Semua Bab The Alpha's Refusal: Bab 81 - Bab 90

Elara’s POV:The march wasn't some glorious parade. It was a miserable, bone-chilling trek through the mud. The transition from the Citadel’s heat to the damp, biting wind of the mountain passes was a reminder of exactly how much the North hated anything that breathed.Rhys and I rode at the head of the combined column. The Iron Vanguard and the Pact’s wolves were keeping a cautious distance from each other, like two stray dogs forced to share the same porch. Through the Blood Pact, I could feel Rhys’s mind grinding. He was constantly checking the horizon, his hand hovering near his sword hilt, his internal wolf pacing a restless circle in his chest."We’re taking the main pass," Rhys said, pointing his chin toward the jagged gap in the peaks ahead. "It’s the fastest way to hit their front gate. We’ll lose the element of surprise, but Silas doesn't have the numbers to hold a full siege against Varick’s trebuchets.""That’s exactly what Silas wants you to do," I said, my voice muffled

Elara’s POV:The corridor behind the side gate was narrow and claustrophobic, the air smelling of damp limestone and old torch soot.Rhys and I pressed ourselves against the rough stone wall, our breathing shallow and synchronized. Ten yards ahead, a pool of weak orange light spilled from a guardroom onto the flagstones. Two High-Crag hunters stood at the corner, their shadows elongated and jagged against the floor. Through the Blood Pact, I could feel Rhys’s muscles coiling—a controlled, predatory tension that mirrored my own.These weren't common soldiers; they were Silas’s specialists. They wouldn't miss a sound."Two in sight," Rhys breathed into my ear, his voice so low it was barely a vibration. "I’ll take the left."I gave a sharp nod and gestured toward the darkened room beyond them. I knew the layout of this guard post. There were usually three more resting inside on the bunk shift. We couldn't just rush them; we had to clear the deck without a single shout echoing back to th

Elara’s POV:The air in the inner corridors was freezing, but it couldn’t mask the copper tang of fresh blood.Rhys and I slipped through the drainage exit and into the inner courtyard. The scene was pure, unadulterated chaos—exactly how I’d planned it. The signal fire on the West Tower was a red scream against the sky, drawing the bulk of the guards upward like moths to a flame. Meanwhile, the rhythmic, bone-shaking thuds of the ram at the main gate had the rest of the garrison panicking, sprinting toward the battlements to hold back Varick’s charging Northmen."The rescue teams are heading for the tower. Ignore them," I whispered, pressing Rhys back into the shadow of a massive stone pillar.A squad of heavy infantry thundered past us, their boots clattering on the flagstones. They were screaming orders, completely oblivious to the two shadows inches away from them."The defenses are thin," Rhys noted, his voice a low, lethal vibration. He held his longsword at a slight angle, the t

Elara’s POV:The bedroom was a wreck, a graveyard of shattered mahogany and torn silk. Silas was panting like a dying dog, his face slick with sweat and his expensive robes stained with the dirt of the floor he’d just been slammed into. He wasn't the "Alpha" anymore—he was just a desperate old man with a heavy sword and a foul mouth."You think you’ve won, you Northern bitch?" Silas spat, wiping a smear of blood from his lip. "You’re just a pawn for Rhys. Once he’s done with you, he’ll dump you in the same gutter you came from!"I didn't give him a chance to finish his speech. I lunged.This wasn't some choreographed duel. I went for his throat, my movements fueled by twenty years of eating his scraps and sleeping on his cold floors. He swung his heavy blade, but I didn't even flinch. I let the steel graze my shoulder, the sharp sting only making me faster. I slammed my palm into the pommel of his sword, the shock of the impact jarring his wrist until the weapon clattered to the floor

Elara’s POVThe Great Hall of the High-Crag felt cold, despite the massive hearth crackling with fresh pine logs. The air was thick with the scent of spent torches and the metallic tang of blood that no amount of scrubbing could fully erase.Rhys sat at the head of the long oak table—the seat Silas had occupied only hours ago. He looked every bit the conqueror, his dark armor scarred and his golden eyes reflecting the flickering firelight. His elite guards stood like statues behind him, their hands resting on the pommels of their swords.I walked in alone, leaving Varick to manage the restless Northern troops in the courtyard. Every step I took echoed against the stone, a deliberate, heavy sound. I didn't sit at the far end of the table like a petitioner. I pulled out the heavy chair directly across from him and sat down, leaning back with a cold, calculated confidence."You seem very comfortable in that chair, Rhys," I said, my voice steady behind the leather mask. "But don't get too