All Chapters of THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The first rays of sunlight spilled across Shadow Peak, turning the mist that clung to the mountains into ribbons of silver.Maya stood before the bedroom window, staring at the sprawling territory below.Her stomach fluttered.Whether it was nerves or the baby, she couldn't tell anymore.A soft knock came at the door."Come in."Sage entered carrying a neatly folded cream colored dress."You can't wear jeans to face the Council."Maya looked at the dress.It was simple, elegant, and surprisingly modest."You picked this?"Sage nodded."The Council expects you to look weak."A mischievous smile crossed her face."So we're going to disappoint them."Maya laughed."I like the way you think."Half an hour later...The Great Hall looked completely different.Long wooden tables had been removed.An enormous circular platform occupied the center of the room.Above it hung the Blackwood crest, a silver wolf beneath a full moon.Nearly every member of the pack had gathered.Some stood quietly.

The morning mist clung to the towering pine trees surrounding Blackwood Manor, wrapping the estate in an eerie silence.Maya stood outside the balcony doors with both hands resting against her growing stomach.The forest was beautiful.Yet she had never felt so alone.Behind her, servants moved quietly through the room, pretending not to stare.Whenever she turned around, they quickly looked away.She understood why.To them, she wasn't a guest.She wasn't family.She was the human carrying an impossible child.The child that threatened centuries of tradition.A gentle knock interrupted her thoughts."Come in."The door opened, revealing Sage carrying a wooden tray filled with breakfast."You skipped dinner again.""I'm not hungry."Sage raised an eyebrow."You keep saying that."She placed the tray on the table before walking toward Maya."The baby is."Maya looked down at her stomach.Almost on cue, a tiny kick pressed against her palm.She smiled despite herself."Good morning to y

The warning bells continued to echo across Blackwood Territory.Their deep, metallic toll rolled through the forest like thunder, waking every wolf within miles.Outside the manor, warriors poured into the courtyard. Some shifted into enormous wolves before disappearing into the darkness, while others remained in human form, armed with silver blades and reinforced crossbows.Rain lashed against the stone walls.Lightning split the sky.Maya stood frozen in the library doorway as the manor transformed into a fortress.Kai grabbed a black leather jacket from a nearby chair and shrugged it over his broad shoulders. His silver eyes had turned completely amber.His wolf was close.Very close.Marcus fastened a sword across his back."The eastern patrol has gone silent."Kai's jaw tightened."Dead?"Marcus nodded once."We don't know how many made it through the border."Aldric's voice remained calm despite the tension."They didn't come for territory.""They came for Maya."Silence settled

The storm had passed.But the silence it left behind was far more unsettling.Blackwood Manor stood scarred.Broken windows exposed the cold morning air. Cracked stone walls bore fresh claw marks. The scent of smoke and blood lingered in every corridor despite the servants' efforts to scrub away every trace of the night's battle.No one spoke above a whisper.The Blood Hunters had retreated.Yet everyone knew they would return.Kai stood in the center of the great hall, turning the silver pendant over in his hand.The wolf shaped charm caught the morning light.Marcus folded his arms."You've looked at that thing for an hour.""It isn't ordinary."Kai traced the strange markings engraved around its edges."No."Marcus agreed."It isn't."Aldric approached from the staircase."I recognize those symbols."Kai looked up."You do?""They belonged to the King's Guard."Marcus frowned."But the King's Guard was dissolved decades ago.""So everyone believed."Aldric's expression hardened."T

The council chamber fell into a suffocating silence.Every pair of eyes remained fixed on Maya.The silver chalice sat untouched on the stone table between her and the council members, its surface reflecting the flames dancing inside the ancient torches.Councilor Silvercrest leaned back in his chair, satisfaction gleaming in his pale blue eyes."So?" he asked. "Will you drink?"Maya looked at the cup without moving.Every instinct inside her screamed that something was wrong.Not because she believed the council would poison her.If they wanted her dead, they would not do it in front of dozens of witnesses.No.Whatever was inside that chalice was meant to prove something.Or expose something.She slowly lifted her gaze toward Kai.He stood at the far end of the chamber with Marcus beside him, both forbidden by tradition from interfering with the trial.Kai's jaw was locked so tightly she thought his teeth might shatter.His silver eyes never left her.Don't do it.He never spoke the