Todos os capítulos de The Evil Alpha next door: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

I was four beers deep, sitting in my darkened living room, when my phone rang.Rhys.I stared at the screen for a moment before answering. “What?”“Maren’s in jail.”I sat up straight. “What?”“She got pulled over about an hour ago.” He paused. “I need you to bail her out.”“When did I become your errand boy?”“Just do it, Calder. Don’t be a smartass.”I ran a hand through my hair, memories of the club flashing through my mind. Maren, drunk and dancing. Maren, pressed against the wall as my fingers—Shit.“Calder?”“Yeah. I’m going.”“Thank you.”He hung up, and I sat there for another moment, staring at the wall.“Fuck,” I muttered, standing up.I grabbed my keys and headed out.The police station was quiet when I walked in. The officer at the front desk looked up, his expression bored.“I’m here to post bail for Maren Cole,” I said.He pulled up her file, quoted me the figures, and slid the paperwork across the desk.I signed it without hesitation and paid the bail, using my credit

Kendall’s house was exactly what I expected—a sprawling two-story with perfect landscaping and trendy solar pathway lights. I parked behind a sleek Tesla and took a deep breath before climbing out of my car.You can do this. It’s just a few hours. Smile, be polite, and have fun.The front door was propped open with a decorative iron rooster, and I could hear Lizzo blasting from inside—“About Damn Time,” ironically enough. The bass thumped through my chest as I walked up the stone path.Kendall materialized in the doorway before I even reached the porch, a wine glass in one hand and her phone in the other.“Maren! You made it!” She pulled me into a one-armed hug that reeked of Chanel No. 5 and Sauvignon Blanc. “Come in, come in. Everyone’s dying to see you.”I seriously doubted that, but I smiled anyway and followed her inside.The interior looked like it had been ripped straight from a Pinterest board—all white shiplap, rose gold accents, and a massive “GATHER” sign above the fireplac

I watched Maren’s car disappear down the street.The look on her face when she’d seen me—that shocked, horrified expression—replayed in my mind like a loop.Fuck.She’d seen the blood. All of it. The dark stains spreading across my shirt, the red coating my hands like paint. I’d been too focused on getting inside, on scrubbing the scent of death off my skin, to notice her standing there in her pretty little sundress.My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless and unconcerned. She should know what we are. She should fear us.“Shut up,” I muttered, slamming the door behind me. I’d probably have to clear the air later—make up some half-assed excuse about a bar fight or an accident.I stripped off my blood-soaked shirt as I walked to the bathroom, leaving a trail of my leather jacket and ruined fabric in my wake. The singlet underneath was worse—completely saturated, the fabric stiff and dark. I’d thought the jacket would cover it. Clearly, I’d been wrong.The hot water turned pink, then r

“Last chance,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Who sent you? Give me a name.”She spat blood at my feet. “Go… to hell…”My wolf snarled, wanting to finish her. But dead people couldn’t talk. I pulled back my fist and hit her—once, hard, right at the pressure point below her ear. Her eyes rolled back, and she went limp.I descended the fire escape. The parking lot was still empty, the body of her partner already cooling on the asphalt. I hauled his corpse up the fire escape, hiding both of them in the shadows of the roof where they wouldn’t be seen from the street.I rode to the nearest 24-hour hardware store. A bored teenager behind the counter barely looked up from his phone as I walked in. I grabbed a heavy-duty canvas bag, a coil of thick industrial-grade nylon rope, and a pair of bolt cutters, their blades gleaming under the fluorescent lights. The kid rang me up without comment, probably assuming I was some contractor on a late-night job.By the time I got back to the roof,

The laptop screen glowed in the darkness of my living room. I’d positioned it on the coffee table, angling the camera so the Elders could see me clearly, but making sure the background remained in shadow.The call connected, and three faces appeared.Elder Morgana sat in the center—ancient, sharp-eyed, her white hair pulled back tight. To her left was Elder Blackwood, broad-shouldered and scowling as usual. On her right sat Elder Cassius, his fingers steepled beneath his chin.“Calder,” Morgana said, her voice like grinding gravel. “Report.”I straightened in my chair. “The integration into Ridgeway Oaks is proceeding as planned. The mayor has been… cooperative. The humans have been given their timeline. One year to relocate.”“And the territory itself?” Thorne asked. “Is it suitable?”“More than suitable. Low supernatural presence. Our pack would thrive in these communities.”“Good.” Morgana’s eyes narrowed. “Now. Let’s discuss the recent… incident.”Here we go.“What the fuck happen