Semua Bab AFTER THE DIVORCE, THE ALPHAS MADE THEIR CLAIMS ON ME. : Bab 31 - Bab 40

CONTROLLED BURNNina’s POVThe article went live two days later.I was in the kitchen when my phone started vibrating nonstop against the marble counter.At first, I ignored it.I was spreading peanut butter on toast for Malia, who sat at the island swinging her legs and narrating an elaborate story about how her stuffed wolf had apparently defeated three dragons before breakfast.“And then he said, ‘Roar!’ but like, a polite roar,” she explained very seriously.“Of course,” I said gravely. “Polite dragons are the most dangerous.”My phone buzzed again. And again.Malia tilted her head. “Is that important?”“Yes,” I admitted. “But you’re more important.”She beamed at that, satisfied.The kitchen door swung open, and Kaiden walked in, already holding his own phone, as it had personally offended him.“It’s out,” he said.Axel followed behind him, jaw tight.Kieran came last, silent as always, but the tension in his shoulders gave him away.Malia looked between them. “Why do you all loo

WHEN THE GROUND SHIFTSNina’s POVGina didn’t waste time. By evening, the elders had called for a formal assembly.I stood in my room staring at the message on my phone for a long moment before lowering it slowly.A knock came at my door, distracting me from my thoughts.“Come in.”Axel stepped inside first, followed by Kaiden and Kieran. Their expressions told me they’d received the same message.Kaiden shut the door behind them. “So... Assembly.”Axel’s eyes were on me. “You don’t have to attend.”I blinked at him. “Excuse me?”“It’s a tactic,” he said carefully. “If Gina pushes for a public challenge, she’ll want you reacting emotionally.”I crossed my arms. “And not showing up would look like weakness.”“It would look strategic,” he countered.“No,” I said firmly. “It would look afraid.”Kaiden sighed. “He has a point. This could be messy.”“When has it not been?” I replied.Axel stepped closer. “Nina, I’m not questioning your strength. I’m questioning their intent.”“I know exact

LINES IN THE SANDNina’s POVI gave myself one night.One night to sit with everything Axel had said. One night to let the anger cool and get my thoughts in order.By morning, the fog in my head had thinned into strategy. If the ritual was leveraged, then it was only dangerous as long as it stayed in the shadows.Secrets gave people power. Exposure redistributed it.So I was in the war room by sunrise.The long wooden table was scattered with maps of pack territory, council bylaws, and now, my parents’ letters.Ryan leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, watching me pace.“You look like you’re about to declare war,” he said.“Not war,” I replied. “Terms.”Kaiden lounged in one of the chairs, boots propped on the table despite the glare Axel sent his way. Kieran stood near the window, silent but alert.Axel himself hadn’t spoken much since he walked in. He was watching me carefully.“I’m not letting this ritual hang over us like a loaded weapon,” I said finally.Ryan nodded once. “

BENEATH THE SKINNina’s POVThe healer’s cottage always smelled like crushed mint and smoke.I knocked twice before pushing the door open.“I’m not dead yet,” the healer called from inside. “You can enter.”I rolled my eyes faintly and stepped in.Maris sat at her long wooden table, grinding herbs in a stone mortar with deliberate rhythm. Her silver hair was braided loosely over one shoulder, and her sharp eyes flicked up the second she sensed me.“You look less like you’re about to collapse,” she observed immediately."Good morning to you, too," I said dryly.She sniffed. “Sit.”I obeyed, lowering myself onto the cushioned bench across from her.She set the mortar aside and leaned forward, studying my face with unsettling intensity.“You’ve been taking the herbs,” she said.“Yes.”“As instructed?”“Yes.”She nodded once. “Good.”Her fingers brushed lightly over my wrist, then my throat, then the center of my chest. Lina stirred faintly at the contact.Maris hummed under her breath.“

BEFORE THE SUN RISESNina’s POVThe sky was still ink-black when my alarm went off.For a moment, I lay there staring at the ceiling, listening to the quiet hum of the estate. No guards rotating yet. No footsteps in the hallway. Just stillness.Cold air kissed my bare arms as I stood. My muscles felt stiff from tension more than sleep, but there was something else beneath it.Anticipation.I dressed as quickly as I could. When I stepped outside, dawn was only a thin gray line bleeding into the horizon.The training grounds were empty except for him.Kaiden stood near the far edge of the clearing, hands in his pockets, posture deceptively relaxed. He wore dark training pants and a sleeveless shirt that exposed the intricate ink curling over his shoulders and arms.He didn’t turn when I approached.“You’re early,” he said.“I don’t like being predictable,” I replied.He glanced at me over his shoulder, one brow lifting faintly.“Showing up on time is predictable,” he said. “Showing up l