All Chapters of Please fuck me, Mr.Alpha: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Maria's POV I cried until there were no tears left. Somewhere between the academy gardens and my bedroom... My heart had stopped hurting. Not because it had healed. Because it had gone numb. I lay awake that night replaying every conversation I'd ever had with Draven. Every smile. Every promise. Every stolen moment. Looking back... The signs had always been there. He was always the one deciding when we met. Always the one deciding when we talked. Always the one deciding when we were seen together. And yet... I had mistaken convenience for affection. I squeezed my pillow tightly against my chest. "...It wasn't his fault." The words escaped before I could stop them. If I had been prettier... Would he have stayed? If I had been more confident... Would he have chosen me? If I had known how to make him happy... Would he have looked at another woman? Question after question filled my mind. Every answer ended the same way. Me. The problem had always been me. I s

For a long moment... Damien didn't answer. He simply looked at me. Not with judgment. Not with sympathy. With quiet disbelief. It was as though he was trying to understand how someone could genuinely believe those words. Finally, he spoke. "Maria..." My name sounded unusually gentle coming from him. "Who convinced you that love is something you have to earn?" I blinked. "I..." The question caught me completely off guard. "I don't know." "No?" He folded his arms loosely across his chest. "Then let me ask you something else." I nodded hesitantly. "When was the last time someone complimented you?" I opened my mouth to answer. Nothing came out. My mind searched desperately. Days. Weeks. Months. Years. I couldn't think of a single time. Seeing my silence, Damien's expression grew heavier. "And when was the last time someone thanked you?" Again... Nothing. He sighed quietly. "Maria, you've spent so long surrounded by people w

DRAVEN'S POV I watched Damien walk away. For several seconds, I said nothing. His words remained in my mind. Having our parents' protection doesn't make you invincible. A faint smile tugged at my lips. He really believed that was the problem. He thought I was inexperienced. Naive. Sheltered. The little brother who had been protected from every difficult decision because Mother thought politics was too stressful for me. Perhaps that was exactly what everyone wanted him to believe. I turned toward the carriage waiting at the estate gates. Mother had always been careful with me. She kept me away from council disputes. She discouraged me from involving myself in pack negotiations. Whenever Father discussed matters concerning alliances, territory, or succession, I was conveniently sent somewhere else. Damien had mistaken that protection for weakness. That was his first mistake. He had spent years believing that because I wasn't standing beside Father during every council

DAMIEN'S POVI stared at the piece of dark fabric in my hand.Someone had entered Black Ridge.Someone had helped them.And whoever it was had known enough about our defenses to avoid detection.That bothered me more than the missing guards.An enemy outside the walls was predictable.An enemy who knew what was happening inside them was another matter entirely.I placed the fabric on the table."Nobody leaves the fortress."The commander nodded."Should we question everyone?""No."He looked surprised."Why not?""Because if there's a traitor among them, they'll know we're looking."I glanced at Draven.He was standing across the table, studying the map.For once, he wasn't smiling."What do you suggest?" he asked.I pointed toward the eastern pass."We give them something."Draven's eyebrows rose."False information?""Exactly."I picked up a map."We'll announce that we're moving half the eastern patrols to the southern ridge tomorrow morning."Draven immediately understood."But we

The witch watched me carefully.I pushed myself upright, ignoring the ache running through my body.“How long?”She didn't answer.“How long have I been here?”“Long enough for your brother to reach home.”My jaw tightened.“Draven.”“Yes.”“What happened?”“He told them you disappeared during the mission.”I stared at her.“And they believed him?”“They wanted to.”That answer chilled me.I swung my legs over the edge of the narrow bed.The room tilted.The witch didn't move to help me.She simply watched as I steadied myself against the wall.“You shouldn't be standing.”“I've survived worse.”“I know.”I looked at her sharply.“You know nothing about me.”A faint smile touched her lips.“I know more about you than you realize.”I hated the way she said it.Like she'd been watching my life from a distance.Like every failure, every loss, every unanswered question had been part of a story she already knew.“Then tell me.”Her expression changed.“Tell you what?”“The truth.”I steppe