All Chapters of THE ALPHA CHILDREN LIVES: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Five minutes earlier, Vanessa had slipped into Gabriel's office. She found him collapsed in his chair, unconscious from exhaustion, his breathing deep and even. A cruel smile curved her lips when she heard footsteps approaching down the hall, Elena's footsteps.Perfect timing.Without hesitation, Vanessa unbuttoned the top of her blouse and straddled Gabriel's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. She positioned herself carefully, making the scene look as compromising as possible.The door opened.Elena stood frozen in the doorway, her face draining of all color as she took in the sight before her. Gabriel's secretary sprawled across her husband's lap, disheveled and intimate."What the hell are you doing?!" Elena's voice cracked as she surged forward, grabbing Vanessa's arm and yanking her away from Gabriel.Vanessa let herself tumble to the floor dramatically, quickly arranging her features into a mask of shock and pain."Oh... Elena, why did you push me?" Vanessa cried, her voice

Gabriel's voice thundered, echoing through the house like a storm."You had no right to make that decision by yourself! That's my child!"Elena froze for only a moment before turning, her eyes burning with pain and fury. "Your child? The one you didn't even want, Gabriel? Please, spare me that act."Her words cut him deeper than any blade. She walked past him, her steps heavy, heading inside the house. Gabriel tried to grab her arm, but her bodyguards stepped forward instantly, holding him back."So this is your move?" Gabriel spat, his jaw clenched tight. "Some twisted way to make me care? You've crossed the line, Elena. You've gone too far."Inside, Elena's trembling hands dug through her handbag, searching frantically. Gabriel stormed in after her, his voice dripping with venom."You couldn't stay away from the luxury, huh? The jewelry, the clothes, the life I gave you? Apologize, and maybe, maybe, I'll let you keep some of it."But Elena ignored him. Her eyes stayed fixed on her b

Nathaniel arrived exactly nineteen minutes later, his gray-green eyes dark with fury as he took in Elena's appearance. She'd managed to wash her face and change into clean clothes, but the exhaustion and heartbreak were written plainly across her features."I'm going to kill him," Nathaniel said flatly, pulling Elena into a fierce hug. "I'm going to rip his throat out and mount his head on your grandmother's…""Nathaniel." Elena's voice was muffled against his chest. "I need you to be my cousin right now, not my executioner."He pulled back, studying her face. "Tell me everything."So she did. Every painful detail spilled out as they sat in the living room Gabriel rarely used, the room that was supposed to be "theirs" but had only ever been hers. Nathaniel's expression grew darker with every word, his wolf rising so close to the surface that Elena could feel the Alpha power radiating off him."That bastard," Nathaniel growled when she finished. "And the secretary? Vanessa Cross?" He s

Elena was quiet for a long moment. "I love who I thought he was," she said finally. "The man who saved me from the orphanage. Who gave me a home. Who promised me a future." She paused. "But that man never really existed, did he? I just wanted him to so badly that I invented him.""That's not your fault.""Isn't it?" Elena's voice was bitter. "I saw the signs. The way he looked at Vanessa. The way he never touched me unless it was required. The way he flinched whenever I called him 'sweetheart' in front of other Alphas." She set down her tea. "I just didn't want to believe I'd made such a terrible mistake.""We all make mistakes, Elena. The strong ones learn from them and move forward.""Is that what I'm doing? Moving forward?" She laughed brokenly. "Or am I just running away?""You're surviving," Nathaniel said firmly. "And sometimes, that's the bravest thing you can do."Meanwhile, across the city at the Shadowmere Pack house, Gabriel was pacing his office like a caged animal."She's

Elena had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Gabriel's face in that ballroom, the shock, the pain, the desperate hunger in his emerald gaze as he watched her announce her engagement to Marcus.Good, she told herself firmly. Let him feel a fraction of what he put me through.But the satisfaction felt hollow.Her phone buzzed at seven in the morning, pulling her from restless thoughts. Her grandmother's name flashed on the screen."Grandmother," Elena answered, already knowing this wasn't a social call. Victoria Sterling never contacted her this early unless it was pack business."My office. One hour," Victoria's commanding voice left no room for negotiation. "We need to discuss the council's decision."The line went dead before Elena could respond.Sixty minutes later, Elena stood in her grandmother's private office at the Moonstone Clan headquarters. The room was elegant but austere, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the territory, dark wood furnishings that