan, I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My muscles ached faintly, but it wasn’t the weakness that annoyed me most – it was the feeling of being… coddled.I glanced around the room. Someone – probably Savannah – had left a clean dress draped over the armchair by the window. Soft cream linen with faint embroidery along the sleeves. Simple. Comfortable.I pulled it on and combed my hair quickly with my fingers. No braids today. No elaborate styles. Just me, with my mess of waves falling around my shoulders.Me.Whoever that was.I pressed my lips tog

Chapter 42

Scarlett’s POVI didn’t understand what he said, but I didn’t get another chance to do so after he walked away, his cloak flowing like a royal garment worn by ruthless kings.For another weird reason, I liked it.The next morning, I decided I was done lying in bed. My bones were stiff, my head felt heavy with questions I couldn’t answer, and honestly… I was tired of staring at those damn curtains all day.So I dragged myself out of my room after breakfast.Rosa had tried to stop me. She’d fussed, gently smacking my shoulder with a dishtowel.“Letty, you must rest. I don’t want the boss to see you like this,” she scolded.But I just smiled tiredly at her and slipped out before she could scold me further. The marble floors were cool under my feet, grounding me with each quiet step. My fingers brushed along the walls as I walked, feeling the small ridges where ancient stones met polished newer ones. It was like walking through someone’s memories.Maybe mine.Maybe not.I didn’t care.I j

Chapter 43

LucianoThe sky bled grey over the eastern courtyard. It was a bit far from the manor, and here wolves disguised as humans did what they wanted. A thin drizzle fell, soaking into the training grounds and dampening the gravel into cold mud. I stood beneath the stone archway with my arms folded, watching some of the wolves spar. Each clash of blades rang through the courtyard, steel scraping steel, punctuated by sharp grunts of pain and frustration.They were getting sloppy.My wolf snarled inside me, restless. The shadows had been pulsing stronger each night, brushing against my wards like phantom claws, testing for weaknesses. And now, with Scarlett awakening, their hunger was growing.“Luciano.”Antonio’s voice cut through my thoughts like a blade. I didn’t turn as he approached, the scent of steel oil and cedar clinging to him.He handed me a rolled parchment, sealed with red wax. Blood stained the corner, smudging the crest.“They struck another outpost,” he said quietly.I broke th

Chapter 44

Scarlett’s POVDawn was…odd.Grey light bled through the thin curtains, painting shadows across my room in ghostly strips. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my trembling hands resting on my thighs. They looked so foreign. Pale. Weak. Strange. My fingers curled slightly, as if testing whether they were truly mine.I pressed them to the crescent mark on my shoulder, feeling its faint warmth thrum under my skin. It pulsed softly, like a second heartbeat. Like it was alive. Like it was waiting for something.“Seraphina…” I whispered.The name tasted familiar and bitter, like burnt honey coating my tongue. My chest ached. I didn’t know why, but it felt like a truth I wasn’t ready to accept. A truth that would crack me open if I tried.I stood up slowly, my bare feet sinking into the plush rug before meeting the cold marble beyond. The chill grounded me, kept me tethered to the present as I drifted through the silent hallways, feeling half-asleep, half-awake. Like I was walking throu

Chapter 46

Luciano’s POVThe instant her knees hit the gravel, my body reacted before my mind could catch up. The world narrowed to a single point, just her. Scarlett, crumpled like a broken bird, arms clutched around herself as if sheer will could keep her from shattering. Her trembling frame was a blade to my chest, carving deeper with every shallow breath she took. Antonio’s voice buzzed behind me, a faint hum of words I didn’t bother to process. My focus was locked on her, on the way the wind tore at her thin nightgown, exposing the fragile hollows of her collarbone. The crescent mark pulsed faintly there, a glowing ember against her pale, waxen skin. It was still hers. Still her. And that truth clawed at something primal inside me, something I’d buried long ago. “Scarlett,” I growled, my voice low, commanding. I

All Chapters of The Alpha's prey: Chapter 41 - Chapter 45

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 46