Semua Bab The Mate They Threw Away: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Damon The pain cut deep, settling into the dark embers of my soul as I watched Sage walk away from me. Again. Just like four and a half years ago, I was powerless to stop her. My hands hung uselessly at my sides, my throat tight with words I couldn't speak. Words that wouldn't matter anyway.I couldn't blame her for not trusting me. For refusing to believe whatever I had to say. How could I? The other Alphas and I had shattered her. We had crushed her heart, ground her soul into dust beneath our decisions. If only she knew it had all been for her own good. If only she could understand what we had sacrificed to keep her safe.My phone buzzed insistently in my pocket. I didn't need to check it to know who was calling or what they wanted. Kieran, the Alpha Primus, demanding my attendance at the emergency council meeting. The violent outbreaks spreading across Silver Crest had reached a critical point, and as an Alpha myself, I had no choice but to answer the summons. To refuse would be

SAGEThe wretched and broken stayed here. That’s what everyone said about Mountain Back, and they weren’t wrong. This place was home to the lowliest of the low, the forgotten ones, the castoffs, the wolves who didn’t fit into Silver Crest’s pristine vision of itself. Here, crime rates were high enough to make the Council conveniently look the other way. Poverty wasn’t just common; it was the default state of existence. Violence simmered beneath every interaction, ready to boil over at the slightest provocation. This was the most dangerous part of Silver Crest, the shadow that the gleaming halls tried desperately to pretend didn’t exist.Ironically, it was where I felt at home the most.The thought made me laugh bitterly as I walked through streets that seemed even more deteriorated than I remembered. It had changed for the worst since the last time I was here, which felt like a lifetime ago but was only a handful of years. The streets were dirtier now, covered in refuse that no one bo

I liked Mason Stone pissed off. There was something deeply satisfying about watching his carefully constructed composure crack, seeing the veins in his neck pulse with barely contained rage, knowing that I was the one who’d put that furious gleam in his eyes. I loved making him understand that no matter how many clever schemes he concocted, no matter how far ahead he thought he’d moved, ten steps, twenty, a hundred, I was always further ahead. Always fifty steps beyond his reach, watching his machinations like a chess player who’d already seen the endgame.The afternoon sun filtered through the tall windows of the Hall, casting long shadows across the marble floors. Asher had left hours ago for another one of his favorite activities, meetings with our allies where he would spin elaborate webs of half-truths and careful omissions, somehow making everyone believe they were getting exactly what they wanted while giving them nothing at all. Meanwhile, Kieran had departed on what I conside

I had become some sort of local hero after my confrontation with Alpha Primus, which was both flattering and deeply uncomfortable. Word had spread through Mountain Back like wildfire, the story growing more embellished with each retelling until I’d supposedly sent five guards flying, quoted an entire legal treatise from memory, and made Kieran himself bow before leaving. The reality had been dramatic enough without the additions, but I understood why people needed the exaggeration. They needed to believe that someone could stand up to power and walk away intact.Children now waved at me shyly from doorways. Adults nodded respectfully as I passed. An elderly woman had pressed a small bundle of dried herbs into my hands that morning, whispering blessings I didn’t feel I deserved. It was overwhelming and humbling all at once.But I knew the uncomfortable truth that these grateful people didn’t understand: Kieran had allowed me to leave. The Continental Law I’d quoted so confidently? It w

The compound air felt thick with tension as Asher sauntered through the gates, his presence commanding attention like a storm rolling over still waters. I watched him approach with that infuriating smile plastered across his face, the kind of smile that suggested he’d already won whatever game he was playing. Behind him, I could feel the people of the quarters shrinking back, their fear palpable as the High Guards flanked their Alpha Secundus like shadows given form.The evening had settled in completely now, and the wind howled through the spaces between buildings, carrying with it the scent of dust and desperation. Asher was dressed like he was attending some grand ball rather than visiting what amounted to a refugee camp. His dark ash hair caught the artificial lights, shimmering with an almost unnatural sheen. Everything about him was calculated, from his tailored clothes to his easy stride. He wanted to be noticed, wanted to be impressive, and I hated that it was working.Of all