บททั้งหมดของ ALPHAS of the PEAK: บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

I’d already added the school’s rumor mill to my list of natural predators. In the three sun-cycles since I’d returned to the capital, I’d been scented, tracked, and dissected by more gossip than I’d faced in years, and the howling whispers showed no sign of dying down.Maybe if I’d grown up in the high-stakes politics of the D.C. packs, I’d be used to it. But in the coastal territories, I’d managed to be a ghost. From my first transformation through my sophomore year, I was just another face in the forest—until I started running with the local rogue-heart, Zak Huntington. After that, the scandals hit like a flash flood.I should have known better. Dating a wolf with that much raw, dark pull meant every eye in the territory was on me. Suddenly, females I’d never met were snarling behind my back, claiming I was trying to climb the pack hierarchy or sleeping my way through the lead enforcers. Zak had taught me to growl back or simply ignore the yapping, and I’d tried my best to tune out

"Because I knew it would make his inner wolf howl with rage." Harrison took a slow, methodical sip of his coffee, his expression a mask of cool indifference. "It’s written all over him, Maddie. He wants to reclaim his territory."I shook my head, the idea tasting like copper in my mouth. "No chance. The male cheated on me, Harrison. You don't discard something you actually intend to keep.""Did you miss the way he tracked us? He looked ready to challenge me for rights he doesn't have anymore. He loathed seeing you at my side.""Maybe, but that’s just ego. It doesn't mean he wants a second chance.""True, but he lost his grip on reality finding you with another predator. Especially one from my bloodline."Harrison actually had a point. Zak’s fury had been a physical weight in the room, and I’d be lying if I said a part of me didn't find the disruption satisfying."I guess I can't argue with that," I admitted, my second surrender of the day. "Serena wasn't much better with that icy litt

Knowing his apology was genuine—and the fact that my wolf actually missed his presence—was enough to make me offer a small smile. “It’s fine, Preston,” I assured him. “I’m sorry for being so feral earlier.”Relief washed over his face, and the Preston I actually liked finally resurfaced. “Feral?” he teased. “It takes a lot to make my spirit flinch, and you somehow managed to do it. I should’ve remembered you have silver in your tongue.”I laughed, leaning forward to pull him into a brief, tight hug. “Now you know better than to get on my bad side.”Preston chuckled, returning the embrace before pulling back with a suddenly serious expression. “Alright, now that the pack-bonding is out of the way… what is this howling I keep hearing about you and Harrison Cole mating up?”I groaned, letting my head thud back against the stone wall. “It’s a long, messy saga.”“I’ve got until the next moon,” he insisted, patting my arm.I shot him a warning look. “You have to swear on the ancestors not t

Harrison let out a low, guttural huff and rolled his eyes, opting for a stony silence as a few nearby wolves tracked our tension. As far as the "fated pair" act went, we were failing the scent test miserably. I was starting to seriously doubt our ability to pull off this hunt without tearing each other apart.We spent the next ten minutes in a cold war of mutual avoidance. With every passing wave, I felt my internal equilibrium sliding further into chaos. By the time Harrison cut his gaze back to me after a brief, sharp exchange with some Trinity elites, I was actively fighting the urge to ruin his expensive leather boots."You’re looking a little green around the gills, Stick-Girl," he murmured, his eyes narrowing as he scanned my pale face.I felt more than just a little green. I felt like a rogue in a silver cage."I’m fine," I choked out, my throat tight with rising bile. "Truly.""If you shift or vomit on me, I am tossing you into the current." Given the genuine revulsion in his

“That’s the story he’s feeding people?” I felt my brow knit together as I shifted my weight, glancing over at the Cruz twins.“He never explicitly said it; it’s just the assumption the pack made,” Vanessa corrected, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “But now that Serena is back and he’s been acting like his fur is standing on end whenever she’s near, the ‘amicable’ story is falling apart. What did he tell you actually happened to their bond?”If Harrison and I were going to trick the hierarchy into believing we were a true pair, we needed a unified history—and ideally, one that made Serena look like the traitor she was. I didn’t want to scent-trail his secrets without permission, though. I wasn't about to pull a 'Preston' and blab. I held up a finger, signaling the twins to wait, and fired off a quick text to Harrison asking if I could disclose the truth about the Whitlock split.His response was instantaneous:I literally do not care. Burn her bridge.That was all the clea