Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Alpha’s Claim: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Roman froze the moment the words slipped out of his mouth.What am I going to do with you?The adrenaline had faded, but tension still pulsed between them—quieter now, sharper in its own way. Ellie rose from the floor slowly, almost shy, smoothing her hands down her bare arms as if she’d only just realized how exposed she was.Roman noticed instantly. Without a word, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders before she could protest.“I’m not cold,” she whispered.“It’s not for warmth.”She looked up at him—really looked—and something twisted in his chest. He’d seen stubborn Ellie, sarcastic Ellie, fearless Ellie. But this version—soft, unsure, needing reassurance—this was the one that unraveled him.He stepped back before instinct got the better of him.“Roman?” she asked quietly.He raked a hand through his hair. “I just… need a second.”He wasn’t angry or embarrassed. Just overwhelmed. If he reached for her again, he didn’t trust himself to stop where he shoul

Roman walked beside Ellie as they crossed the lawn back toward the pack house. His hand rested at the small of her back, warm and steady, guiding her without pressing. The intimacy of their earlier conversation hummed between them, quiet but present, like a tide pulling at both of them.Inside, the house was alive with motion.The moment they stepped through the doors, three wolves from the household staff beelined toward her“There she is!” one of them gasped.“Oh, thank the moon—Ellie, we’ve been looking for you everywhere!”“Come on, sweetheart, we have so much to do.”Roman didn’t even get a chance to release her hand before she was swept away.He let her go with a soft, knowing look.Ellie cast him a helpless glance over her shoulder.He mouthed: You’ll be okay.She wasn’t sure she believed that.⸻By midday Ellie had been led through half the mansion, ushered into the pack’s wardrobe gallery, and surrounded by fabrics, lace, and eager voices.“We need ceremony white.”“And lace

The champagne silk felt cool against Ellie’s skin, flowing over her like liquid light. The dress clung to her in a way that felt intentional rather than revealing, molded to her curves without restraint, as if it had been made for her body alone. It dipped low in the back, the fabric disappearing entirely between her shoulder blades, held together only by delicate gold chains that draped across her shoulders and caught the light with every subtle movement. The front was deceptively simple—elegant, smooth, skimming her waist and hips—but it was the back that stole breath. The exposed line of her spine. The soft curve of skin at her neck and shoulder. The place already warm beneath silk and anticipation.Her hair fell in dark, glossy waves down her back, brushed until it shone, left loose so nothing would interfere with what was meant to happen later. A few shorter strands framed her face, softening her features, moving slightly when she breathed. Her makeup was understated but delibera

Roman walked over and closed the door behind him. The soft click echoed through the room, and Ellie’s breath hitched. The quiet suddenly felt heavier, closer, like the moment had wrapped itself around her too tightly. “I’m—” She swallowed, forcing her voice to stay steady. “I’m just going to the bathroom. To freshen up.” The moment the bathroom door shut, Ellie braced her hands on the counter as her breath came too fast. Her reflection stared back at her, eyes bright with nerves and emotion. Fear fluttered in her chest—fear of the unknown, of wanting this night to be meaningful and still being terrified she might ruin it. You can do this, she told herself, pressing a hand to her heart. She focused on her breathing until the panic softened, until the trembling eased enough for her to move again. In the bedroom, Roman paced: once, twice, again—then finally, he stopped and sat in the middle of the bed, elbows braced on his knees, head bowed as he forced his breathing to steady

The shift in Roman was not gradual.It was immediate.One moment he was above her, steady and reverent. The next, something in him tightened — a wire pulled too far.His hand closed around her wrists, lifting them above her head in a single, fluid movement. Not rough.But absolute.The air changed.Ellie felt it like a spark down her spine.His breathing deepened. His jaw hardened. The careful restraint she had always known in him thinned — not disappearing, but stretching.His grip on her wrists was firm, pinning them effortlessly above her head with a single hand—a reminder of the power he usually kept carefully controlled. But now, he leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of her ear, his voice a low, gravelly vibration. “You like how this feels, don’t you?” he murmured, his breath hot against her skin. “Knowing you can’t move unless I let you? Knowing I have you exactly where I want you?”Ellie’s breath caught in her throat. She had expected a continuation of the reverence of t