บททั้งหมดของ The Alpha's Contract Bride : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

The Convergence grounds had not changed.Stone pillars still rose in a wide circle, ancient markings carved deep into their surfaces—symbols of unity, of law, of wars long ended and grudges never fully buried. The air itself felt heavy with memory, thick with the presence of power that did not belong to one pack alone.Seraphina stood beside Darius as Alphas arrived one after another.They came in ones and twos, some with entourages, others alone. Wolves of every kind—mountain packs, forest packs, river clans—each Alpha carrying the weight of their people in the way they held themselves. Eyes followed Seraphina wherever she moved. Some curious. Some calculating. Some openly hungry.She did not shrink.Her shoulders were straight. Her chin was lifted. Her wolf was steady inside her, not pressing, not urging—simply present.Darius’s hand brushed hers, grounding her.At the center of the circle stood the Council Leader, an elderly Alpha whose fur had long since turned silver. He struck h

Seraphina woke slowly, not from fear or urgency, but from a deep, steady awareness that settled in her chest like a second heartbeat. The chamber was quiet, the kind of silence that came just before dawn, when the night had not fully released its hold and the day had not yet claimed its space. The moonlight still spilled faintly through the tall windows, painting pale lines across the stone floor.Darius lay behind her, his arm draped securely around her waist. His presence was familiar, grounding, the solid warmth she had come to associate with safety. She breathed in sync with him for a moment, allowing herself that peace, knowing it would not last long.Her wolf stirred.Not sharply. Not violently.It rose like a whisper brushing the edges of her thoughts.You feel it too, the voice said, calm and unmistakable.Seraphina did not tense. She did not fight it. She welcomed it the way one welcomes a truth long delayed. Yes, she replied inwardly. Something is shifting.The land is liste

Moon Hollow did not release them gently.The journey back to the pack was quiet, weighted with unspoken thoughts. Seraphina rode beside Darius, the rhythm of the horse steady beneath her, her mind replaying the way the ancient stones had pulsed at her presence. Whatever the Hollow had awakened was not finished with her. She felt it settle deep within her, not urgent, but patient.Darius sensed her distance.“You’re too quiet,” he said as the trees began to thin and the familiar borders of their land came into view.“I’m listening,” she replied honestly. “To everything.”He nodded, accepting that answer for now.By the time the pack lands came fully into view, the sun had climbed higher, spilling warm light across the familiar stone walls and watchtowers. Wolves moved along the paths, some pausing mid-step when they saw Darius and Seraphina riding in together. Heads bowed. Murmurs followed. The Hollow might have been left behind, but its weight lingered with them.Seraphina felt it set

Morning came dressed in calm.The sun rose gently over the pack lands, spilling golden light across stone walls and rooftops, as though nothing had shifted in the night. Wolves moved through the courtyard with their usual rhythm, guards changed positions, maids carried linen and water, children laughed near the far end of the training grounds.But Seraphina felt it.The calm was a veil.And behind it, something sharp watched her every step.She stood before the mirror while Elowen adjusted the clasp at the back of her gown. The fabric was deep and elegant, a shade that made her skin glow softly, her presence unmistakable. She didn’t dress like a woman trying to prove herself.She dressed like a Luna who had already claimed her place.Maera stood near the door, arms folded, her posture relaxed but her eyes alert. She had been silent since dawn, but Seraphina could feel her attention like a shield at her back.“Elowen,” Seraphina said quietly, “is the Alpha already awake?”Elowen nodded

The words before dawn stayed in Seraphina’s mind long after Rhyden finished speaking.They clung to her like smoke.The chamber felt too small for the fear rising in her chest, too quiet for the storm pressing against the pack’s borders. Outside, the night had changed. It was no longer peaceful darkness. It was the kind of darkness that waited with teeth bared.Darius stood rigid, shoulders tense, the Alpha in him ready to tear the world apart.“A woman,” he repeated, voice low and dangerous. “She called Seraphina’s name.”Rhyden nodded once. “Clear as day, my Alpha.”Seraphina’s throat was dry. “Did you see her face?”“No,” Rhyden replied. “She stayed back. Hooded. But… she wasn’t afraid. Not of our wolves, not of our walls. She watched like she already knew the outcome.”Maera’s hand slid to her dagger again, eyes narrowed. “That’s not normal.”“No,” Seraphina whispered. “It isn’t.”Elowen stood near the far end of the room, pale and silent, her hands trembling as she clasped them t