Semua Bab THE ALPHA'S SACRIFICIAL BRIDE: Bab 1 - Bab 10

"She was a sacrificial lamb sent to a den of wolves, but the wolves didn't know she was the one holding the blade.""Ah!"Chloe Vance's eyes snapped open, her body jolting in the narrow berth.She scanned the dim cabin, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird signaling a frantic warning.The air felt thick, charged with a metallic tang that made her lungs ache.Danger. It's close.A visceral image flashed in her mind: a predator, fangs bared, and throat-tearing violence hidden behind a heavy mahogany door.Chloe shivered as the rhythmic clack-clack of the train tracks grounded her back in reality.She cracked the cabin door open, catching the low voices of the crew over the roar of the wind."The Vance dynasty and the Sterling Corporation... who would have thought?" one steward muttered."If the Vance ancestors knew they were mixing blood with beasts, they'd be clawing their way out of their graves," another spat back."But the Sterlings are a different breed of anima

Every eye in the cathedral was a serrated blade, cutting into Chloe Vance.Curiosity, mockery, pity... the air was thick with it. "Get a picture," someone hissed. The flashbulbs erupted in a synchronized execution. Reporters were already typing out the headline: Scandal! Sterling Alpha Rejects Bride at the Altar?Chloe's knees felt like water. Under the scorching spotlights, she could see her stepmother and Tiffany wearing identical smirks of triumph."I knew it," Tiffany whispered, crossing her arms. "He doesn't value this marriage. If I were the bride, he wouldn't dare say those things."Chloe's gaze sought her father, but he only gave her a cold, iron-faced look, signaling her to keep the ceremony going. No one was going to help her. She was the family's sacrificial pawn.Silas Sterling leaned in, his charcoal suit rustling as he lowered his head to her ear. "Pick it up," he rasped, his breath hot against her frozen cheek. "If you want to finish this. And I know you have to."Chloe

The ventilation grate at the top of the elevator was torn open with a screech of tortured metal.As a sliver of moonlight filtered in, the figure who had clamped a hand over Chloe's mouth dragged her into the shadows of the corner, shielding her body with his own. Above them, the heavy, wet scraping of claws paused, then resumed, gradually fading into the distance of the elevator shaft.Chloe exhaled a shaky breath and looked at her captor. "Julian? How did you..."."You're braver than I imagined, Chloe," Julian Thorne's voice was a ragged whisper, his breath warm against her ear. "Do you even realize what you're doing? Walking into a lion's den for a man like Silas Sterling?". He let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "Is he really worth it? You two only met at the altar"."The Vances won't acknowledge me," Chloe replied, avoiding his gaze. "Aligning with the Sterlings is my only move". She turned the question back on him. "And this isn't a lion's den; it's my family's home. The real questi

"Explain.".Chloe was staring at the profile of a mysterious account called @VesperOfYouth when Silas slammed the tablet down in front of her."I don't know who this is—"."I'm not talking about the account," Silas snapped, his hand clamping onto her jaw to force her to meet his gaze. "Why is Julian Thorne going to war for you?".Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the fury rolling in Silas's eyes. His sharp features looked like they were carved from obsidian."Why shouldn't he?" Chloe retorted, her voice steadier than she felt. "He knows the truth. He's standing up for what's right. Is there something wrong with that?".She tried to push him away, but Silas caught her wrist, his thumb grinding against her pulse point in a way that felt dangerously possessive."You have no idea who he is," Silas growled, his breath hot against her skin. "He's a dangerous man, Chloe. 'Justice'? Please. He has an agenda. Don't be fooled by his pretty words, and do not respond to him".The rain hamme

The air between Chloe and Julian thickened, their breaths tangling in the narrow space. Julian's thumb lingered on her jaw, his touch light as if he were confirming she was real—not a ghost of his past. Chloe's body went rigid, her heart drumming a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She could feel the gentle, dangerous heat of his presence eroding her logic.It was Julian who had stood by her at the altar, Julian who had pulled her from the wreckage of her family home, and Julian who had faced a social media storm to defend her. It was Julian, not Silas.Julian's gaze dropped to her lips, watching a trace of cream melt away. A dark, predatory glint flickered in his usually soft eyes—a flash of a beast finally seeing its prey drop its guard. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the mask of the gentleman returned."Wait, Julian... I—" Chloe gasped, her fingers knotting into his sleeve."Chloe, I meant what I said at the wedding," he whispered, his voice vibrating against her skin. "If you wan