All Chapters of The Alpha’s Contract Mate: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

“I didn’t order you around. I saved your ass once again,” I breathed, peeling my back away from the door. “If you had fought with Lesley, the upper hand we gained at the meeting earlier would have been reduced to nothing.”“Anyone would have expected you to be smarter than making such an obvious mistake,” I added, my eyes fixed firmly on his dark ones.“And you think you’re so much smarter?” Louis shot back, closing the distance between us until my back was pressed against the door again. “Dragging me out in front of the pack like a kid throwing a tantrum?”“You followed me, didn’t you?” I retorted calmly. “Which means you know what you were doing was wrong, but your pride would never let you admit it.”“I followed you to save you the embarrassment of not being able to talk your mate into listening to you,” he countered, his hands finding my neck again, though they merely rested there at first. “The whole pack was watching. I’d rather be seen as completely in love with you than have a

LOUIS'S POV It had been almost twelve hours since I walked out of that bedroom and left Tracy behind. I had been locked in my office with Mark the entire time, trying to align our defensive strategy before my parents arrived tomorrow with news from the Alpha Council. I wasn't expecting an army from them—just the official confirmation I needed to wage total war on the Craken. The last twelve hours had been spent analyzing attack routes, and assessing potential allies. I hadn't seen so much as a shadow of Lesley since our confrontation on the training field, and for his sake, I hoped it stayed that way. Tracy might have managed to drag me away before, but if he pushed me again, no one would be able to stop me from ripping his throat out. As for Tracy... I hadn't crossed paths with her once either. Which was strange, considering I usually felt a pull whenever she was anywhere near me. But I knew for a fact that she was deliberately avoiding me, and I let her. After all, it wasn't

I watched with pure irritation as the attackers eyed us from a distance. They just had to pick today of all days to pull whatever stunt they came here for. And right at the exact moment I had finally let myself give in to Louis... couldn’t they have waited an extra ten minutes? "You’re going to burn a hole through them with a glare like that, Tracy," Louis drawled from beside me, letting out a low chuckle. He took a deliberate step forward, his Alpha aura flaring softly. "It seems my Luna doesn’t appreciate being interrupted, so how about we get this over with? Given your small numbers, I doubt you came for a full-scale assault. A scouting run, perhaps?" From the sudden shift in their expressions, I knew he had hit the nail on the head. "I can hear your pathetic whispers, you know," Louis added after a beat, shaking his head with a bored sigh. "Yes, you didn’t expect anyone to be out in this clearing. But that part of your little plan just failed miserably. So what’s it going to b

You would have expected a wave of murmurs to erupt after Louis finished addressing the pack about the reinforced security measures. But instead, the hall dead silent . It was unsettling—especially for a pack that typically thrived on gossip and frantic rumors. I half-expected whispers of how the Craken were going to burn the territory to the ground to be floating around already, but not a single person uttered a sound. Even the brief, hushed conversations that drifted to my ears were nothing more than quiet expressions of anxiety—people worrying that extra patrols wouldn't be enough to hold back an ancient army. "They're taking my warning about spreading rumors far too seriously," Louis whispered lowly beside me, as if reading my exact thoughts. "That's why they're quiet. The moment we dismiss this assembly and step out of those doors, the chaos you're anticipating will explode everywhere else." "So your pack members are genuinely terrified of you, huh?" I breathed, raising an eye

I know Louis told me to focus strictly on him, but it was harder than he made it sound—especially with the chaotic noises hitting my ears all at once. I couldn't help wanting to sink into it, to strain my hearing and catch every single conversation echoing across the pack. It felt like some wild power, something I had never dreamed of possessing. To think Louis had lived like this his entire life... How the hell did he manage to remain so calm amidst the constant noise? "Tracy! Tracy!" The faint calls of my name sounded muffled beneath the overwhelming sounds, until a warm hand suddenly clamped onto my forearm. The instant static sparks from our bond snapped me straight back to reality. "You never listen, do you?" Louis seethed softly, his voice low. "Stop trying to listen to everyone at once. Just focus on what’s directly in front of you right now." He gave my shoulder a gentle nudge forward. We were standing in front of the main pack house, and I had completely forgotten that