All Chapters of The Ruthless Alpha Who Bought Me Is My Mate : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

~~Imogene's POV~~The weeks after the festival passed just as the beautiful golden autumn days passed. The success of the celebration had significantly changed how the pack viewed me. Wolves who had once watched me with suspicion now greeted me warmly. Mothers asked my advice on organizing their children’s activities. Even some of the elders who had disapproved of me had begun nodding their approval when I passed.Tonight, we sat before the fireplace, the shadows of the flames was on the walls. I was lying on Fenrir’s side, with his arm around my shoulders, there was a book forgotten on my lap. The rain falling outside was hitting the windows, everywhere seemed so warm and safe.“Imogene,” Fenrir said quietly, breaking the comfortable silence. “There is something I need to tell you. Something about my past.”I looked up at him, I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hand had tightened slightly on my shoulder. “You don’t have to tell me anything you’re not ready to share.”“I

~~Imogene's POV~~I was alone in my room, the ones I still kept even though I spent most nights in Fenrir's rooms, staring at the small leather pouch Maera had given me. Prenatal herbs, she had called them. To keep the baby strong and healthy. Just seeing it made my chest tight with a confusing mix of joy and terror.Days had passed since I learned I was pregnant. I spent the better part of those days, carrying this secret like a stone in my chest, growing heavier with each passing hour. I needed to tell Fenrir. I knew I did. But every time I opened my mouth to speak the words, fear strangled them before they could come out.What if he didn’t want this? What if…A sharp knock at the door interrupted my spiraling thoughts. I quickly tucked the pouch under my pillow and called out, “Come in.”Kiara entered, and my stomach dropped when I saw her. She closed the door behind her with more force than necessary, the sound echoing through the small space.“Kiara,” I said carefully, standing.

~~Imogene's POV~~I stared at the coin pouch, not reaching out to take it. “Is any of what you told me true? About the curse? About Fenrir using me?”“Every word.”I hesitated, then finally took the pouch, because I needed every advantage I could get. “If I find out you lied—”“You’ll what? Come back and challenge me? Once again, you are wolfless, Imogene. You have no power. That’s why you need to run while you still can because either way staying here is a danger to you, don't you see.”She was right. I hated that she was right.I turned and walked toward the gate, my legs feeling like they were made of lead. Every step away from this place, away from Fenrir, felt like tearing myself in half. But I kept walking. For the baby. For myself. For whatever future I could still salvage from the wreckage of my life.I didn’t look back. Could not look back, or I might lose my nerve entirely. I walked into the darkness beyond the gate, into the forest that surrounded the pack lands, and I did

~~Fenrir’s POV~~I sensed something was wrong the moment I woke.The space beside me in bed was cold, it had been cold for hours. Imogene’s scent lingered, but it was faint, fading. She had spent the night in her own room again, which wasn’t unusual.But something felt off. I quickly got dressed and made my way to her room. She was probably just sleeping in, or reading, or doing any number of normal things that did not require my presence or concern. The door was unlocked. I knocked anyway, waiting for her to give me permission to enter. Silence.Worry tightened in my chest. “Imogene?” I pushed the door open.The room was empty. The bed was made, but with a hastiness that suggested someone leaving in a hurry rather than someone who carefully made the bed this morning. The wardrobe door stood slightly open and I could see empty spaces where her clothes should have been.No.I crossed over to the other side at the foot of her bed and threw it open. Most of her personal items were gone.

~~Fenrir's POV~~I stood there longer than necessary, watching them disappear into the trees, moving with the efficiency of wolves who had hunted together for years. I stayed at the gate after the last one of them had gone, fully aware that my presence there did really serve any function. This was what they were best at. Tracking. Finding what others could not. If anyone could find Imogene, it would be them.And yet there was still this uneasy feeling in my chest that did not go away.I waited until even the last trace of them could be seen in the forest as they left before turning back. I returned to my office but I still wasn't at peace there. Reports piled on my desk, parchment curling at the edges, ink blurring as the hours passed. Wolves came seeking counsel and I answered them all, but only half-present. My responses were clipped, stripped of the patience I normally forced myself to show.Every matter presented to me felt secondary. All of it registered as obligation rather than