Lahat ng Kabanata ng Unexpected Mate: The Cruel Alpha’s Little Wolf: Kabanata 141 - Kabanata 150

The Blackwood estate gates closed behind Kael's car. Aurelia remained beside me on the front steps long after it had disappeared from view. One small hand stayed tucked inside mine. The other clutched her stuffed wolf. She was trying very hard to look brave. I could tell. Eventually, she let out a long sigh. "I don't like six sleeps." I squeezed her hand gently. "Neither do I." She looked up at me, surprised. "Really?" "Really." That seemed to make her feel a little better. We stood there for another moment before Miss Agatha appeared in the doorway. "You'll both catch a chill. Aurelia brightened slightly. "Can we have hot chocolate?" "I was hoping you'd ask." That finally earned a proper smile. Inside, the estate felt different. Not empty. Just... Quieter. I wasn't sure when I'd grown accustomed to Kael's presence. The steady sound of his footsteps in the corridor. The quiet certainty that he was somewhere within these walls. Yet

I had barely finished dressing when a gentle knock sounded at my door. "Come in." The door opened just enough for a familiar little face to peek through. Aurelia. She smiled when she saw me. "I knew you'd be awake." "Good morning." "Good morning." She stepped inside, Mr. Wolf tucked beneath one arm. "I came to check." "To check?" She nodded very seriously. "You slept all night." "I did." "You didn't wake up to work?" I laughed. "No." "I stayed exactly where Miss Agatha told me to." She looked visibly relieved. "Good." "Daddy said you're supposed to rest." "So I've been reminded." "Twice." She held up three fingers. "Actually..." "Three times." "I forgot." I couldn't help smiling. "I see my nurse takes her duties very seriously." "I do." She climbed onto the chair beside the window. "Miss Agatha says after breakfast we can go to the gardens." "Would you like that?" She nodded eagerly. "The roses are blooming." "And M

I gathered the report and slipped it into the folder I'd decided to take with me. There was little point delaying any longer. If I intended to understand how the Temporary Residence Office operated... I needed to see it for myself. I stepped out of my office and pulled the door quietly shut behind me. The administrative wing was busy as always. Clerks crossed the corridor carrying correspondence. Messengers disappeared in and out of adjoining offices. Somewhere nearby, I could hear two members of staff discussing supply inventories. I had barely taken a dozen steps when familiar voices drifted down the corridor. One of them I recognized immediately. Lucas. I hadn't seen him for several days. That, in itself, wasn't unusual. With Kael away from Blackwood, there had been little reason for Lucas to visit the estate as frequently. He stood speaking with one of the senior administrators near the entrance. The conversation broke off as he noticed me. For th

The following morning began much as the previous ones had. Breakfast with Aurelia. A brief conversation with Miss Agatha. Then a quiet walk through the estate before the day's work truly began. It was becoming a rhythm. One I hadn't expected to find myself enjoying. By the time I reached my office, several folders were already waiting on my desk. Routine correspondence. Departmental summaries. Requests requiring approval. I settled into my chair and began working through them one by one. A request for repairs to one of the village wells. Approved. An expenditure report from the estate kitchens. Signed. A proposal to replace several ageing delivery vehicles used by the maintenance department. I paused long enough to read the recommendation in full before adding my signature. One document followed another, and another, until I eventually lost track. A gentle knock interrupted my concentration. "Come in." Elias stepped inside carrying a single fold

"Is there anything in particular you'd like to examine, My Luna?" I looked down at the open page. There was. Quite a lot, in fact. But asking the wrong question too soon might reveal more about my suspicions than I intended. So I chose a simpler one. "How long are these records kept?" "Indefinitely." He answered without hesitation. "No register is destroyed." "If one becomes too worn for daily use, it's transferred to storage." "And the information?" "It remains exactly as it was entered." I nodded thoughtfully. "So if I wished to examine entries from... several years ago..." "That would be possible." "Certainly." "They're no longer kept in the main office, but they're available whenever required." That was... reassuring. At least here, records weren't simply disappearing. I glanced once more at the ledger before us. "And who has access to them?" "The officers assigned to this checkpoint." "Myself." "And, with authorisation, the Alpha or