Semua Bab The Alpha Without A Wolf: Bab 21 - Bab 30

I didn’t ride the bike all the way to Derek’s house. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I was about two miles out when the familiar bend in the road came into view, the one lined with crooked mailboxes and stubborn oak trees. I slowed down and coasted into the shadows. My chest felt tight, like I’d swallowed something too large to breathe around.I pushed the bike off the road and dragged it behind a cluster of trees, wedging it between two thick trunks and fallen branches. I made sure it was hidden. Paranoid, maybe. But I didn’t want anyone connecting me to this, and I didn't want anyone seeing it and alerting Derek's dad that someone was in the area.Then I walked the rest of the way.The neighborhood was quiet. Lights glowed behind curtains. A dog barked somewhere in the distance. I kept my hood up, hands in my pockets, eyes scanning. Still, Derek's house was a bit secluded from the neighborhood, so I knew I still had a bit of a way to go.When Derek’s house finally came into view, my

I didn’t remember most of the ride back, only the feeling.The wind cut against my face. The steady vibration of the bike beneath me. The way my hands trembled every time I replayed it in my head.The fall, the way I had landed on him, the warmth of his body under mine, the way his fingers had fisted into my shirt instead of pushing me away.By the time I reached the edge of pack territory, my heart was still beating like I had just sprinted miles.I slowed down as I approached the outer clearing, scanning the shadows. No one stopped me. No one questioned me. Most of the men were still gathered near the healer’s place. Word traveled fast in a pack. If my father was still there, that meant they were still talking about me.About what I was becoming or what I might become.I found the owner of the bike near the training grounds and handed it back without a word. He raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask questions. Probably because I was the Alpha’s son, probably because he had learned not to.

The silence stretched so tight it felt like it would snap as Derek’s father stood in the doorway, shoulders squared, eyes blazing. His gaze moved from me to Derek, then back to me again, slower this time.“Who,” he asked evenly, “is the boy in your room?”Derek opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His fingers tightened in the sheets beneath him. His throat bobbed as he swallowed. His eyes flicked to me just for a second, then back to his father.“I—”His father stepped forward.“I asked you a question.”The air shifted when he moved. I felt it now. Not the faint scent of ash alone, but something embedded deeper. A man who prepared for things like wolves.Derek forced himself upright despite the cast.“He’s—” Derek’s voice cracked. He cleared it. “He’s my friend.”The word hung. Friend.His father’s eyes flickered.“Your friend.”“Yes.”His father stepped fully into the room now, closing the door behind him.“How,” he asked slowly, “did your so-called friend enter my house without m

The moment I stepped across the threshold of Bri’s house, something shifted, but Bri didn’t seem to notice any of it. She tugged me further inside like she was bringing home a stray dog she’d decided to keep.“Mom!” she called brightly. “Look who I brought back with me. I found him”I almost corrected her.The leader of the witches stepped into view from the hallway.Even though I had seen her before, even though I had stood in her presence when Bri lay unconscious and glowing with power she didn’t understand, my body still reacted instinctively.My shoulders straightened. My senses sharpened. Her gaze settled on me calmly.“Ethan,” she said smoothly, like she had been expecting me.“Mom,” Bri said proudly, gesturing between us, “this is Ethan. My friend from school.”Her mother’s lips curved faintly. “We’ve met.”Bri blinked. “You have?”“Briefly,” the woman answered, eyes never leaving mine.I forced a polite smile. “Yes, ma’am.”Bri grinned, clearly pleased that her worlds were ove

Seven whole days.That was how long I lasted before I started losing my mind.I hadn’t gone to Derek’s house. Not once to check on him, or to spy through his window, or to make sure his leg was actually healing.I told myself it was because of my father, because of Lucas watching me more closely, or because of the warriors lingering near the tree line like I was a pup who couldn’t be trusted not to wander.But the truth?I was scared. Scared to see him in pain. But most importantly, I was scared of his father.I had resumed school as if nothing happened. Bri walked beside me every morning, and Derek remained absent.The first day he was absent, it was obvious. I’d broken his leg. The second day, guilt crept deeper. By Wednesday, I couldn’t focus on anything the teachers said. By Friday, I felt sick.“I’m sure he’s fine,” Bri said gently one afternoon as we walked home.I hadn’t realized I’d been staring at Derek’s empty desk again.“You broke his leg,” she added softly. “He probably j