《The Alpha's Rejected Mate 》全部章節：第 21 章 - 第 30 章

Ava’s povGrandmother’s wrists were bound with the same silver chain she had planned to sell. She stumbled between us as we moved through the trees, Milrac’s hand locked around the back of her neck while my fingers stayed laced with his. Every step sent the fresh bond humming louder between us. I could feel the hard length of him still pressed against my hip from the way he had ground into me in the tent, the memory of his cock buried deep making my core clench even now.*You are dripping down your thighs,* his voice slid into my mind, dark and filthy. *I can smell it. Keep walking like that and I will bend you over the next log and fuck you while she watches.*Heat flooded my face. I squeezed his hand harder, letting him feel the fresh rush of wetness between my legs. His low growl rumbled through the bond and straight into my bones.Grandmother laughed bitterly, the sound hoarse. “Disgusting. The bond has already turned you into animals.”Milrac’s grip tightened on her neck until sh

Ava’s povWe lay tangled in the sheets, breaths still ragged, the bond humming between us like a live wire. Milrac’s chest rose and fell against my back, his arm heavy around my waist. For one fragile minute the world outside the bedroom had disappeared. Now it was crashing back in.The silver dagger rested on the table across the room, glowing faintly in the gray light before dawn. My grandmother was locked in the lowest cell. The northern packs waited at the river with their silver nets and their ultimatums. And we had minutes, not hours, before they moved.Milrac pressed a kiss to the mark on my neck, not heated this time, just steady. “We cannot stay here,” he said quietly. His voice carried the weight of every alpha who had ever led through fire. “They expect us to hide behind these walls. We go to them instead.”I nodded, already sliding out of his arms. The loss of his warmth made the bond ache, but I pushed the feeling down. There was no room for anything soft right now. I dre

Ava’s povThe war room smelled of ink, old paper, and tension. Maps covered every inch of the long black table. Red pins marked the northern packs’ known positions, black pins marked ours. The silver dagger sat in the center like a silent threat, its faint glow the only light that never flickered.Milrac stood at the head of the table, one hand still laced with mine. The bond kept us steady, feeding me his calm calculation while I fed him the sharp instincts I had learned from years of watching my grandmother manipulate every room she entered. We spoke as one without needing to rehearse it.“We hit the stone circle at dusk,” Milrac said. His voice carried the weight of every order he had ever given. “Not to slaughter them. To show them the bond cannot be broken by silver or numbers. We take the three coalition leaders alive. The rest we send running with a message.”One of the senior guards leaned over the map. “The circle is open ground. No cover for two miles in any direction. They

Ava’s povThe walk back from the stone circle felt longer than the journey there. The forest was quiet except for the crunch of leaves under our boots and the occasional snap of a twig. Milrac’s hand brushed mine once, a brief touch that sent a steady pulse through the bond, reminding me we were still linked, still whole. No words passed between us out loud. There was no need.Through the connection I felt the weight he carried: the exact number of alphas who had knelt, the flicker of fear in the lead alpha’s eyes, the cold knowledge that seven packs had now become nine by the time we left the circle. I sent him back what I could, the small observations I had made, the way the buyer’s hand had trembled when the vial shattered, the faint tremor in the stones when our power pushed back.We bought time, I reminded him silently. Time is a weapon, he answered, the thought edged with exhaustion but still sharp. We use it before they do.The mansion gates appeared through the trees. Guards

Ava’s povThe ten minutes stretched into almost two hours. I woke with Milrac’s arm still locked around my waist, his breathing slow and even against the back of my neck. The bond felt heavier than it had when we lay down, like a rope that had been pulled too tight for too long. My head ached behind my eyes, a dull throb that echoed faintly in his skull too. I could feel it through the link, the way he was already awake, already thinking.He pressed a kiss to the mark on my neck, not heated, just quiet. “Time,” he said.We dressed in silence. Black leathers again, the silver dagger back at his belt. No words about what we had done in this bed earlier. No teasing touches. The war had already taken the room.The war room was waiting when we walked in. Lamps burned low. New red pins bristled across the eastern and southern ridges. Eleven packs now. My mother stood by the far wall, arms crossed, looking like she hadn’t slept at all. The senior guards were already gathered, faces drawn.Mi