All Chapters of Alpha's Blood Contract: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

ALARICPressure built behind my eyes before I was even fully awake. It was the familiar ache of an incoming mindlink pulling me out of the first real sleep I have had in days.‘ Alpha. ’ Clark’s voice pushed through, tight with urgency even through the link. ‘ We have another breach at the eastern border. It’s bigger than the last one. ’I blinked my eyes open and found a bundle of soft hair right in my face. That’s when I realized that I still had my arm curled around Elara's bare shoulder.Her back was pressed warm against my chest, her breathing slow and even against the pillow. For one selfish second, I considered ignoring the message entirely and pulled her closer.But then…my sense of duty kicked in.‘ How bad? ’ I asked, already knowing I was not going to get the luxury of staying.‘ Bad enough that I think you need to see it yourself, Alpha. ’ Clark's voice tightened further. ‘ Also…it doesn't look like Lucien's usual scouting pattern. ’I let out a slow breath, careful not to

ELARAA strange feeling woke me up before I understood why. I lay still for a moment, my heart already picking up speed for no reason I could name.The room felt wrong. Not different exactly, not rearranged or disturbed, just wrong in a way that prickled along the back of my neck and refused to let me settle back into sleep.Alaric's side of the bed was empty and cold. I remembered him leaving some time ago. He had gone to the border and had said something about a breach, as his lips pressed to my forehead as he told me to stay put.I remembered mumbling something back before sleep swallowed me whole again. I sat up slowly, listening to whatever was around me.Silence answered me. It was too much silence—the kind that didn't belong in a house full of warriors who were supposed to be patrolling somewhere nearby.I slid out of bed and pulled on the first black shirt I found. My hands moved fast as I waited for the threat to present itself.Because…I didn't know how I knew it, but there

ELARA“ Keep moving." The maid hissed under her breath, grabbing my arm hard enough to bruise.“ They are—" My voice came out strangled, barely a whisper. “ They are just letting them die like that. Like it's entertainment.""It is entertainment." She said flatly, dragging me forward despite my resistance. "This is a feeding gala. The King hosts one every month for the court. Be grateful you are not one of the ones serving as refreshments tonight."My knees felt unsteady beneath me as she pulled me through the crowd, pushing through couples who barely spared me a glance, too absorbed in their own indulgence to care about one more terrified girl being marched toward whatever waited at the end of this hallway.The metallic stench of blood hung thick in the air, mixing sickeningly with expensive perfume and candle smoke. With every few steps, I caught another glimpse of horror I desperately wished I could unsee.A child's shoe was lying abandoned near a fountain that ran faintly pink at

ALARICBy the time the sun started setting and night fell, we had torn apart half the forest surrounding the Packhouse and found nothing worth the effort.Warriors moved in tight formations through the surroundings, calling out every few minutes with updates that all amounted to the same thing. Nothing. No scent trail past the old tunnel entrance. No sign of a struggle beyond what we had already found inside the Packhouse itself.One of the vampires had the ability to turn people into puppets. He used that ability on all warriors and omegas in the Packhouse. He sent them to the garden, and then they took Elara."Alpha." Clark approached carefully, his expression grim in a way that told me whatever he was about to say was not going to help. "We found traces of something near the tunnel mouth. Some kind of residue. Faded fast, but it was not natural.""Vampire magic." I said flatly, already knowing the answer before he confirmed it."That's my guess too." He nodded. "Whatever they used

ALARICThe trees blurred past us in the dark, and none of it mattered. Not the branches whipping against my shoulders, not the warriors keeping pace on either side of me, not the ache still lingering deep in my ribs from the fight. All of it sat somewhere far behind the only thought that actually held any weight right now.They had her.Dale ran a few strides behind me, breathing hard but steady. Behind him, six more warriors moved in formation, weapons strapped tight, faces set in the same grim determination I imagined was carved into my own. None of them had said much since we left the Packhouse. There was not much left to say. We all understood exactly what we were walking into, and none of us particularly cared.I thought about the ribbon still folded into my pocket. I thought about the way she argued with me over things that should have terrified her into silence, the stubborn tilt of her chin whenever she refused to back down from something she believed in.I thought about the w