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All Chapters of Traded to the Ruthless Alpha: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

73 Chapters

Chapter 31

ReyaI never left Blackwood to simply enjoy the day. I haven’t left Blackwood at all since I was sent here. At this point, I’m not sure what to expect. Every journey I’ve taken has been because someone else decided where I needed to belong.When I left my father’s estate, it’s because I had been rejected. Because my father didn’t want me around anymore. I was just a disgrace in his eyes and he needed to be rid of me.When I came to Blackwood, it’s because the Council demanded it.Today, Killian asked me if I wanted to come with him.He cares about what I want.The thought stays with me as we ride through the northern forest. This makes me

Chapter 32

ReyaI didn’t know that silence could be so beautiful. Never, in my life, did I think that this would be possible.The mountain meadow is alive with quiet sounds. Snowmelt trickles through a narrow stream nearby, birds call to one another from the pine trees, and the breeze carries the scent of evergreen through the crisp afternoon air.Killian spread a thick wool blanket across the grass where the snow had melted a long time ago beneath the warmth of the sun. This feels peaceful. It’s almost unreal. For a moment, I almost believed that I didn’t deserve this sense of peace.I sit beside him with my knees pulled to my chest, I watch my shadows as they drift lazily across the meadow. They chase the breeze through the wildflowers before returning to circle

Chapter 33

SkylarThe forest has never felt so cold. It’s not because of the snow. The cold comes from the simple truth that every step I take away from Blackwood reminds me of the failure that I’ve been trying not to acknowledge.Bernice struggles beside me, her expensive cloak catching on branches every few yard. Every time the fabric sags, she mutters curses beneath her breath, clearly regretting every decision that had dragged her into this mess. I don’t regret anything. Regret belongs to people who intend to surrender.I intend to win.“We should rest,” Bernice says through uneven pants as she pushes aside a branch. She continues to pant, “We’ve been walking for hours! Us being exhausted won’t help anyone, Skylar!”

Chapter 34

BerniceHatred is a strangely comforting thing. People like to claim that it poisons the person who carries it, that it will hollow them out from the inside. But people are wrong. Hatred sharpens you. It strips away hesitation. It reminds you exactly who deserves to suffer and why.I pull my hood lower as I step into the tavern at the edge of the eastern territories. The place smells like stale ale, damp wool, and smoke that has clung to the rafters as if it’s a permanent resident. Mercenaries crowd most of the tables, their armor mismatched and dented. Hunters and drifters fill the rest, men and women who live by coin rather than conscience.They are not honorable people which is precisely why I’ve chosen them. Honor complicates things. Greed never doe

Chapter 35

ReyaSomething is wrong.I feel it before I even understand what’s going on around me. It’s a tightening that’s low in my stomach and it’s made the morning air feel heavier than usual.Nothing in Blackwood looks any different from when I stepped out of the keep. Snow still blankets the rooftops, servants still cross the courtyard carrying their baskets of supplies, even the warriors still train in their normal formations beyond the walls. Everything appears normal.Yet, my shadows refuse to leave my side. It seems like they know and understand that something is wrong and yet, neither of us can confirm what it is.The past week, my shadows have become kind of playful. They chase children through the cou

Chapter 36

KillianThe first report reaches me before noon and I know that something is wrong the moment that the guard bursts into my office without knocking. He’s breathing fact, his face is pale, and the way he grips the doorframe tells me that he ran the entire length of the corridor.“Alpha,” His voice is tight, “I’m not here with good news, I apologize.”I’m already on my feet, walking towards him, “What happened? Is Reya alright?”He swallows hard, “There are rumors that are spreading fast through the villages.”My expression hardens, “What kind of rumors? Speak now, don’t beat around the bush, just say it to me clearly.”

Chapter 37

ReyaI wasn’t planning to run. That’s the part I can’t stop replaying as the forest blurs around me and my lungs burn with every breath. I didn’t wake up this morning intending to leave Blackwood. I hadn’t packed anything, did not plan a route, didn’t even think about where I would go once I crossed the borders. I just went outside because I needed air, I needed to breathe and calm myself, because all of a sudden the walls felt way too close, and because every whisper I heard throughout the day seemed to follow me around no matter where I went. Then I just kept walking, by the time I realized how far I had gone, fear had already grasped me and taken control of my actions. I can still hear everyone’s voices in my head, sharp and familiar in the worst ways.Cursed. Dangerous. Death followed wherever she went.There is gold for my head now. Gold! Someone had decided that my life has a price and there are people out there that are willing to collect it.My shadows race through the fores

Chapter 38

KillianI watch Reya as she wakes and it is a worse heartache than when I saw her run.At least in the forest, there had been movement. There was something that I could do, chase, or even fight. But now, there is only silence. And silence is far more merciless.She lies beneath the blankets in the high tower room, her face is pale against the pillow, one hand curls near her chest while the other rests stiffly at her side. The sedative has slowly worn off, but even before she opens her eyes, I can see the tension in her body returning like a storm rebuilding itself. First, her shadows stir. A thin ribbon of darkness slips along the edge of the mattress, testing the air. Another follows, they drift toward me before stopping just short of my boots. They do not trust.

Chapter 39

ReyaI last less than an hour up in this tower before the walls feel like they’re closing in on me.At first, I try to sit still and convince myself that this nothing more than a room, that this locked door only exists because Killian believes that I’m safer inside, and that the guards stationed outside the door are not there because everyone around me suddenly decided I am too dangerous.These thoughts haven’t helped.Every time my gaze drifts towards the door, I remember the forest, the dart, and the way my body stopped answering to me, it stopped belonging to me. Consciousness slipped away from me all the while Killian whispered that he was sorry.His apology doesn’t change what happened. It hasn&rs

Chapter 40

ReyaMy shadows surge instantly. I snap, “Do not come near me.”To my surprise, Killian continued to step closer. I say, “I mean it. Do not come closer to me, Killian. Stay away.”A shadow snaps towards his shoulder. He moves just enough to avoid the full impact, but it still tears through the fabric of his shirt. He barely reacts as another shadow strikes the floor in front of him, cracking the stone. He doesn’t startle, he simply continues walking toward me.“Killian!” I scold as I glare at him, “You are going to end up hurting yourself.”“I’m done watching you tear yourself apart,” He responds gently. “And I am not going to leave you alone in thi

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