Semua Bab Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Beast: Bab 21 - Bab 30

The journey back to the Midnight Ridge pack was quiet, but it was not peaceful.The forest moved around them in long, whispering breaths, its shadows stretching across the narrow trail as the sun sank lower behind the mountains. Lyra walked beside Kael, matching his steady pace, though the weight inside her chest made every step feel heavier than the last.Broken Fang.The name still echoed in her mind like a distant howl.If what they had seen was true if someone had truly slaughtered an entire pack and hidden the truth then the world she thought she understood was far darker than she had ever imagined.And if Alpha Darius knew anything about it…She pushed the thought away.For now.Kael hadn’t spoken much since they left the ruins. His silence wasn’t cold or distant; it was the silence of someone thinking too deeply, someone trying to fit together pieces that didn’t want to form a clear picture.At last, as the familiar boundary scent of Midnight Ridge reached them, he slowed.“We

The afternoon stretched longer than it should have.Time moved, but it did not feel real. Every sound in the pack grounds seemed distant, muffled by the weight pressing against Lyra’s thoughts. Wolves spoke in quiet clusters, their voices low and uncertain, their glances turning toward her whenever they thought she wouldn’t notice.She didn’t blame them.Her decision would not affect only her.If she went with Darius, it could strengthen ties between the packs or fracture them completely. If she refused, whatever truth he held would remain out of reach.And if he was lying…Then she might be walking straight into danger.Lyra stood near the edge of the clearing, watching the sun slowly lower behind the trees. The light had begun to soften, turning the forest gold at the edges. Sunset was coming.So was the moment she could no longer avoid.Footsteps approached behind her, steady and familiar.Kael.He didn’t speak right away. He stopped beside her, his presence solid and quiet, his ga

Sleep did not come.Lyra lay awake in the room Darius had given her, staring at the ceiling while shadows shifted slowly across the walls. The territory was quiet, disciplined even at night, but the stillness did nothing to calm the storm inside her mind.The High Council.Her bloodline.The massacre.Every answer she had gained had only opened deeper questions, each one heavier than the last.And beneath it all was something she had not expected.Kael.The memory of his face at the boundary lingered, the restraint in his expression, the way he had let her go without argument even though every instinct in him had wanted to stop her.She turned onto her side, her fingers brushing the bone pendant resting on the small table beside her bed.If she broke it, he would come.Immediately.The certainty of that steadied her more than she wanted to admit.But she didn’t reach for it.Not yet.Morning came sharp and cold.Darius’s territory moved with quiet efficiency as the sun rose. Wolves tr

The forest did not feel the same anymore.Even the wind seemed cautious as it moved through the towering trees, whispering instead of howling. The shadows stretched longer than they should, thick and watchful, as though the land itself had sensed the shift that had taken place.Lira walked beside Kael in silence.Their wolves were alert, restless beneath their skin. Since the moment the mark between them had deepened, the bond had grown stronger strong enough that she could feel the steady pulse of his emotions even without looking at him. Determination. Anger. Something darker beneath it.And fear.Not for himself.For her.“We shouldn’t be this close to the eastern border,” Lira finally said, her voice quiet but steady.Kael didn’t slow his pace. “We don’t have a choice.”The trees thinned ahead, revealing a narrow ridge that overlooked a deep valley. Beyond it, far in the distance, smoke rose in thin gray columns.Enemy territory.Lira’s chest tightened.“That’s the Shadow Pack,” s

They ran like something hunted.Not prey.Not quite predator either.Something in between desperate and dangerous.The forest blurred past Lira in streaks of shadow and silver light. The moon had risen fully now, casting an eerie glow across the trees, turning every branch into a skeletal hand reaching for them. Kael ran ahead in his wolf form, massive and relentless, clearing the path with brutal efficiency.Through the bond, she felt it.Panic.Not uncontrolled. Not wild.But sharp.Focused.He was calculating distances. Estimating time. Measuring risk.And they were losing.The scent hit her first.Smoke.Her heart stuttered.No.The wind shifted, carrying it stronger now ash, burning timber, something acrid and wrong. Not the wild scent of forest fire.This was deliberate.They burst through the final stretch of trees and onto the high ridge overlooking their territory.And Lira stopped breathing.Below them, the pack lands were lit by flames.Not everywhere.Not yet.But enough.