Semua Bab Alpha's Games of Lies & Lust : Bab 1 - Bab 10

Ryder did not follow her. He didn't come to their bedroom that night, nor did he send a mindlink. Only his faint scent on the bedsheets teased her, a ghost of the love she thought they shared. Her wolf, Kalina, whimpered in the back of her mind, mourning the betrayal but still nursing a pathetic, desperate hope that he would reject his fated mate and things would return to normal.Zoriana tossed and turned until dawn, her mind a battlefield. Just as she finally began to drift off, his scent hit her. Moments later, strong, familiar hands pulled her close, and the warmth of his mate-touch spread through her body like a drug.She opened her eyes and saw him watching her with eyes that were already dark—not with apology, but with a raw, heavy lust. He looked unfairly good. His jaw was rough with dark stubble, and his hair was a mess. The black ink of his tribal tattoo flowed over the hard muscle of his chest and shoulder, a map of everything she used to think belonged only to her."Baby,

The next morning, Zoriana was discharged. Ryder didn’t show up to pick her up, and surprisingly, it didn’t even sting. It was just another confirmation that they were done.She walked out of the clinic alone, the morning air chill and filled with the sound of birds. She took one last look around the pack grounds, bidding a silent farewell to the place she had called home for five years. Her phone buzzed—another message from Aella. Her friend had been trying to reach her since the banquet night, but Zoriana wasn't ready to talk yet.“I’ll call her once I’ve made my move”, she thought, slipping the phone into her pocket.As she passed the training grounds, her heart clenched with nostalgia. She had spent thousands of hours here, molding raw recruits into warriors. But the memory was cut short by a high-pitched giggle.Ryder was there, shirtless, sweat glistening on his skin. He looked as gorgeous as ever, but the sight was ruined by the person he was training - Milana. It looked more cu

“How do you feel?” asked Aella, placing down her coffee cup and looking Zoriana straight in the eyes. Zoriana smiled faintly and paused. Her gaze flickered between her loyal friends—Aella, Scott, and Braydon—sitting outdoors in the small café. “Overwhelmed… confused… free, and absolutely happy,” she replied. “Don't you feel pain from severing a mate bond?” asked Braydon curiously, squeezing his own mate's hand as if he couldn't imagine ever losing him. “I did feel physical pain the moment the bond was severed, but it was gone fast. It was like I amputated something that was already rotten and had to be removed. My heart was already broken when he brought Milana to the pack, chose to protect her during the rogue attack, and mated with her… Our bond was already snapping, holding on by a tiny thread. I just cut what was already dead,” Zoriana replied, taking a final sip of her coffee. Strangely, it tasted good—better than any coffee she had tasted before. Maybe because a heavy weight

The heavy wood of the study table groaned under their weight, a sound that usually fueled Ryder’s ego. He was behind Milana, one hand fisting her hair to pull her head back while he pounded into her with a rhythm that was more aggressive than passionate. This was the fire he had traded everything for—the raw, fated-mate heat that was supposed to make him feel marvellous. But as he moved, his gaze shifted past the curve of her neck. There, tucked just under the edge of the desk, was a stack of overdue maintenance requests and a red-inked budget report Zoriana had flagged weeks ago. He found himself staring at a line item for a new infrastructure while Milana cried out his name. His body was performing, but his brain was stuck on a deficit. He began to thrust even faster and harder, trying to force himself to feel the thrill of the moment, yet all he could think about was how Zoriana would have already balanced the books. He wa

The following day, the bruises and bite marks on Aella’s body had faded, but the wounds on her soul refused to heal. She trembled at the slightest sound and refused to leave her bed. Zoriana, Scott, and Braydon took turns watching over her, never leaving her side even while she slept. After finishing her shift, Zoriana stepped outside to let Scott take over. She sat in the grass, trying to clear her head. The sunbeams caressed her skin and birds chirped, but her mind was a whirlwind of dead-end solutions. Rejecting the mate bond would likely kill Aella; returning to her pack certainly would. Zoriana flipped restlessly through law books, hunting for a loophole. But there was nothing. Her phone buzzed. Unknown number. “Alpha Zoriana Roux,” she answered. She couldn't help but smile; the title still brought her a flicker of joy. Not a Luna, not an Alpha's daughter—a first female Alpha in her own right. “Alpha Zoriana, good day.