All Chapters of The Alpha’s Cold Snap: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"The filtration in the birthing pool is failing," growled the man who had reluctantly allowed me entrance, leading me through the dim corridors of the Northwest Screen Academy. "Did you bring the neutralizer?"He pivoted, sniffing the air as he noticed my empty hands. Before he could challenge my lack of equipment, I lunged past him into the main rehearsal hall."Rafael Dominguez!" I projected, my voice steady despite the scent of multiple Alphas in the room. "I am Elena Navarro, aspirant seventeen. You cannot close this hunt without testing my strength!"Two Enforcers immediately shifted their weight to block my path, their eyes glowing a faint amber. "The audition window is shut, omega! Pack your things!"I snarled low in my throat, struggling against their iron grips. "You cannot be finished if you haven't scented every challenger! How can you judge the bloodline of this production if you haven't seen what a Navarro can do?""We'll have the Lead Enforcer toss you to the curb if you

"Wait—what does Mason have to do with this?" I growled, my wolf pacing behind my ribs. "He stood by me when you threw me to the rogues. What, are you snarling because I didn't end up exiled and broken? Did my survival bruise your precious Alpha ego?""You think this is about my pride?" Sebastian grabbed a leather-bound folder from the seat of the SUV and shoved it into my hands. "I'm not that petty, Elena."I took it with a sneer, my irritation flickering into confusion—then solidifying into pure ice as I flipped it open.Screenshots. Dozens of them. Pack-link archives, social forum logs, anonymous pings—all targeting Valentina.Accusations that she used her status as an 'injured' she-wolf to hijack a medical transport after a minor fender bender at the Redbridge Overpass. Claims she faked her 'trauma' to force a mating bond. Older whispers, too—that she was a home-wrecker in the Southern Packs, disrupting bloodlines before she targeted the Blackwoods.Multiple accounts. Multiple scen

I stared at the latest territory financial report, unseeing. The digital figures blurred as my mind drifted back to Elena’s snarls about Valentina’s pup."Just tell me the truth, Sebastian. Is that your bloodline? Is that a Blackwood heir?"I had neither confirmed nor denied it. What could I say? The truth was a tangled mess—a debt of honor I couldn't explain without revealing the cracks in our pack's history. I owed Valentina, yes. But not in the way Elena’s broken heart imagined.Valentina and I had been the star pair of the Northwest Screen Academy—she was the agile winger to my powerhouse center on the hockey ice. She had saved me once, literally dragging me from the wreckage of a rogue ambush when my wolf was too young to fight. When Doña Carmen forced me to choose between the Alpha seat and her, Valentina swore she'd stay by my side even if I was exiled. And still… I walked away to claim the crown. That was my debt—the crushing guilt of abandoning the one soul who would have bee

His dismissal lit a fire in my blood. Before leaving his side, I leaned close, my voice a low, lethal whisper meant only for his ears. "Yeah. I get your family's game now, Sebastian. I'm only playing the dutiful Luna for the billion—don't you forget that."He froze, his scent spiking with a sharp, metallic edge of surprise. I didn't wait for a rebuttal. I turned to the manager, who was still trembling from the earlier Alpha display. "Get me a suit," I commanded.He blinked, his eyes wide. "A… a suit? For the Luna?""He said I could pick anything in the building, didn't he?""Yes, but…" He hesitated, glancing at the door where Sebastian had been. "Mrs. Blackwood, this is the Royal Crescent Hall. The high-ranking she-wolves of the London territories will be in silk and lace. A suit might… draw unwanted scent.""I want the suit," I said, my voice hardening. "If Sebastian has a problem with it, he can take it up with my lawyers."Reluctantly, he led me to the tailored collection. I bypass

I handled the Valentina situation as efficiently as an Alpha handles a border skirmish. Twenty minutes of reassurance, low-frequency humming to soothe her agitated wolf, and a promise that the Blackwood Group would bury the online smear campaign before it touched her hockey sponsorship. Just another fire to extinguish.By the time I finally stepped into the grand ballroom of the Royal Crescent Hall, the gala was in full swing. The lighting was dimmed to catch the shimmer of champagne, and a jazz quartet from Leeds played, the music weaving through the murmurs of impeccably dressed pack leaders and their mates.Elena hadn't answered my calls. Neither had Lucia. I had to weave through the crowd, offering curt nods and the forced smiles required of my station, all while my wolf paced behind my ribs, searching for her scent. I needed to find Elena. I knew she was livid—about that damn dress. And it wasn't just that. She still hadn't let go of the birthday incident from last year—the one w