All Chapters of THE ALPHA'S NAUGHTY LITTLE CHRISTMAS GIFT.: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Ivy stares at the mocha mint latte in front of her as if it personally wronged her.It tastes nothing like mocha. Nothing like mint. It's just... brown water with an attitude problem.She takes another sip anyway because she paid for it, and money doesn't grow on trees.The diner smells like burnt coffee and something fried that's been sitting under a heat lamp too long. It's almost charming in a depressing kind of way. The whole town gives a vibe of a place that got stuck in 1997 and decided that was fine. The booths are cracked vinyl. The jukebox in the corner doesn't work. And the waitress, middle-aged, sharp eyes that had too much eyeliner on hasn't stopped staring at Ivy since she walked in.Not subtle staring either. Full-on, unblinking, "what the hell are you" staring.Ivy finds it creepy. Everyone here does it. The guy riding his bike this morning. The woman at the grocery store moments ago. Even the kids playing in the street stopped mid-laugh to watch her pass.She doesn't k

Kai's been restless all day.Meetings blur together. Supply reports pile up on his desk unread. He signs documents without absorbing what they say, his mind dragging itself back to Ivy.Valor will not shut up."Go to her. Check on her. Make sure she's safe.""She's fine," Kai mutters under his breath, alone in his office."Need to see her. Need to—""No."But his wolf doesn't listen. Hardly does since Ivy arrived. The mate bond pulls like a fishhook lodged in his sternum, tugging him toward her even when he is trying to focus on anything else.They need medical supplies. The old humans living among the pack are running low on insulin and blood pressure medication. Most packs would've exiled them by now. Humans born from wolf bloodlines who never transformed are considered liabilities. Weak links. Burdens to be discarded.Kai treats them like family.It puts him at a disadvantage. Humans get sick easily, require trips to neighboring towns for supplies, and can't defend themselves in a

Ivy wakes to a silence so thick it feels suffocating. No birds, no traffic, no sounds of life outside—just the empty quiet of a place that seems to have forgotten how to breathe. She sits up in bed, the sheets tangled around her legs. The morning light filters through the windows in cold, thin streams. Her body aches, every muscle recalling yesterday's pleasures. How can she forget that so quickly?But beneath the fading memory, something stirs. Restless, impatient, tired of obedience. She has spent her entire life being careful, striving to be the perfect person who kept her thoughts to herself. But she's done with that.The glow across her sternum isn't pulsing this morning, yet she remembers everything: the fangs, the glowing eyes, and whispers in a language that felt like home even though she had never heard it before. Whatever is happening to her and whatever this place is doing to her, she's not running away. Not this time. She lets it come. Lets it take.She skips breakfast wit

One girl can spark change. Ivy demonstrates this in just seven days. She slips into their lives, slowly at first—just a smile here, a laugh there, and a persistent reminder that life doesn't have to be all about war and waiting. Then, more quickly, she spreads through the group until even the most resistant find themselves doing things they swore they'd never do.Jackson, who constantly roars at her and looks at her as if she is a disease, ends up helping her string lights across the town square. His hands tremble slightly when she stands too close, guiding him to move the ladder left, no right, no back to the left. He can't understand why being near her tightens his chest or why every instinct urges him to please her while his mind fights against it.But he does it anyway.Kai watches from afar as his iron-willed Beta turns into putty in the hands of this "human girl." The endless training sessions that once consumed their days from dawn until dusk are now reduced to just mornings. A

She gasps as it takes over her. It's not painful or frightening. It’s just... overwhelming. Like being in warm water. As if every cell in her body is awakening for the first time.The desire filling the room no longer belongs to them; it’s hers now—pure, undeniable, intoxicating.She straightens slowly, watching as fear drains from her face, replaced by something entirely different—something knowing and powerful.When she speaks, she's almost whispering. Her tone is smooth, calm and clear."Stop." The word carries a weight that feels almost impossible. "Stop fighting it. Focus on me."Both men turn their heads toward her. Their howls of pain fade into ragged breaths."That's it." Ivy's lips curve into a smile that combines innocence and wickedness. She steps closer to them, gaining confidence she’s never known before. "Don't focus on the pain. Focus on me."Her voice is enchanting and soothing, a balm over raw wounds.As they listen and let her words wash over them, the agony begins t