Semua Bab THE WILD ROSE: Bab 1 - Bab 10

The young Alpha stood inside his office while rain hammered against the windows and ran in sheets down the cliffs beyond the packhouse. The storm had rolled in without warning, thick clouds swallowed the moon, and turned the forest below into a shifting mass of shadows. There was something about nights like this that unsettled him. Storms carried cover, and cover invited boldness.Callan Vale had already checked on his Luna and their son Xavier twice. His mate had been sleeping peacefully, her arm curved around their pup, who had fed himself into a milk-drunk slumber. The sight of them usually settled him. Tonight it did not.Rain erased scent trails and softened the sound of approaching feet. If rogues were ever going to test his borders, they would choose a night like this. Most of the pack would now be tucked into their dens, warm and unaware. His warriors, however, were out patrolling, soaked through, because that was what he demanded.He reached for his Beta through the mindlink.

Three figures stepped out of the shadows, like they owned the night itself. Their attention was focused on Rose, moving like predators who had already chosen their target.She sized them up, weighing the risks, threats, and outcome quickly.The woman on the left was tall and blonde. Nothing about her was soft. She looked flawless, with sharp cheekbones and a cold, judging stare.The man on the right moved with ease. Dark hair, strong features, the kind of face people trusted too quickly before they realized their mistake. His attention flicked over Rose once, measuring, then settled into something more watchful.Her focus locked on the one in the middle.Broad shoulders, long lines of muscle beneath a dark coat, height that made him tower over most men. Ink traced up the side of his neck, disappearing beneath his collar. He looked like a Viking hell god in the flesh.His gaze settled on her, and the awareness slid under her skin and stayed there.Her grip loosened slightly, and the sa

Kaelyn watched her with a quiet certainty that unsettled her more than it should have.“I thought you would have called by now,” he said, his voice smooth.Rose slipped behind the bar, reaching for a glass she did not need, more for something to do with her hands than anything else.“I’ve been busy,” she replied, not looking at him straight away.“I have a job for you, and you need to come with me right away.”She glanced up then, brow lifting slightly.“Now? At this time of night?”The door opened before he could answer.Luke stepped in behind the bar, his presence breaking the tension.“I’ve been speaking with Kaelyn,” he said, moving straight toward the bar. “There’s a problem in the underground circuit. An undefeated contender, bleeding the wrong people dry.”Kaelyn’s gaze did not leave Rose.“Lucas tells me you know your way around a ring,” he said. “That you were undefeated, in your time.”Her fingers tightened slightly around the glass.“That was a long time ago,” she said. “I

Rose barely had time to throw up a disruption in the air in front of her before Kaelyn’s free hand snapped out, faster than sight should allow, and caught the spinning blade a breath from her chest.The warehouse seemed to freeze around them.The crowd had still been roaring her name a heartbeat earlier, but now the sound thinned into uncertainty as people realized what had nearly happened. Rose stood rooted where she was, Kaelynn’s hand still wrapped around hers from where he had lifted it in victory, her own pulse beating hard enough to feel in her throat.Mean Betty lay half-twisted on the mat, dazed from the loss and reckless enough to have gone for murder.Kaelynn let Rose’s hand fall.He looked at Betty.That was when the room truly changed.Whatever had been controlled and polished about him a moment ago remained in place, but something beneath it had risen, old and cold and merciless. The shift was small enough that most of the crowd probably missed it. Rose did not. The air n

The Alpha stood over her, his rage held tight beneath the surface, his hands braced against the bar like he was a breath away from coming over it.Most wolves would have lowered their gaze by now.Rose didn’t.Her wolf stirred instead, rising, answering challenge with challenge.The room had gone quiet, attention pulling inward.She stepped closer.“If you’re asking who threw the pool ball at your man’s head,” she said evenly. “Then yes. It was me.”She held his gaze.“And I’d do it again.”Something flickered in his expression.Recognition.“You go after one Road Wolf,” he said, voice low, controlled, “you deal with all of us. Where’s Luke? He can answer for his lady.”Rose leaned one hand against the bar.“If I wanted to crack his skull open, he wouldn’t still be standing,” she said. “And if he can’t keep his hands to himself, then he should learn to deal with the consequences.”Her gaze sharpened.“And watch who you’re calling lady.”“What did you just say?”His jaw locked, tension