The Alpha's Hidden Clause のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

The stone circle was older than the pack itself.Gray stones, taller than a man, arranged in a ring that had stood for centuries. Moss grew in the cracks. Symbols I didn't recognize were carved into the surface — warnings, maybe. Or prayers.The pack stood outside the circle. Dozens of wolves. Silent. Watching.The council sat on raised platforms at the north end. Seven elders. Gray and cold. Councilwoman Voss was in the center, her scarred face unreadable.And in the middle of the circle stood Marcus.He was massive. Broad shoulders. Arms covered in scars. His eyes were flat, empty, the eyes of a man who had killed before and would kill again.Kael stood ten feet away from him.Smaller. Younger. But his back was straight and his jaw was set.I stood at the edge of the circle, my hand on my belly, feeling the two heartbeats flutter beneath my palm.Please, I whispered to no one. Please let him survive.---"The Rite of Ascent begins now," Voss announced.Her voice carried across the c

The first night after the fight, Kael burned.Not metaphorically. His skin was hot to the touch. His forehead radiated heat like a furnace. The sheets were soaked through with sweat within hours of Dr. Hayes leaving.I stayed.I didn't sleep. Didn't eat. Didn't leave his side.Marta brought water. I made him drink. Marta brought food. I let it go cold."Miss Elara, you need to take care of yourself too," Marta said."The baby's fine.""You're not.""I will be when he wakes up."Marta looked at me for a long moment. Then she nodded and left.She understood.Some things were more important than eating.---By the second night, the fever was worse.Kael thrashed in his sleep. His hands clawed at the sheets. Words spilled out of him — fragments, names, pleas."Mother... don't leave... please..."I held his hand."I'm here. You're not alone.""Elara..."My heart stopped.He'd said my name. In his sleep. Over and over."Elara... don't go... please don't go...""I'm not going anywhere."His

I dreamed of a woman I'd never met.She stood in a field of white flowers that stretched to the horizon in every direction. The sky above her was wrong — not blue, but silver, like moonlight had frozen mid-spill. Her silver hair moved in a wind I couldn't feel, and her gray eyes — Kael's eyes, exactly Kael's eyes — watched me from a face that was older than his, softer, sadder.Seraphine.I knew her the way you know things in dreams. Not because someone told you. Because your soul recognized hers."You're her," I said. My voice echoed in the empty field. "Kael's mother."She smiled. It didn't reach her eyes.You're in danger, child."I know. The Council —"The Council will not wait. She stepped closer. The white flowers beneath her feet turned black. Wilted. Died. They have waited sixteen years for another two-soul child. Since Kael. Since me. They will not wait any longer.My heart pounded. "What do they want?"The baby."I know that. But why? What are they going to do with it?"Sera

Three more days of bed rest.Three days of Kael hovering. Three days of Marta bringing broth I forced myself to drink. Three days of Lila reading stories in a voice that was trying very hard to be brave.The bleeding had stopped.But Dr. Hayes wasn't satisfied."I need to run more tests," she said on the fourth morning. Her face was tired, but her eyes were sharp. "There's something in your blood I don't understand.""What kind of something?""I don't know yet. That's why I need more tests."Kael stood by the window, arms crossed, jaw tight. "Is it dangerous?""Not for the baby. Not immediately." She paused. "But it might explain why Elara is carrying a two-soul child. And why the Council wants her so badly."I looked at Kael.He looked at me."Run the tests," we said together.---Dr. Hayes drew blood.Three vials. Then four. Then six. I stopped counting after that.She worked in silence, her brow furrowed, her lips moving like she was talking to someone who wasn't there."What are y

It started with a cough.Just a small one. Lila clearing her throat at dinner. I didn't think anything of it. Children coughed. It was almost winter. The house was drafty.Then the cough got worse.By bedtime, Lila was wheezing. Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were glassy."Ellie, I don't feel good."I pressed my hand to her forehead. She was burning up."Marta!" I called. "Get Dr. Hayes. Now."---Dr. Hayes came running.She took one look at Lila and her face went pale."When did this start?""An hour ago. Maybe two.""Has she eaten anything unusual? Anything at all?"My blood went cold."The candy," I whispered. "The man in the woods gave her candy."Dr. Hayes's hands shook as she examined Lila. Checked her pulse. Listened to her breathing. Looked in her eyes."This isn't a fever," she said. "This is poison."---The room spun."Poison?" Kael's voice was sharp. "What kind of poison?""Wolfsbane. Mixed with something else. Something slower." Dr. Hayes opened her bag and began pulli