Semua Bab The Alpha's Contract Bride : Bab 11 - Bab 20

The horn’s echo still vibrated through the stone when the stronghold began to move.Seraphina felt it immediately—the way the air changed, the way every wolf in the mountain straightened as if pulled by an invisible thread. This was not panic. This was memory. Old law waking from sleep.Darius was already on his feet.“Stay here,” he said, voice low but urgent.She grabbed his wrist before he could turn away. “No.”He looked down at her, eyes flashing gold. “Seraphina—”“I won’t be left behind,” she said firmly. “Not tonight.”The bond stirred, not in defiance, but agreement.Darius exhaled slowly. “Then you stay beside me. Always within my sight.”She nodded once. “Always.”They moved through the corridors together, wolves parting instinctively to make way. The stronghold’s great doors were already opening, iron and stone grinding back to reveal the ancient arena carved into the mountain’s heart.The Circle of Fangs.Seraphina’s breath caught.The arena was vast—an open ring of stone

The moon did not recover its light.It hung above the arena dim and veiled, as if something had taken a bite out of its soul and left it struggling to shine.Seraphina could feel it.Not as pain—but as distance.Like a voice calling from far away.Darius’s hand tightened around hers. He hadn’t let go since the shadow passed, as if anchoring her to the earth itself. His touch was warm, solid—real in a moment that felt dangerously unreal.“The Devourer,” he said slowly. “Explain.”The First Howl shifted, massive forms settling into a protective semicircle around the cracked arena. “It was never meant to be remembered. Names give power. Fear feeds it.”“Then start talking,” Maera snapped, though even she couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice.The ancient wolf lowered itself to the stone, its eyes never leaving Seraphina. “Long before packs… before Alphas and trials… there was balance.”Images flooded Seraphina’s mind again—but this time, sharper.The moon bright and whole. Wolves running

Dawn arrived without warmth.The sky over the stronghold remained pale and strained, as if the sun itself was unsure it was welcome. The moon had faded, but it had not healed—and every wolf could feel it. The packs moved quietly, voices low, instincts unsettled.Seraphina stood at the center of the Inner Circle, bare feet against the ancient stone. Runes carved into the floor pulsed faintly, responding to her presence like a slow, measured heartbeat.She breathed in.And the world listened.“Begin,” the Moon Sentinel said.Seraphina closed her eyes.She did not reach for power.She reached for balance.The fragment within her stirred—not violently, not eagerly—but attentively. Light flowed through her veins like memory rather than fire. The runes flared brighter, then steadied, their glow smoothing into something controlled and precise.A ripple spread outward.Not a shockwave.A correction.Cracks in the stone sealed. Fractured wards knit themselves whole. The air pressure eased, lik

The first scream reached the stronghold before dawn.It wasn’t carried by sound alone—it tore through the bond.Seraphina woke with a sharp gasp, her body jerking upright as silver-gold light flared briefly beneath her skin. Her wolf surged forward, hackles raised, every instinct screaming danger.Darius was awake instantly.He was on his feet in one smooth motion, power rolling off him as he reached for her. “Where?”She pressed a hand to her chest, breath unsteady. “The eastern lowlands. The Ashfall Pack.”His eyes flashed gold. “That’s two days from here.”“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered. “I can feel them. They’re terrified.”The bond hummed urgently—no longer quiet, no longer settled. It pulled outward, stretching toward something wounded and calling.Darius crossed back to her, gripping her shoulders firmly. “Listen to me. You are not riding into a panic.”“I know,” she said quickly. “I’m not asking to.”She swallowed hard. “But the Devourer is.”The words landed like a blade.

Dawn had not yet touched the sky, and the stronghold was already alive with movement. Soldiers patrolled the walls, their half-shifted forms moving with predatory precision. Every wolf was alert, muscles coiled like springs. Even the youngest warriors understood that the Devourer did not fight like other enemies. This was a predator that could unravel the mind, pierce the spirit, and manipulate fear itself.Seraphina stood at the balcony overlooking the eastern gates, wrapped in a thick cloak, her golden eyes flickering with light that reflected her inner awakening. The bond with Darius hummed through her veins, steady, strong, protective—but tonight, the pulse carried urgency. A tension that whispered of something coming closer. Something that would test the limits of her Luna power—and Darius’s unwavering devotion.“Seraphina,” a deep voice rumbled behind her.Darius stepped up beside her, his hand brushing against hers. She flinched slightly at the contact, not because of fear, but