Betrayed Bloodlines: The Alpha’s Final Penalty のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

"You didn't really think I was going to follow the same old routine, did you, Serena?" Rowan’s voice was like velvet as he reached for the protection on the nightstand. Instead of the usual rigid choreography I was used to at the Graves estate, he rolled onto his back and pulled me over him until I was straddling his powerful hips.I froze, my breath hitching in my throat. I could count on one hand the number of times Lucian had allowed me to take control in eight years, and every time, he’d grumbled that my rhythm was off or that it didn't feel 'Alpha' enough. "Wait.""Change of heart?" Rowan asked, his silver eyes searching mine with a slight quirk of his brow. "We can stop right now if this isn't what you want.""No, it’s not that." I bit my lip, feeling the heat of his skin against my thighs. "It’s just... I’ve been told I’m not exactly proficient in this position. I don't want to ruin the momentum."Rowan let out a deep, rumble of a laugh. "Sweetheart, get on my body." He gave me

"You've marked me, Rowan Ashcroft," I whispered, pressing one final, lingering kiss against his jaw. I couldn't pull the smile from my face if I tried. "This has the scent of a perfect day."Rowan climbed into his armored SUV, the engine growling like a beast as he dialed his father’s secure line. "Elders, you won’t believe the territory I just reclaimed.""What happened?" Richard’s voice was a low rumble on the other end."I leveled the Graves Glass Estate. It’s a pile of transparent shards now."There was a tense silence from the other end of the line, followed by a booming, jagged bark of laughter. "Legally? Or am I calling the Blackthorn Council to post bail?""Legally. Serena Nightwood approached me with a proposal. She laid out the intel on how Alpha Lucian Graves rutted with her sister and planted a bastard seed in the Nightwood line. The estate was hers by right of the Blackthorn mating contract, but Lucian was trying to strong-arm her into returning the deed. I bought it outr

No.""He came back to the Inner Den long after the moon had peaked, summoning me to his office like a lowly omega. He didn't even look me in the eye when he slid a stack of Blackthorn legal scrolls across the mahogany desk. Then, he just stated it—like he was reporting a border skirmish. He’d had an 'indiscretion' at my sister’s mating ceremony, and she was carrying his heir. He demanded I sign the severance of our bond immediately so he could claim the mother of his child before the pack observers could whisper."I shook my head, the memory of that cold office air still chilling my marrow. "He didn't show a flicker of regret. When I finally broke, when the realization hit that he’d impregnated my own blood, he just stood there. He left me sobbing on the floor of his office while he straightened his suit. He told me I should probably clear my scent from the house and stay with friends. He didn't offer a hand. He didn't apologize. He didn't even try to soften the blow. He was cold, cli

"Are you trying to tell me this is real, Rowan?"I stepped out of the elevator into the penthouse of the Graves Glass Estate, my heart doing a frantic percussion against my ribs. The space was transformed. It wasn't the sterile, cold Alpha territory I remembered. It was a war zone of romance—shadows dancing under the flicker of a hundred black candles, the scent of crushed winter roses thick enough to drown out the lingering metallic tang of the city."I don't play games with my intentions, Serena," Rowan’s voice rumbled from behind me.I felt the heat of him before he touched me, a low-frequency hum that vibrated through my very marrow. He leaned down, pressing a lingering, possessive kiss to the sensitive cord of my neck. "Do the Nightwood colors suit the Ashcroft den?""It’s... overwhelming," I whispered, my eyes darting from the floral arrangements to the silk drapes. I let out a sharp, startled yelp as he hooked his arm behind my knees and swept me up. He didn't wait for an answe

“What gets me,” Valeria said, her voice dropping into a low, predatory rasp, “is how that little parasite asked the pack network to sniff you out and they had your scent identified before you even hit the doorstep.”“I know,” I muttered, rubbing my temples where a tension headache was beginning to claw at my skull. “What an absolute cluster fuck.”“Are you going to issue a formal rebuttal to the Council?”“I think I want to retreat to my den and sleep on it.” I grimaced, my inner wolf pacing with agitated energy. “I’ll call Freya. What’s the point of having a Blackthorn Legal BFF if you can’t use her when you get caught in a nightclub with an Ashcroft’s tongue down your throat?”“I think it’s a tactical necessity. Don’t howl a word to anyone until you talk to her.”I exhaled a jagged breath. “I’m going to go to my room to call her and Valeria.”Valeria leaned in, her eyes flashing with a bit of amber mischief. “Was the hunt at least worth the price?”“He took me to the Art Den today.