All Chapters of The Alpha Forgets : Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

101 Jacob didn’t sleep. He stood outside Varric’s cell long after the last torch burned low, long after the guards rotated twice, long after the rest of Silver Claw settled into uneasy quiet. Inside the cell, Varric sat slumped against the stone, wrists chained, face swollen and bloodied from hours of questioning. Talking. He had talked. Too much. And not enough. Jacob’s jaw tightened as the last of it replayed in his head. Ellis. Varric. Meetings at the trade road. Messages routed through neutral channels. Strikes carried out under Jacob’s name. Pressure placed on Dark Mountain’s Luna. And the plan, gods, the plan. To pull her away from Decker. To leave him exposed. To provoke him into a mistake that would fracture alliances and justify removing him. Jacob’s hands curled into fists. They had used him. Used his name. His reputation. His temper. All of it turned into a weapon he hadn’t even realized he was swinging. Varric shifted inside the cell, wincing as he tried to sit up s

103 The air felt different when Lotty stepped out of the packhouse that morning. Not safer. She knew better than that. But clearer. For the first time in days, she wasn’t scanning every shadow like something might step out of it. She wasn’t measuring every distance, every gap, every moment she was separated from Decker. Ellis was in chains. Varric was in chains. The wolves who had been pulling strings from the dark had been dragged into the light. That didn’t mean the danger was gone. But it meant the game had changed. And Lotty could feel it. Kara fell into step at her left, Elin just behind her. “You’re walking faster today,” Kara noted. Lotty smiled faintly. “I feel like I can.” Elin glanced ahead, scanning the path out of habit. “Don’t get too comfortable.” “I won’t,” Lotty said. “But I’m not going to pretend I’m still under attack either.” Kara nodded once. “Fair.” The walk to the hospital passed without interruption. No watchers lingering too long. No strange scents on

105 All week, Dark Mountain prepared for Silver Claw. Quietly. Carefully. Thoroughly. The packhouse was cleaned, secured, and rearranged. Guest rooms were prepared, but not too comfortably. Patrol routes were adjusted, but not in ways Silver Claw could read from outside the borders. The receiving hall was polished until it looked ceremonial instead of defensive. That was the balance Decker wanted. Welcome them. Prepare to kill them. Both could be true. Tony handled the diplomatic side with grim efficiency. Jared handled security like he expected betrayal in every shadow. Garrick, Kara, Elin, and Tomas rotated close to Lotty, though the urgency around her protection had shifted. It was no longer panic. It was a habit. A new rule of Dark Mountain. The Luna was protected. No exceptions. By the time there were only two days left before Alpha Jacob’s arrival, everything that could be planned had been planned twice. Which left the Alphas themselves to prepare. Jacob spent most of tha

107 The next morning felt entirely different. The warmth from the welcoming feast was gone. Not erased. Just set aside. Because now the real reason for the visit stood waiting behind closed doors. Truth. Accountability. And whether Dark Mountain and Silver Claw walked away as allies or enemies. The packhouse woke early. Silver Claw guards rotated positions before sunrise. Dark Mountain warriors mirrored them from a distance that was respectful without being careless. The tension returned immediately. Sharper this time. Not hidden beneath music and polite conversation. Open. Expected. Lotty woke beside Decker before dawn fully broke across the mountains. For several quiet minutes, neither of them moved. She could feel it through the bond already. The weight of the day pressing against him. Not fear. Never fear. But readiness. He stared up at the ceiling, one arm around her waist, mind already turning through possibilities. Lotty rested her hand lightly against his chest. “You’re t

109 A few days after Jacob left Dark Mountain, life began settling into something that almost felt normal. Almost. The constant investigations had slowed. Ellis remained locked away. Silver Claw was busy cleaning its own house. For the first time in months, Decker wasn't waking every morning expecting another crisis. He wasn't complaining. It gave him time to focus on something far more important. Lotty. The two of them had slipped into a comfortable routine. Breakfast together. Training. Her shifts at the hospital. Evenings together in the packhouse. Simple things. The kind of things neither of them had realized they missed until they finally had them. That morning found them in the training gym. The large room buzzed with activity. Warriors occupied nearly every station. Some worked heavy bags. Others sparred on the mats. Weights clanked in the background. Most of the wolves present were young. Strong. Unmated males. Normally, Decker didn't think much of it. Today, however, he