All Chapters of ALPHAS of the PEAK: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

I tuned out Harrison’s low growl and rubbed my temple anxiously as I stayed on the line with Preston. “Now that I’m tracing the moon cycles in my head…” I trailed off, performing some frantic mental math. “I’m nearly a full week past my expected shift. I mean, it’s probably just the environment,” I tried to rationalize, shifting restlessly in the leather seat. “I’ve been under an immense amount of pressure since I crossed back into this territory. That could throw off my rhythm, right?”If I had been a character in an old pack legend, I would’ve been dripping sweat and shedding fur in pure panic. However, I was very much in my human skin, so I had to settle for my face burning and a cold, damp chill settling under my arms.“Pressure, my tail!” Preston barked. “You’re carrying! There's a pup!”He’d yelled it with such high-frequency intensity that Harrison’s head snapped toward me, his eyes wide with a predatory shock. He looked exactly the way I had when his elders jumped to their own

I could sense Harrison was waiting for me to stumble over the basic inquiry, but I threw my answer out into the ring regardless."Violet," I muttered, my brow furrowing in genuine confusion. "I was under the impression this game was designed for extracting blood and secrets, not details you could scent on a greeting card.""Patience," Grant informed me, his hand clamping around the neck of the vintage bottle. "We keep the trail light for the first mile. The jagged terrain starts once we’ve drained at least two of these." He tipped the bottle back, taking a long, practiced pull, then waited until the circle had each taken their share before speaking again. "Your turn to hunt, little wolf."I gave a sharp nod before tossing my question into the center. "Favorite combat discipline?""Forest-run skirmish." Harrison let out a bored yawn."Skirmish.""Skirmish."Grant looked utterly revolted by his three brothers-in-arms' lack of variety. "You lot are a hive mind. Aquatic assault, obviously

"Mother!" I practically snarled, the force of my voice finally silencing the room's frantic energy. "I am not carrying a pup!""Then why did Arabella Cole reach across the borders to announce it?" Elaine demanded, her sharp eyes narrowing in suspicion."Because she’s a woman who leaps onto conclusions before the scent is even cold!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in sheer exasperation. "Would you just let the trail go cold?"Richard raised a warning finger, his Alpha aura beginning to pulse. "Now, young lady—"However, Vivienne was quick to wave a manicured hand, cutting my father off with a sharp flick. She looked less offended now and more intrigued by the puzzle I represented. "What I can’t seem to track is what you were doing in the Cole territory with that boy in the first place. I thought you two were fated enemies."Great. Now I had to weave a legend they would actually believe."Our paths have shifted," I began uneasily, shifting my weight. "Actually, we’re... something of

"This is a gift for you, little wolf," the messenger said, thrusting the parchment envelope toward me. She didn't look at me, though; her eyes were busy traveling over Harrison’s frame with a slow, predatory hunger.I took the packet with a flicker of hesitation, my fingers brushing the heavy, wax-sealed paper. "What’s the cargo?"The redhead turned her gaze to me, her expression dropping into something glacial. "That’s for Serena to know and for you to survive."She flashed me a smirk that made the hair on my neck stand up, then tossed her crimson mane over her shoulder and vanished into the crowded stone corridor. Harrison and I were left standing in the wake of her scent, staring at each other in mutual confusion."Perhaps it’s a formal challenge to a duel," I suggested, weighing the surprisingly thin envelope in my palm. "Or maybe it’s laced with silver dust."Harrison’s brow arched as he studied the seal. "Are you going to break the wax?"I scoffed, shoving the potentially lethal

"Is he a beast in the furs?" the female to my left breathed, her scent spiked with the sharp, copper tang of excitement. "Molly heard from the scouts, who heard from the healers, that Harrison always makes a female—well, you know. Multiple times before the sun rises. Is the legend true?""I’m certain it is," the other gushed, her claws digging into the stone bench that divided us. "He has the aura of a true Alpha. I bet he’s devastating."I ground my teeth together, fighting the urge to shift and snap my jaws near their ears as Elder Hawthorne droned on about the strict ban on silver-leaf smoking within the sacred groves. He’d already lectured us on the protocols of inter-pack violence, and I could have sworn he’d tracked his gaze right to my face during that segment.Tweedle-dee wasn't deterred by my stony silence. "How often do you two knot? I heard his wolf is a total predator and needs to claim his mate at least ten times a day.""No, no," Tweedle-dum interjected, shaking her head