Semua Bab The Alpha's Regret : Bab 21 - Bab 30

The next morning, Skyler and I drove to Chrome & Fang together to tell Marcus. My palms were sweating despite the cool air, and I kept wiping them on my jeans."Hey." Skyler reached over and took my hand. "It's going to be fine. Marcus wants us both to be happy.""I know. I just... the whole pack is going to know within hours. Everyone's going to have opinions.""Let them. The only opinions that matter are yours and mine." He squeezed my hand. "We're doing this right, Wren. We have nothing to hide."Marcus was in his office, reviewing inventory reports when we knocked. He looked up, took one look at our joined hands, and smiled."Well. This is an interesting development." He gestured for us to sit. "I take it you two have worked things out?""We're trying," I said. "Taking it slow. But... yes. We're together.""Good." Marcus leaned back in his chair. "Skyler, how are the sessions with Elder Thomas going?""Better. The meditation techniques are helping. And now that Wren and I are..."

Two weeks passed in a blur of cautious happiness. Skyler and I fell into a routine—morning coffee at the diner, afternoons where he worked at Chrome & Fang while I painted, evenings spent talking or watching movies at my parents' house where we maintained appropriate distance under my mother's watchful eye.It was domestic. Sweet. Almost normal.Too normal, my wolf whispered. We weren't normal people. We were wolves with a bond that had been broken and was still healing, with a pack watching our every move, with a three-month deadline hanging over our heads.I was learning Skyler all over again. How he took his coffee (black, two sugars now instead of none—"I'm trying to be less bitter in all aspects of life"). How he listened when I talked about my art, asking questions that showed he actually cared. How he was patient when I pulled away, giving me space when the fear became too much.But we hadn't been truly alone since that first kiss. Hadn't pushed beyond hand-holding and brief ki

The pack hall transformed into a war room within hours. Maps covered every surface, showing our territory boundaries, known rogue positions, and vulnerable points. Warriors gathered in clusters, checking weapons and discussing strategy. The air crackled with tension and the sharp scent of anxious wolves.Marcus stood at the center, Elder Thomas at his side. "We have confirmation of at least fifteen rogues working with Dominic. Maybe more. They're scattered along our borders, probing for weaknesses.""We should strike first," Cole argued. "Take the fight to them before they're ready.""That's what Dominic wants," Skyler countered. "He's baiting us. Drawing us out so we leave the heart of our territory vulnerable." His hand found mine under the table. "We defend. We fortify. We make him come to us on our terms."Marcus nodded. "Agreed. Skyler, you're leading defensive strategy. I want patrols doubled, warriors stationed at key positions. No one travels alone. Vulnerable pack members lea

The forest went silent except for heavy breathing and the drip of blood on dead leaves.Skyler stood in the center of the clearing, transformed. His black wolf seemed larger, more solid, radiating power that made the air itself feel heavier. Those golden eyes—no longer ice-blue—locked onto Dominic with an intensity that promised death.Through the bond, I felt everything. His rage, yes, but also his crystal-clear focus. The feral madness was gone, burned away by the fully manifested bond. In its place was something far more dangerous: a mated wolf in complete control of his power.Dominic circled slowly, reassessing. His rogues had pulled back, forming a wider ring around the two Alphas. Even they could sense the shift in dynamics."Well," Dominic said, his voice steady despite the wariness in his eyes. "This is unexpected. The bond actually works for you. How... touching."Skyler didn't respond. Didn't growl or posture. Just watched Dominic with those unnerving golden eyes, waiting.

The pack celebration spilled from Chrome & Fang into the parking lot as night fell. Someone had started a bonfire, and wolves gathered around it in both human and wolf form, the atmosphere electric with relief and victory.I sat on a picnic table, ribs wrapped tight under my borrowed shirt, watching Skyler move through the crowd. He was different now—still commanding, still powerful, but there was a lightness to him that hadn't existed before. He laughed at something Cole said, clasped Ronan's good shoulder, accepted congratulations with genuine humility."He looks happy," Mom said, settling beside me with two bottles of water. "Happier than I've ever seen him.""The bond helps. He's not fighting it anymore.""Neither are you." She handed me a bottle. "I'm proud of you, Wren. What you did today took incredible courage.""I was terrified the entire time.""Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's acting despite it." She bumped my shoulder gently. "Your father wanted to come, but the hos