Semua Bab Surrogate to the Alpha: Bab 31 - Bab 35

Derek didn’t remember leaving the house — not the fine details of his storming off in the dead of night, anyway. His wolf had surged forward, more in control than his human side, and Derek hadn’t fought it. He couldn’t. He didn’t want to. One moment he was staring at the monitors replaying Josephine’s last known steps, and the next he was sprinting across the back lawn, the cold night air slamming into his lungs like punishment. His boots tore through the grass, each stride longer, harder, more desperate — as if speed alone could undo the last couple of days. The shift clawed at him — vicious, demanding, primal — and Derek didn’t resist. He welcomed it. Bones cracked sharply and his muscles stretched. His skin rippled and split, everything rearranging and knitting itself back together with brutal efficiency. Soon enough the world sharpened into a thousand scents and sounds, everything so focused it was nearly painful. In seconds, Derek’s wolf burst forward — massive, dark, furio

The moment Liam turned his back to close the van door, something primal and reckless surged through me. It wasn’t bravery. It wasn’t strategy. It was pure, unfiltered panic wearing the flimsy disguise of determination. His silhouette blocked the dim warehouse light for a heartbeat, and in that tiny sliver of time, I saw my chance.And I took it.I launched myself forward with the chaotic energy of someone who had absolutely no idea what they were doing but was committed to doing it loudly. My feet slapped against the concrete floor, my breath tore out of me in ragged bursts, and my arms — still zip‑tied behind me — flapped uselessly like decorative accessories.I wasn’t running with grace. I wasn’t running with silence. I wasn’t running with intelligence either, as it seems.I was positive I was running like a deranged farm animal that had just discovered existential dread. Honestly, my grace was comparable to a pig that fell out of a lorry on the way to the slaughterhouse — confuse

DerekCorrine stood over the bodies. Her hands were shaking, and her discarded clothes looked torn. She must have shifted into her wolf and back to her human self very quickly. It was rather impressive, but Derek knew how strong of a wolf Corrine was, despite her extremely polished human exterior. She was of Beta origin herself, and if need be, that heritage came through. And by the looks of it, there had been plenty of need.Her face looked nothing like the flawless and perfectly put‑together woman Derek knew. The make‑up was smudged in a way Corrine would hate to know had been seen by others. Her cheeks were deeply streaked with sweat and blood — not all of it hers, Derek could tell.“Goddess!” Declan exhaled, mirroring the exact thought Derek had, though the words from him came out sounding slightly less unholy.Corrine whimpered, exhausted, as she looked up at Derek and then at Declan, eyes wide, frantic, and shining with something between guilt, fear, and desperation. It was so