Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ninety-Nine Debts: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

My mentor, Steven Gilford, fell silent for a moment. When he spoke again, caution weighed down his voice. "Our research team is heading north, to the Fallen Temple. We are searching for a fragment of the legendary Serum Manuscript. That place is lethal. If you go, there is a real chance you will not come back."He paused, then asked the question anyway. "Are you really willing to leave everything you have here and come with us?"Another beat passed."And will the Alpha even allow it? Everyone in the pack knows how much Alpha Garrick Whitefang dotes on you. He has never been willing to let you out of his sight. Seven years ago, you gave up your post as an Archivist for him and became his Luna. Are you truly ready to walk away now?"My chest twisted as if it had been cut open. The pain was sharp, but my resolve cut deeper. Only one thing held me back: how to tell him the truth.I was pregnant.This pup had cost me years of my life, paid through bloodline fusion rituals that burned

"Garrick, those were our pup's names," I said hoarsely.How could he take the names meant for my pup and give them to pups carried by another woman? The words scraped their way out of my throat, and my tears broke free all at once.Garrick panicked. He pulled me hard against his chest and kissed my forehead again and again, as if repetition could undo the damage."Wena, are you unhappy?" he asked in a rush. "I thought you'd be glad if the two pups used those names. Don't be angry. We can change them."His voice tumbled over itself. "You can rename them. Anything you want. As long as you're happy."That hurt even more. The pain prickled under my skin like needles. It felt as though my grief were another bargaining chip he could sweep aside."Wena, please don't cry," he said, tightening his arms. "You're killing me. I'll do anything. Anything. Just don't cry, okay?"I fell silent for a moment. Then I said softly, "It doesn't matter anymore."Names, apologies, promise—none of it m

Garrick finally grasped the truth. Rowena was really gone.Cold, sharp panic crept in. Where was he supposed to find her?His mind replayed their last phone call again and again. With each replay, his unease deepened and tightened its grip."No. That can't be right. She loves me too much. She would not leave me like this. She has to be bluffing, trying to scare me," he mumbled. "That has to be it."Garrick refused to accept that Rowena was truly gone. He convinced himself that she must have left something behind, some clue hidden in the house and waiting to be found.He went straight to the room where she used to stay. He opened the door. Inside, he found unfamiliar women's clothes and jewelry.Only then did the truth strike him. That room no longer belonged to Rowena. She had given it to Lyralei. Every trace of her presence had vanished. Even the photo from their mate bond ceremony, the one that once hung on the wall, was gone.Garrick's chest tightened. He summoned the houseke

After he unlocked the phone, Garrick noticed something that made his breath hitch. There were messages from Lyralei."How does she even have Wena's contact information?" he blurted.A chill crept up his spine as he opened the thread. All the timestamps came after Rowena had disappeared.Lyralei: [Rowena, you finally left?]Lyralei: [At least you know your place. A hen that can't lay eggs has been squatting in the Luna position for years. You should have handed over what never belonged to you long ago.]Lyralei: [Don't ever come back once you're gone. I'll give Gary plenty of pups. There won't be a place for you in the Snowclaw Pack anymore.]Garrick's eyes went bloodshot. His grip tightened until the phone creaked, as if it might shatter in his hand."What else did you find?" he asked suddenly. His voice sounded eerily calm.The Beta swallowed and pulled out his own device, then brought up the estate's surveillance footage. On the screen, Lyralei's face looked twisted and ugly

It was not until the patrol squad had completely withdrawn from pack territory that Helga arrived in a panic. "Garrick, have you lost your mind? We finally secured an heir, and you throw him away like that? Are you trying to anger me to death?"Her face burned red, and her chest rose and fell with each sharp breath. "Hurry and bring Silvertail back. I do not care about anything else. You must retrieve Snowclaw Pack's heir.""Mom," Garrick cut in, his voice abrupt as he stopped her mid-rant. "Do you know that Rowena is pregnant?"She froze. "You must be… What? Rowena is pregnant?"Delight bloomed across her face. "That is wonderful news. Where is she? Bring her back at once. Silvertail still needs to stay. What if Rowena gives birth to a female pup? I still want Silvertail as the Alpha heir.""We cannot find her," Garrick said, his voice rough. "Rowena is missing. Even with my authority, I cannot trace her. She does not want me anymore."Helga's expression hardened. "That woman is