All Chapters of Unexpected Mate: The Cruel Alpha’s Little Wolf: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The next morning, I woke up to voices outside my door. At first, I thought I was dreaming. Then I heard my name. I sat upright immediately. "...I'm telling you, that's what I heard." "Lower your voice." "What? Everyone already knows." A brief silence followed. Then another voice spoke. "Do you think the Alpha will actually do it?" My stomach tightened. Do what? Before I could hear anything else, footsteps hurried away down the corridor. I climbed out of bed and opened the door. The hallway was empty. But the uneasy feeling in my chest remained. Something was happening. And somehow, I had a feeling I was at the center of it. I headed to Aurelia's room, to check how she was feeling, and because it had kind of become something like a morning ritual. I got to her room, and was very pleased to see she was out of bed. She looked better, though still a bit faint. And had her crayons and board out to draw. As I stepped in her face lightened up. "Aria

The next morning, the estate was unusually quiet. Not peaceful quiet. The kind of quiet that came after people had spent days discussing something they weren't supposed to discuss. I hated it. More importantly, I hated not knowing what was happening. I sat on the edge of my bed for a moment before making a decision. If the council's problem was my presence in the estate, then I needed to leave as soon as possible. The sooner I found somewhere else to stay, the sooner this entire situation would stop being my concern. I quickly got dressed and gathered my things. Just as I finished, there was a knock at the door. Before I could answer, the door opened slightly. Aurelia peeked inside. "Aria?" I smiled. "Good morning, sweetheart." Her eyes immediately dropped to the small bag in my hands. Then she frowned. "You're going out." It wasn't a question. I nearly laughed. For a moment, she looked exactly like her father. "Just into town." She crossed

A Luna. The word followed me long after I returned to my room. I lay awake that night replaying every conversation I'd overheard over the past few days. The council. The whispers. The strange looks. Agatha's comments. Kael's refusal to explain anything. And now this. There hasn't been a Luna in this estate for a very long time. I didn't understand why that mattered so much. Plenty of wolves remained unmarried. Didn't they? Eventually, exhaustion pulled me into sleep. Unfortunately, the questions followed me into the next morning. I was still thinking about them when I made my way downstairs for breakfast. Aurelia was already seated at the table. The moment she saw me, her entire face brightened. "Aria!" I smiled despite myself. "Good morning, sweetheart." "Good morning." She immediately launched into a detailed explanation of a dream she'd apparently had involving three rabbits, a river, and a wolf who couldn't swim. I had absolutely no idea how those things con

The thought stayed with me long after Kael disappeared into the estate. Aurelia, meanwhile, seemed entirely unaffected by council meetings, pack politics, or mysterious decisions. She was more concerned with whether the flowers at her birthday party should be silver or white. Apparently both was the correct answer. By the time evening arrived, she had already changed her mind three times. I had somehow become responsible for helping her choose. The realization made me smile despite myself. For a few hours, it was easy to forget everything else. The whispers. The council. The uncertainty hanging over me. Dinner was quiet. Kael never appeared. Aurelia complained about it twice. Agatha reassured her both times. But even she seemed distracted. As though she was waiting for something. That uneasy feeling returned immediately. Something was happening. I just didn't know what. The following morning, I woke earlier than usual. For a moment, I lay staring at the ceiling.

My eyes remained fixed on Kael. He exhaled slowly. "Aria." The way he said my name made my chest ache. "I'll explain later." A bitter laugh escaped me. "Later?" I shook my head. "That's what you said before." The silence that followed felt endless. For the first time since arriving at the estate, uncertainty crept beneath my skin. I had trusted Kael. Still did. But trust became difficult when everyone insisted on keeping secrets. "What aren't you telling me?" His jaw tightened. For a second, I thought he might finally answer. Instead, he stood. "The meeting cannot wait." Something sharp settled in my chest. Not anger. Fear. Because whatever this proposal was, it was important enough that he would rather face an entire council than answer my question. I stepped aside. Kael paused beside me. For a brief moment, neither of us spoke. Then he said quietly, "Trust me." Before I could respond, he was gone. The study door closed behind