THE UNBROKEN THREAD のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 8

The pack square smelled of smoke and spilt ale, torches burned along the walls and the drums were loud enough to vibrate through the ground beneath my feet. Wolves crowded towards the raised platform , laughter and chanting rising every time the Alpha’s name was shouted. I stayed near the outer ring, no one noticed. They never did.An omega’s place wasn’t at the centre of celebration unless she was serving it. I carried the wooden tray carefully between my shoulders and elbows, keeping my head lowered. A girl brushed past me without looking and nearly knocked a cup loose. I steadied it automatically. Years of practice. Years of learning how to exist without being seen.Tonight was the Choosing.Every unmated she-wolf dressed for it, silk braids, jewellery, confidence, even the betas walked straight as if the future Luna’s favour might fall on them by accident. I only wanted to finish work and leave, but the closer I moved to the platform, the harder it became to breathe. At first I

I woke to a heartbeat that was not my own. I kept getting flashbacks of the events from the night before, perhaps, that could be the reason why sleep had abandoned me. The room was quiet, filled only with the soft breathing of the other girls. The words of the traveller from the night before continued to ring in my head, and somewhere inside the territory, Alpha Xander was awake, I could still feel him, so much, I didn’t notice someone had walked in.“Water for the Lady’s bath,” the head servant said, bringing me back to reality, placing an empty pail into my hands. “The inner wells are reserved. Use the courtyard well.” My fingers tightened around the handle. “Yes.”The courtyard roared with activity; sparring wolves, shouting commands, metal striking metal. I kept close to the wall as I walked, eyes lowered, wishing I could disappear into the stone. No one spoke to me, but I felt it. The looks, the quiet hostility. A rejected mate was a bad omen. I reached the well and wrapped the

Consciousness returned in fragments in a dark room, there was nothing but the dull rhythm of hooves striking earth and the cold bite of air against my skin; my arms tired behind my back, rough rope cutting my wrists, the scent of unfamiliar wolves. The memory rushed back all at once; the gardens, the well, hands grabbing me, the cloth over my face. I gasped for breath and quickly calmed down–panicking wouldn't help me now.Slowly, and carefully, I shifted my hand in a bid to loosen the rope, but the more I tried, the further the fibres dug into my skin; then it hit me, struggling was pointless and so was calling for help.I held still and listened. At first it was nothing, then a faint sound reached me through the walls, low voices, I couldn’t recognise any of them, nor the scent. My stomach tightened at the thought of what they might do to me, someone had planned this I was sure, another thought followed quickly behind it, why me?The sound of footsteps approaching the door interru

Dust streamed in from the cracks in the ceiling, the wooden beams above groaning under the force of what seemed like a hundred wolves, the air thickened, charged like the moment before a storm breaks.I couldn’t breathe, every instinct in my body screamed the same thing-Run! Yet I couldn’t move.The traveller paced around the room, his movements controlled, yet restless.“That’s not possible,” he yelled, “he shouldn’t be here now, not this soon…”Another impact hit, this time, closer, causing the entire structure to lurch violently to one side, the far wall cracked, jagged lines racing towards the ceiling. The chaos outside was no longer distant, I could hear the screams, the orders and the unmistakable sound of bodies hitting the ground.My pulse roared in my ears, “Why is he here already?” I whispered, my voice unsteady, “what did you do?”He didn’t answer me, before I could react, he stepped forward and crouched in front of me , closing his fingers around the rope at my wrists,