Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Alpha’s Plus Size Obsession: Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

Modric’s POV The chant began with one child. Then another voice joined. Then another. Within seconds, Mary Ann’s name rolled across the military field like thunder. “Mary Ann!” “Mary Ann!” “Mary Ann!” I stood beside the strategy board and watched hundreds of Ironclaw wolves rise from their seats. Families from Hollowbrook. Workers from the rebuilt settlements. Mothers who had once doubted her. Merchants whose trade routes she helped restore. Even some soldiers who had cheered for Darius moments earlier turned toward the civilian platforms as the chant grew louder. Mary Ann remained standing among the alliance representatives. She looked stunned. Not pleased. Not proud. Uncomfortable. She had not challenged Gregor for attention. She had challenged him because the scoring was dishonest. The pack understood the difference. That was why they trusted her. Gregor struck his council staff against the platform. “Order!”

Mary Ann’s POV “Elder Gregor paid me to spread rumors about the Luna.” The confession silenced the central hall. Mara stood near the back of the gathered servants with tears running down her face. Her hands shook so badly that she had twisted the edge of her apron into a tight rope between her fingers. Modric became completely still. The bond carried his fury before it showed on his face. Kylian moved closer to Mara, but his voice remained calm. “How did Gregor contact you?” “Not directly.” “Who did?” “A clerk named Tomas.” Kylian glanced toward one of the guards. “Bring Marek.” The guard left immediately. Modric looked at the servants gathered around us. Some appeared frightened. Others lowered their heads as though Mara’s confession had awakened memories they hoped would remain hidden. “What exactly were you paid to say?” he asked. Mara flinched beneath the weight of his voice. Modric noticed and forced his Alpha power back.

Modric’s POV The second trial began at sunrise. Ironclaw’s central square had never held so many wolves at once. Voting stations stretched from the council hall to the market road, each marked by territory, household district, military unit, or registered trade group. Guards stood beside sealed boxes while independent clerks recorded every name. Gregor had changed one detail after the first trial. The trust vote would no longer be cast only by recognized households. Every adult Ironclaw wolf would vote. He presented the change as fairness after the crowd challenged the strategy scoring. I knew better. Traditional warriors outnumbered many of the civilians who had supported me, and Gregor believed military loyalty would favor Darius. Perhaps it would. Darius stood across the square near the eastern voting station. He wore no armor, only a formal military coat and the Kane family clasp. Warriors approached him openly, bowing or clasping his hand before movin

Modric’s POV “Give me a reason to come back.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them. Mary Ann stood in front of me with my coat still wrapped around her shoulders. The council room was dim, lit only by the lamps burning low over the evidence scattered across the tables. Outside, Ironclaw slept beneath the final hours of darkness. She did not answer immediately. Her eyes searched my face, and I felt the guarded movement of her wolf through the bond. Hope rose inside me despite every warning I had given myself. I should not have asked. Mary Ann had already told me what cooperation meant. The pack. The alliance. Nothing more. Still, some selfish part of me wanted one word that belonged only to us. One promise I could carry into the arena when Darius struck my injured shoulder and the council waited for me to fall. Mary Ann slowly removed my coat from around her shoulders. “I will not give you false hope.” The words landed clean

Mary Ann’s POV The blade pressed against my throat. Cold metal touched the skin beneath my jaw while Gregor’s arm locked around my chest. His grip pulled me backward against him, forcing my body between his and the warriors gathering below the council platform. For one terrible moment, the entire arena became silent. I heard Darius coughing in the sand. Elara shouting instructions to the healers. The frightened breathing of the servant who had confessed. Then Modric’s wolf roared through the bond. The force of it nearly drove me to my knees. His eyes turned completely silver. Every muscle in his body tightened as he took one step toward us. Gregor pressed the blade harder. A thin sting moved across my throat. Warm blood followed. “Stop,” Gregor warned. Modric froze. His gaze dropped to the blade, then to the blood on my skin. The rage moving through the bond became so violent that I could barely separate it from my own fear. “