All Chapters of The Alpha’s Claim: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The training grounds buzzed with energy when we arrived. Warriors sparred in pairs, the sharp crack of fists meeting forearms echoing across the field. The scent of pine and damp earth hung in the air, familiar and grounding. Normally, this place calmed me. Today, it only made my wolf pace harder, restless and agitated.Alexander nudged me. “You’re zoning out again.”“I’m fine,” I replied, though the tremor in my voice betrayed me.He didn’t believe me, but he let it go.Lucy jogged over, bright and breathless. “Morning! Ready to get destroyed?”“Only if you’re the one doing it.”She grinned, her enthusiasm infectious. “Challenge accepted.”We stretched together, but before she could tease me again, a ripple moved through the crowd.Roman had arrived.He didn’t just walk; he commanded the space around him. Tall and broad-shouldered, his dark hair tousled as if he’d run his hands through it on the way here. His storm-gray eyes swept over the warriors, sharp and assessing.He looked lik

The ride back was quiet.I rested my forehead against the window, watching the world slide past in streaks of light. Roman’s presence filled the truck—steady, grounding. He didn’t speak, but I could feel him glancing at me every few seconds, like he was checking to make sure I was still breathing, still awake, still… me.When we pulled up to the pack house, my stomach dropped.“I don’t want to go inside yet,” I said quietly.He glanced at me. “Why?”“My mom,” I admitted. “She’ll ask questions.”He nodded once, slow and understanding. Then he said, “You can sleep on my side of the house.”My breath caught.He didn’t say it like an invitation.He said it like a solution.Like he’d already decided I wasn’t facing anything alone tonight.Inside, the house was dim and quiet. The air felt heavy with things left unsaid. Roman paused in the hallway.“You can take the couch,” he offered.I hesitated. The word *couch* echoed in my chest like a warning.Like distance.Like safety.But safety was

Ellie went to bed early. Not because she was tired, but because the pack house was starting to feel like a pressure cooker.Downstairs, people were arguing over streamers like it was a matter of life or death. Someone’s laughter sounded too sharp; someone’s music was too loud. The whole building had that twitchy, electric hum that always preceded a major Shift.And tomorrow—technically today, once the clock hit midnight—was hers. Her birthday. Her coming of age ceremony.She lay on her back, staring at the shadows on the ceiling, one hand pressed over the necklace hidden beneath her t-shirt. It was warm—hot, actually—pulsing with a steady, low rhythm that felt less like jewelry and more like a second heart.A soft knock cut through the noise of her thoughts.It wasn’t the heavy, authoritative rap of her father or the frantic tapping of her friends. It was hesitant. Careful.Her heart did a stupid, hopeful little kick. “Yeah?”The door creaked open, and Roman stepped in.He looked like

The elder’s voice cut through the clearing like steel, calm yet unyielding.“Ellie of Silvermoon.”Ellie froze, the air suddenly stripped from her lungs, while the crowd fell into a charged, expectant hush. The transition from the girl who had woken up in a cold bed to the woman standing at the precipice of her future was happening too fast.“Daughter of Beta Aaron and Jennifer,” the elder continued, his voice echoing off the ancient stones that ringed the ritual grounds, “step forward to be recognized.”Her fingers dug into her palms, her nails biting into the soft skin. The midnight blue of her dress whispered against her legs, the shifting lantern light turning the fabric from a gentle dusk-blue into something electric—and painfully revealing. Every curve, every line of her silhouette felt like a statement she wasn't sure she was ready to make.Beneath her skin, her wolf coiled. It wasn't the dull ache of the morning anymore; it was a restless, predatory heat, sensing the shift in

I felt it before I saw him—an invisible weight crushing the air, pressing into my chest so hard my lungs fought for each ragged breath. My skin tingled, my heart thundered, and deep inside, my wolf slammed against my ribs like a caged beast desperate to break free.She’d stopped pacing. She was primed, every muscle coiled, her predatory focus narrowing until the rest of the world was nothing but a blur of orange fire and grey stone.I lifted my gaze. The firelight danced across the elders’ faces, their features twisting into masks of confusion as the temperature in the clearing seemed to skyrocket. The crowd’s murmurs faded into static. Then I saw him: Roman. He stood at the very edge of the circle, his jaw locked so tight I thought his teeth might shatter. His shoulders were rigid, his hands clenched at his sides like he was holding himself together from the inside out.Our eyes met—and the world dissolved. The pride of my father, the warmth of the pack, the importance of the ritual—