All Chapters of The Alpha’s Forbidden Coyote Mate: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Bailey’s POVPhantom’s phone buzzed, and I watched his face shift as he answered. His mother’s voice carried faintly, and when he hung up, his expression was transformed. She was free. Queen Maggie had been released. For a moment, he looked like a boy again—eyes wide, breath uneven, disbelief softening into joy. He couldn’t believe his mother was safe from Canum and Lomi’s grasp. Relief poured off him in waves, and I almost pitied him. Almost. Because I had also seen the gloom that shadowed him earlier, when he came back into the room after Maryelle turned down his offer. He’d asked her to be his sidepiece, and she rejected him outright. I knew it would be a slap to the face—what woman wouldn’t recoil at such a suggestion? And I was elated. That rejection was another crack in their fragile bond, another rift widening between them. A text buzzed across my own phone screen. Unknown number. [Close the deal right now. Make yourself the next werecoyote queen.]I smiled faintly. T

Maryelle's POVI ran straight into the bathroom and threw up.My legs were unsteady, my pulse a mirror of chaos.The force of it left me trembling over the toilet, one hand braced against the wall while the other pressed against my stomach. Every muscle in my body shook violently. It felt as though my insides had been hollowed out and replaced with shards of glass.When there was nothing left, I sat on the cold tile floor and wrapped my arms around myself.Breathe.Just breathe.The simple act felt impossible.My chest tightened with every inhale, refusing to loosen no matter how desperately I tried to calm down. Tears streamed silently down my face as images continued to assault me.Phantom.Bailey.The betrayal.The devastation.The way the tiny bits of hope had collapsed in a matter of minutes.Forty-eight hours ago, I had a future.A life.A plan.Now I had nothing but wreckage.Eventually, exhaustion forced me back to my feet. I rinsed my face in the sink, stared at my reflection

“Stay until the end of the week,” Lucian said, pulling me from the haze that seemed to descend every time he was near. “Heal. Take a break from everything. Let yourself breathe for a while. Let me help you forget the pain. Forget him.”His expression softened.“I’m not exactly eager to deal with my sister yet, either. If you stay, maybe we can both take some time away from the routines we're dreading. We can do the things we're always too busy, too responsible, or too stubborn to do.”A spark of mischief lit his golden eyes.“Maybe even a few things we probably shouldn't.”There it was.The danger.Not the life-threatening kind.The far more complicated kind.Lucian was trouble wrapped in an impossibly attractive package, and every instinct I possessed warned me that spending a week with him would do absolutely nothing to restore my sanity.I hesitated.Last night's panic attack flashed through my mind.Then the one earlier today that had driven me to the pool.Being around him someho

Maryelle's POVOn the fourth day, Lucian takes me to a cliffside overlook that stretches for miles.Rolling hills spill across the horizon in endless shades of green. The valley below looks untouched, like something painted by an artist who couldn't bear the thought of imperfections.The sky seems impossibly vast.For a moment, all I can do is stare.Beside me, Lucian smiles.Not at the view.At me taking it in.I've caught him doing that a lot this week.Watching my reactions more closely than the scenery itself.As though every time I laugh, smile, or forget to be sad for a few minutes, he's collecting the moment for safekeeping.He reaches into his backpack and hands me a leather-bound journal.Our fingers brush.A tiny spark shoots up my arm.I immediately pretend it didn't happen."What am I supposed to do with this?""Write.""Dangerous suggestion."His mouth curves."I like dangerous suggestions."I roll my eyes and open the journal."Write what?"For a moment, he studies the h

Phantom’s POV Somehow I'm no longer sitting.I'm kneeling.Looking up at Bailey.I don't remember moving.Bailey reaches down and tilts my chin upward.The touch sends the rest of my thoughts scattering."It's okay," she says softly.Her fingers trace my jaw."You didn't mean what you said."Of course I didn't.Didn't I?The certainty arrives before the question can."Cold feet are normal."Her voice wraps around my thoughts."So is fear."I nod.Everything she says sounds right.Reasonable.Comforting."You’re choosing me."Her smile is gentle."That's forever."Forever.The word settles inside me.Heavy.Absolute.Necessary."We can't let fear dictate our future.""No."The answer comes automatically.She smiles wider."Tell me you understand."My thoughts feel sluggish.Foggy."Understand what?""That we belong together."Her thumb brushes my cheek."That we're right for each other."A strange pressure builds behind my eyes.For a brief second, Maryelle's face flashes through my m