The Alpha’s Discarded Bride のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

CHRISTINENathan was talking to someone on the phone when I stepped back into my office. “…I’m telling you, if we restructure that clause before submission, we can avoid…” I barely heard the rest as my mind was still in that corridor where Stephanie walked past me back at Kael's office. I dropped my bag on the desk, slower than usual as my thoughts lagged behind my movements.“Christine, you're back so soon.” He said and I collapsed on the arm chair nearby.“I'm talking to you,” I blinked, pulling myself back. “Yes?”Nathan frowned slightly, studying my face. “You’re not listening,” “I am,” I replied automatically even though we both knew I wasn’t.His gaze didn’t leave mine. “What happened?”“Nothing,” I said, standing up and moving past him toward my desk. “The meeting was pointless.That wasn’t entirely a lie but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Nathan didn’t look convinced. He crossed his arms, leaning slightly against the edge of the table.“For Kael to call you to his off

CHRISTINEI’m not going to give up, I must get him.The thought settled firmly in my mind, not rushed or emotional but steadily. For the first time since all of this started, I wasn’t reacting, I was deciding.“Where did you go?”Nathan’s voice cut through the silence the moment I stepped back into the office. I knew I was going to get an earful from him for stepping out without his knowledge.“Out.” I replied simply,“That’s not an answer.”“That's enough for one.”I dropped the file on the desk and reached for another like nothing had happened, like I hadn’t just chased a man through unfamiliar streets trying to confirm if he was someone I wasn’t ready to name out loud.Nathan didn’t move but I could feel his eyes on me.“You left without saying anything,” he said.I flipped open the file. “I came back, didn’t I?”“That’s not the point.”“Then what is?”“The point is you’re acting like you’re the only one this affects.”That made me pause and I slowly looked up at him.“And what ex

CHRISTINEI stepped out of my office and the cool breeze hit me. It was evening and everything felt slower than it actually was.Nathan had stayed back to finish something but I didn’t wait even after he insisted I did. I told him I wanted to get home first.I actually needed space not from him but just from everything—the contract issue, the attack and that strange man that I suspect to be Harlan. Most importantly, I was still trying to get clues from the attack. Whosoever that tried to hurt me will surely try again and this time, I will make sure I found out whoever it is even if I get hurt. It's been two days since all of that happened. I haven't set my hands on that strange man since he slipped away and I haven't noticed him following me anymore or felt any presence. I exhaled softly, my heels clicking against the pavement as I walked as my thoughts refused to stay in one place for too long. Kael said he was going to handle it and figure out who sent those rogues after me bu

HARLAN“I hate you.”She meant it, I could hear it in her voice, feel it in the way the bond reacted—sharp, strained, resisting even as it held.It was there, stronger than it had been in months and than it should have been.Standing this close to her felt like standing inside something I had no control over anymore. It pressed against my chest, pulled at something deeper, something that hadn’t settled since the day she disappeared.Since the day I lost everything without even knowing it.My gaze stayed on her. I noticed the way her shoulders rose and fell unevenly, like she was trying to steady herself and failing.Her eyes refused to soften, she had every right but that didn’t change anything.“I’m not leaving,” I said, my voice was calm, controlled and certain.Her expression hardened instantly. “You don’t get to decide that.”“I do.”Nathan shifted beside her immediately, his body angling slightly forward, instinctively placing himself between us like I hadn’t already marked him a

KAELPatterns didn’t lie but people did.By the time the report got to me, the night had already settled deep into the city. Rain pressed hard against the windows steadily and relentlessly, washing the streets clean in a way that felt almost deliberate.I stood by the window, my gaze fixed on the blurred lights below as I listened to Darius speaking behind me.“Unidentified wolves were seen near Christine's residence.”“Not ours?” I asked without turning to face him. “No, Alpha.”My fingers tapped once against the glass slowly. “Did they engage?”“No.”That alone was enough to shift something in my mind. There was no attack or confrontation, just presence watching and studying.A faint irritation brushed against my senses, it was not loud or consuming but just there.“Timing?” I asked.“It was not long after the rain started.”I turned then, finally looking at him. “The wolves from the attack, they’re still confirmed dead right? ”“Yes.”“And no trace at all?”“None.”My jaw tighten