Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE ALPHA'S NAUGHTY LITTLE CHRISTMAS GIFT.: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Meanwhile, back to Kai,The convoy moves through the mountain pass, headlights go through the twilight.Kai leans against the window in the back seat, drained by exhaustion. Three days without sleep, two territories conquered, and nothing to show for it. No sign of Numenessa. No clues. Just more bodies and more questions.The White Witch is mischievous. Each time he gets close, she slips away, leaving chaos behind her like smoke. Yet he feels he's fooling himself because he has another white witch right in front of him."Alpha?" One of his Lotas calls out. "We're twenty minutes away."Twenty minutes until home. Until a bed. Until Ivy. Until Jackson.Just hearing their names sends warmth spreading through his chest. He hasn’t seen them in four days and hasn’t touched either of them since the night everything changed. Nothing has seemed right anymore. He’s been avoiding it all, throwing himself into hunts and battles to escape thinking about what they might be, or what they’re becoming.

The light around her intensifies. Her eyes blaze with a bright white glow. Her breathing sharpens, and the glow radiates off her skin in waves. Yet, Jackson, still cradled in her arms, remains unaffected by it. The same light that scorched palms and pushed men back flows over him like warm water, gentle and harmless.She kisses him once more, fierce and sure.The clearing begins to tilt. The trees blur together. The firelight, bodies, and smoking ground stretch and dissolve, and they begin to rise together, then they suddenly disappear.***The trunk of the car has three corners and a loose bolt in the back left, which jabs at Kai's shoulder every time they hit a bump on the road. He's been counting each impact. It’s the only thing keeping him alert. His wrists are tied behind him, the burning sensation is discomforting. Silver lines the interior of the trunk in strips. With every breath, he can feel it in his lungs. It makes his cough wet and slowly grinds him down with its patient c

"Jackson," Kai begins.Jackson's mouth crashes into his.The kiss is desperate and hungry. Jackson grips Kai's shirt tightly, pulling him closer and kissing him breathlessly. When they finally pull away for air, both are panting."How long have you wanted this?" Kai asks in a low, dangerous voice."Too long." Jackson kisses him again, more forcefully this time, with determination. "When you told me to find you when I couldn't take it anymore. This is it. I can't hold back."Kai groans and matches his intensity, reveling in the need for this moment. This release. This wrongness that feels so incredibly right. His hands weave into Jackson's hair, gripping and guiding the kiss.They move together through the balcony doors, and Kai pushes Jackson against the wall just inside his room, continuing to kiss him fervently. He feels Jackson's tongue against his own, tasting wine and longing mixed with desperation.***Three doors down, Ivy sits on her bedroom floor with her back against the bed

Months later...The rogue wolf that had escaped from Numenessa after his pack was wiped out by her, after Kai killed their alpha had returned to Beacon Hill territory three months ago. He begged for refuge and some money, claiming he had information about Numenessa and a girl. Instead of helping him, they captured him and tortured him. After extracting what they wanted, they killed him. Alpha Garren dismissed the incident as just another starving, desperate wolf trying to take advantage of mercy.But three months later, rumors began to spread, confirming what the rogue had claimed. No matter how hard Kai, Ivy, and Jackson tried to bury the events of two months prior, they refused to stay silent.With each passing day, Ivy's power slipped further out of control. The whispers started small but soon grew concerning the White Witch no longer remaining in hiding. By the second week, the stories took on a life of their own. She walked through fire without being burned, commanded animals wi

The landscape shifts gradually as he drives. Cities give way to towns, which then fade into stretches of emptiness. Pine forests line the highway, while patches of swampland reveal dark water reflecting the gray sky.It's late March, and the air is humid even with the car's AC running. It’s not quite warm enough for summer yet, but winter's chill has passed. Everything is vibrantly green, aggressively so. Trees are budding, grass grows wild along the roadside, and flowers bloom in yards he passes.This scene feels so different from Mystic Valley, different from the mountainous regions he's called home for most of his life, and different from the arid lands he's been chasing Numenessa around in.He has been going in circles all his life, pursuing rumors and hunting a ghost, never expanding or exploring. He has merely followed orders, hoping it would be enough.What a waste.The thought surfaces uninvited. He shakes it off and concentrates on driving.The GPS announces that he’s enterin