All Chapters of The Rogue’s Savage Claim on Me: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

FAOThree days.I knew because Seraphina told me. Counted them off like gifts she was giving me."Day three," she'd said this morning, descending the stairs with that cold smile. "How are we feeling?"I hadn't answered. Hadn't spoken since the first night, when I'd screamed myself hoarse calling for El through a bond that wouldn't carry my voice. I'd screamed until my throat bled, until the guards came down and pumped more wolfsbane into my veins just to shut me up.Now I just... existed. Chained to the wall. Naked. Cold. The wolfsbane they kept pumping into my system turned everything to fog — my thoughts, my strength, my connection to El. My wolf was there, somewhere deep inside, but I couldn't reach him. Couldn't shift. Couldn't heal properly. Couldn't do anything but kneel on this freezing stone floor and wait for whatever came next.But she was there. Somewhere beneath the static, I could feel her. A distant heartbeat that wasn't mine. Proof that I wasn't alone, even when the dar

And even if fate hadn't intervened? I would have chosen her anyway. Every single time."She's stronger than you think," I said."She's weaker than YOU think. That's the problem with love — it blinds you to reality." Seraphina began to pace, her heels clicking a steady rhythm against the stone. "You could have had me, Alaric. Power. Bloodline. Alliance. Our packs united, our children ruling for generations. The de Grandmesnil name restored to glory, merged with Varen strength. We could have built an empire.""I don't want an empire.""Everyone wants an empire. They just don't all admit it." She stopped pacing, turning to face me. "Instead you chose... what? A warm body? A pretty smile? Someone to cook you breakfast and warm your bed?""I chose my mate.""You chose sentiment over strategy." Her voice went cold. Colder. "And now you're paying for it."She stood there for a moment, staring down at me with those empty eyes. Then she smiled — slow, cruel, the expression of someone who knew

FAOI woke to the sound of the door opening.Too early. The darkness had barely settled after Seraphina's evening visit — or maybe I'd lost track of time again. Hard to tell when every hour bled into the next, when sleep came in broken fragments between the pain.But this was different. Multiple footsteps. Heavy boots, not just her heels.Harsh fluorescent light flooded down the stairs, brighter than usual. I squinted against it, my eyes burning after hours in total darkness.Seraphina descended first, her silhouette sharp against the cold white glow. Behind her came two guards — massive wolves in human form, carrying something between them.A table. Metal. The kind with restraints built into the frame.My blood went cold."Good morning, Alaric." Seraphina's voice was light, almost cheerful. "I told you we'd start your training today. I always keep my promises."The guards set the table in the center of the room, right over that rusted drain I'd been trying not to think about. One of

I don't know how long I lay there.Hours, probably. Long enough for the arousal to fade into a dull ache. Long enough for my muscles to cramp from the position, for the cold metal to leach all the warmth from my skin, for the silence to press in from all sides.The guards came eventually, like Seraphina promised. Tipped water into my mouth while I choked and sputtered, then left without a word.After they were gone, I reached for the bond.El.The connection was fainter than before. The wolfsbane they'd dosed me with during the session was fresh, working through my system, muting everything.But she was there. That distant pulse. Steady. Strong.El, I'm so sorry.Could she feel what had happened? Could she sense the echo of Seraphina's touch through the bond, the way I sometimes felt echoes of her emotions? The thought made me want to vomit.What if she knew?What if she could tell that my body had responded to another woman? That I'd gotten hard for someone who wasn't her, had nearly

Training with Garrett was brutal.Not because he was hard on me — though he was. But because I wanted him to be harder. Wanted the pain, the exhaustion, the focus it required. Anything to get out of my own head."Again," I said, wiping blood from my split lip.Garrett raised an eyebrow. "You've been on the mat for two hours. You need a break.""I need to be better." I raised my fists. "Again."He sighed, but he came at me. Faster this time. I blocked, ducked, countered — muscle memory from weeks of training starting to kick in. He caught me with an elbow to the ribs and I grunted, stumbling back."You're getting sloppy," he said. "You're tired.""I'm fine.""You're not." He dropped his hands, stepping back. "El. When's the last time you slept more than two hours?"I didn't answer."When's the last time you ate something that wasn't coffee?"Still nothing."You're going to get yourself killed." Garrett's voice was gentler than I'd ever heard it. "And then what? He gets rescued and find