บททั้งหมดของ Ten Ways To Kill Alpha PENKING : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

She didn’t come out of the bathroom.Not for an hour. Not for two.Penking knocked once. “Amelia.”“Go away.”“Open the door.”“No.”Silence. Then his footsteps retreating.She sat on the cold tile floor and stared at nothing.The anger had burned out. Left behind something hollow.She’d played way three perfectly. Built trust. Created intimacy. Made him see her as useful, intelligent, worth listening to.And it hadn’t mattered.Because at the end of the day, she was still the girl he’d bought.The thing he owned.No amount of careful strategy could change that.A soft sound outside the door.She looked up.Something slid underneath.A piece of paper.She picked it up.His handwriting.I’m sorry.Two words. Nothing else.She stared at it.Kael Penking didn’t apologize. Ever. She’d learned that much about him.And yet.She opened the door.He was sitting on the floor across from it. Back against the wall. Head tilted back.He looked exhausted.“You’re still here,” she said.“Where else

He didn’t come to bed that night. She lay awake listening for footsteps that never came. Morning arrived grey and cold. She found him asleep on the couch. Still in yesterday’s clothes. An empty glass on the table beside him. She made coffee. Set a cup on the table near his hand. Went back to the kitchen. He woke up twenty minutes later. Came and leaned against the counter. “About last night,” he said. “Don’t.” “We need to talk about it.” “No we don’t.” She kept her eyes on her coffee. “It was a mistake. It doesn’t happen again.” “Amelia—” “I mean it.” She looked at him. “Whatever you think that kiss meant, you’re wrong.” “Then what did it mean?” “Nothing. It meant nothing.” He studied her face. “You’re a terrible liar.” “And you’re delusional if you think one kiss changes anything between us.” “It changes everything.” “No.” She set down her cup. “It changes nothing. You still own me. I still want to leave. That’s the only truth that matters.” He w

Three days later, everything changed again. It started with a phone call. Penking answered it at breakfast. His expression darkened immediately. “When?” A pause. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hung up. Looked at her. “I have to go. Emergency.” “What kind?” “The kind that might get people killed.” He grabbed his jacket. “Stay here. Don’t leave. Don’t answer the door.” “Kael” “I’m serious, Amelia. Something’s happening. And until I know what, you’re safer here.” He left. She sat at the table. Alone. The apartment was too quiet. She tried calling Dan. No answer. Tried again. Straight to voicemail. Her stomach knotted. She called Penking. It rang once then cut off. Something was wrong. She went to the window. Stared down at the street. Nothing looked different. Cars. People. Normal morning traffic. But it didn’t feel normal. Her phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number. Dan’s been taken. If you want him alive, come alone. Address below. One hour. Her blood w

They spent three hours planning.Penking laid out everything he knew about Aiden. His patterns. His allies. His resources.“He’s smart,” Penking said. “But he’s impatient. That’s his weakness. He wants revenge now. Not strategically. Emotionally.”“So we use that,” Amelia said.“How?”“I give him information that feels urgent. Makes him act before he’s ready.” She looked at the notes they’d made. “What’s happening this week that he’d want to interrupt?”Penking thought. “There’s a territory meeting Thursday. Five pack alphas. All allies. If Aiden could disrupt that, it would weaken my position significantly.”“So I tell him about it. Give him just enough detail that he thinks he can strike.”“And I’ll be ready.” Penking looked at Dan. “You. You’re not leaving this building until this is over.”“I’m not hiding while Amelia—”“You’re not hiding. You’re staying alive so she doesn’t do something stupid trying to protect you.” Penking’s voice was firm. “Understood?”Dan’s jaw tightened. Bu

Amelia pushed Dan behind her.“Stay back,” she said to Aiden.He laughed. “Or what? You’ll stop me?”“Penking will be here any second.”“No he won’t. He’s busy dealing with the mess at the fake location. By the time he realizes what happened, you’ll both be dead.” Aiden raised the gun. “Who dies first? You? Or baby brother?”“Me,” she said immediately. “Let Dan go. This is between you and Penking. He doesn’t need to be part of it.”“But he is part of it. Just like you. Just like everyone Penking loves.” Aiden’s finger moved to the trigger. “He took my family. I’m taking his.”“I’m not his family. I’m his prisoner.”“Is that what you tell yourself?” Aiden stepped closer. “I’ve been watching. I know how he looks at you. How you look at him. You’re not his prisoner anymore. You’re his weakness.”The words hit harder than they should have.“Shoot me then,” she said. “Get it over with.”“Amelia, no—” Dan grabbed her arm.“Stay quiet,” she told him. Then to Aiden: “Well? Isn’t this what you