All Chapters of A THOUSAND GOOD-BYES : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

ALISA’S POVThe warehouse smelled like blood, wet concrete, and the copper stank of of fear that never quite left the air after the fight. My knees hit the cold floor first, then Kael’s body, because he was still on his feet by a miracle, one arm locked around my waist like I was the only thing keeping him upright. Blood soaked the front of his black shirt in a spreading bloom that wasn’t his blood.The gunshot had gone straight through his side, just below the ribs, and he was bleeding out fast.“Stay with me,” I whispered, voice cracking as the bond screamed with his pain. Golden threads flared white-hot between us, feeding every throb of agony into my nervous system. My wolf howled, desperate to protect him, to fix him. “Kael, please. Don’t you dare leave me now.”He tried to smile. It came out bloody and twisted. “Told you… I’m not going anywhere, little wolf.” His voice was weak, but his eyes—those dark, piercin

ALISA’S POVThe penthouse had never felt smaller.I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, city lights glittering like diamonds below, and watched the live stream feed on every screen in the room. Kael sat on the wide couch behind me, one hand resting on my hip, the other holding my phone so I could see the feeds clearly. The bond between us sang soft and steady, golden threads pulsing with every deep breath he took. His ribs ached—he’d admitted it in a whisper—but the painkillers kept him from wincing every time I shifted.“Seven minutes,” I whispered, pressing my back to his chest. “They’re still waiting.”Blackwood’s voice crackled over the speaker system in the corner. “We’re rolling. Full pack council broadcast. Viktor’s lawyer is on camera now. The game is yours, Alisa.”I straightened my shoulders. The black dress I wore hugged every curve the bond had perfected—soft, feminine, untouchable. My hand never left Kael’s, and through the link I felt his pride, his fear, his overwhel

ALISA’S POV The restaurant doors had barely closed behind the last midnight customer when the bond between Kael and me sang its loudest note yet. I stood in the middle of *Alisa’s* Table, the space still humming with the energy of the evening—soft fairy lights, the scent of my spices lingering in the air, my staff laughing quietly as they cleaned tables. My name glowed above the entrance like a promise I had finally, truly kept. The bond thrummed through every nerve, golden threads pulsing warm and endless, feeding me Kael’s presence even though he stood two steps behind me, checking locks with his security detail. I turned to him, the small silver key to our penthouse chain dangling from my fingers. “It’s ours,” I said softly. “*Alisa’s* is ours. You, me, the bond… everything we fought for.” Kael crossed the distance in three strides, pulling me into his arms so my back met his chest. His scent—cedar and rain and something darker, hungrier—wrapped around me like the safest

ALISA’S POVThe penthouse was quiet in a way that felt like victory and exhaustion all at once.I lay curled against Kael’s chest on the wide bed, the bond singing soft and steady between us—golden threads pulsing warm and endless, like they were sealing us into something unbreakable. His arm was a heavy, possessive weight across my waist, one large hand splayed over the fresh bandage on my arm where Viktor’s claws had raked me. The knot at his base was still half-swollen, nestled deep inside me, warm and perfect, every slow breath he took making the bond thrum.“Seven hours,” I whispered against his skin, tracing the scar along his jaw with one fingertip. “We opened the restaurant. We fought. We won. And still you’re hard.”His low growl vibrated through my chest. “You’re mine, wife. Always mine. Even when I’m bleeding, even when I’m exhausted, even when the whole pack is trying to break us.” He rolled us so I was beneath him, careful of the IV line and the stitches, and slid back i

ALISA’S POVThe live stream began at exactly 7:00 a.m., the entire pack council chamber on the big screen in front of me, and every eye in the room was on us.I sat at the long wooden table in *Alisa’s* Table, Kael’s hand warm and steady in mine under the polished surface. The bond between us hummed like a living heartbeat. He looked every inch the ruthless alpha partner of Draven & Blackwood: tailored charcoal suit, sharp jaw set, dark eyes calm and unyielding. But I felt the undercurrent of tension in the way his thumb stroked the back of my hand—protective, possessive, terrified of losing me even for a second.Blackwood stood at the head of the table, tablet in hand, reading the final statement.“Alisa Draven and Kael Draven,” he said clearly, “the pack council has convened today to review the blood debt and the allegations of improper influence in the divorce proceedings. We have reviewed all evidence. We have heard testimony from multiple witnesses. And we have watched the liv