Bride of the Human Alpha のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

The pack circle closed around me like a noose. Every wolf in Moontide territory had gathered for tonight's ceremony. Hundreds of eyes gleamed in the firelight, watching, waiting. The full moon hung overhead, fat and silver, bearing witness to what would either be my greatest triumph or my complete destruction. I knew which one it would be. I'd known for weeks. "Shahira Thorne." Alpha Kane's voice boomed across the clearing, and silence fell like a blade. "Step forward." My legs trembled as I moved into the center of the circle. The red ceremonial dress they'd given me felt like a shroud. Around my neck, the mate pendant burned cold against my skin—the one Ryker had given me three years ago when we first felt the bond snap into place. All that paled in comparison to my excitement. Three years of our quiet love, finally ready to be presented to the pack. Happy, I looked at Ryker. My mate. My Ryker. Except he wasn't looking at me like I was his mate. He stood beside his father on th

I woke up in a bed. An actual bed, with clean sheets and a soft pillow. For a moment, I thought I'd dreamed everything—the rejection, the running, the attack. Maybe I was back in Moontide, in my old room, and it had all been a nightmare. Then I tried to sit up and pain exploded across my ribs. Not a dream. "Don't move too fast," a female voice said. "The wound is healing, but you'll tear the stitches." I turned my head to see a woman sitting in a chair beside the bed. She was older, maybe fifty, with silver-streaked brown hair and kind eyes. Human eyes, not wolf. "Where am I?" My throat was dry, my voice hoarse. "Safe. Drink this." She handed me a glass of water and I drank it gratefully. "I'm Elena. I'm a doctor. Well, a human doctor, but I've patched up enough shifters over the years to know what I'm doing." "How long have I been here?" "Two days." "Two days?" I tried to sit up again and immediately regretted it. "I told you not to move." Elena pushed me gently back down.

"You're insane." Daren looked up from the map spread across the table. "It's the only way." "It's suicide," I insisted. "If I just show up at the border begging to come back, they'll kill me on sight. Kane made it very clear I wasn't welcome." "Which is why we need to give them a reason to let you back in." He tapped the map. "Kane is practical. He'll overlook his pride if he thinks you're useful." We were in the war room, a secure space in the center of the compound where Daren planned his operations. The walls were covered with maps, photos, and notes about various packs. But the largest section was dedicated to Moontide—detailed layouts, guard rotations, key players, everything. Elena sat in the corner, listening silently. She'd been invited to these planning sessions because, as she'd explained, "Someone needs to be the voice of reason when you two get too caught up in revenge." "What reason could I possibly give?" I asked. "I'm a rejected mate. An omega. I have nothing they

Life as an omega was everything I'd feared and worse. I woke before dawn to prepare breakfast for the ranked wolves. Spent my days scrubbing floors, washing clothes, serving meals. The other omegas kept their distance—word had spread quickly that I was the Alpha's rejected mate, back by his mercy. No one wanted to associate with someone so low, so tainted. Fine by me. The isolation made it easier to work. Over the first week, I planted three of Elena's cameras in strategic locations. One in the main hallway near Kane's office, disguised as a button on a decorative curtain. One in the dining hall, stuck to the underside of a table. One in the training yard, hidden in a crack in the wall. I moved through Moontide like a ghost, invisible and insignificant. An omega carrying laundry, cleaning windows, serving food. No one paid attention to me. Which meant I could watch everything. I learned which warriors were loyal to Kane and which ones grumbled behind his back. I learned that the

We arrived back at the compound near dawn. I was exhausted, bruised, and shaking from adrenaline. Daren walked me straight to the medical building where Elena was waiting. "Is she hurt?" Elena asked, her hands already reaching to examine me. "Nothing serious. Cuts and bruises." Daren's voice was clipped. "Check her over and debrief her. I need to review the intelligence she gathered." He left without another word. Elena guided me to an examination table. "He's angry." "I noticed." "Not at you. At himself." She cleaned a cut on my arm. "He blames himself when his people get hurt. When you had to run early, he saw it as his failure for not planning better." "It wasn't his fault. It was mine. I wasn't careful enough." "Maybe. Or maybe Vanessa was going to be suspicious no matter what you did." Elena met my eyes. "Some people see threats everywhere because they're guilty themselves. Vanessa knows she betrayed you. Part of her probably expects you to want revenge." "She was right