All Chapters of ALPHAS of the PEAK: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

“I could have scented that from a mile away,” he snickered, his frame finally losing its rigid edge now that the shadow of Serena had been avoided. “But purely for my own tracking, what were those she-wolves hunting for?”A jagged, knowing smile found its way to my lips. “They were desperate to know where your paws had been wandering this weekend since they couldn’t catch your trail. Your devoted pack-followers felt the sting of your absence.”Harrison tilted his head back, a rich howl of laughter breaking from his throat. “They truly harbor a blood-feud against you for being my mate, don’t they?”“Goddess, yes,” I groaned, leaning into the cool leather. “I never gave it much thought before, but the venom was thick today. No wonder my sun-cycle felt cursed. Half the Academy wants my head on a pike for running with you.”“You’ll have to grant them absolution. Their instinct to follow the Alpha is simply so primal, they cannot help their own compulsions.”I shot him a dry, silver-eyed g

The desperation in her gaze dissolved into a bitter scent of shame as she averted her eyes. "That’s not—that isn’t how the hunt went. He cornered me, he tried to—""You tracked that trail with open eyes," Adrian cut her off, his voice like a frost-cracked branch. "Cease this whimpering act. You are no wounded pup in this den."It was clear the verbal strike drew blood. Serena’s burning stare fell instantly to the stone floor."I envisioned a high-ranking union between you and Harrison Cole, Nadia. Imagine the territories we would have claimed with the Whitlock and Cole bloodlines merged. We would have dominated the trade routes of the entire Northern Reach." Adrian’s voice turned wistful, lost in a predatory fantasy of power. But he was a wolf who didn't linger in dreams for long; he snapped back to the cold reality of the study. "But you mangled that potential as well, all because you fear the collar of a true bond."She flicked her gaze up once more, but her shoulders remained hunch

Zak mimed locking his jaw and throwing away the key. “Your word is my law, little mate.”“I am not your mate.” I let out a jagged breath, suddenly drained to the marrow. "I will never be yours again. Let the trail go cold."He gave a low, rumbling chuckle and sank back into the supple leather of the transport. “Whatever you howl, Maddie.”When we breached the Academy gates ten minutes later, the morning rush had already thinned, allowing Zak and me to slip from the car without drawing the pack's gaze. I detoured to the Elder’s office to claim a late-entry scroll, while Zak vanished into the shadows of the training wing.The first bell had just ceased its chime when I stepped back into the corridors, and a sea of students was flooding the halls. I navigated the press of bodies, my senses searching for Grant. I found him leaning against his locker at the terminus of the hall. He was waiting, and the moment the crowd thinned, he draped a heavy arm over my shoulders.“You returned with yo

“I am sorry.” He let his dominant stance crumble, arms falling heavily to his flanks. “I had no inkling the scent was so foul. You should have howled.”“You had to track the bitterness for yourself,” I said, reaching for his hand. I gave his knuckles a reassuring squeeze before tugging him toward the manor.It took little effort to guide the Alpha inside, and even less to lead him up to my private chambers. I slid the heavy bolt on the door and flicked on a crystal-vid for background noise. When I turned back, he’d kicked off his boots and sprawled across my furs, a forearm draped over his weary eyes. Harrison exhaled a ragged sigh when our gazes met, and I finally grasped how much this masquerade had drained his spirit. I may have had to endure the sight of him with his former mate, but at least I didn't have to share a den with the wolf who had once betrayed my blood. I could only imagine the rot of staying near that traitor sun after sun.“Forgive me,” he whispered again, pulling m

Noor Whitlock, Serena’s Grand-Alpha, was the undisputed matriarch of the silver-pelted lineage. The eighty-year-old wolf was the primary reason I’d gained ten pounds of muscle while bonded to Serena, mostly because the elder didn’t seem to grasp the concept of "no, thank you, my belly is full." There was no dodging the heavy wooden table or the four overflowing platters of whatever she’d spent the sun-cycle roasting over the fire pits. I never snarled at first, since her hearth-cooking surpassed anything I’d scented in the high-clans, but by the time I was on my third helping and green in the throat, I began to regret ever crossing into Serena’s ancestral territory.“I’ll howl the warning now,” Serena began as she steered the rugged transport through the iron gates of Noor’s sprawling woodland estate. “This moot is going to be chaotic. Kin I’ve never scented will be prowling the halls, plus all their pack-mates and strays. I’d point out who to dodge, but the rogues and the talkers usu