All Chapters of Claimed by the Alpha’s Contract: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Sienna locked the door behind Darian and stood with her back against it for a long moment. The bond still carried the edge of his focus, sharp and controlled. She waited until it settled into something quieter before she moved.She did not turn on the main light. The security lamps along the outer walls gave enough of a glow through the windows for her to cross the room. She drew the curtains on the east-facing side first, the way he had told her, then checked the latch on every window even though she already knew they were secure.Sleep did not come easily. She lay on top of the covers with her shoes still on and listened to the house. Floorboards settled. A pipe ticked once in the wall. Somewhere far below, a door closed. The bond remained steady, a low awareness that Darian was still awake and working.She must have dozed, because the next thing she registered was the internal line ringing on the table beside her.The sky outside was still dark.“Sienna.” Darian’s voice was low, st

Sienna did not try to sleep after Darian left. She sat in the chair near the west-facing window and watched the rain move across the courtyard lights. The bond carried his focus like a low current—outward, sharp, already calculating the next problem. She kept her hands wrapped around the cold edge of the windowsill and waited for the sky to change.It took longer than she expected.When the first gray light finally pushed through the rain, the internal line rang.“East sitting room,” Darian said. “Five minutes.”She washed her face, tied her hair back, and went downstairs. The corridor was quieter than usual under lockdown. Two seniors stood at the main junction and nodded as she passed. No one spoke.Darian was already in the sitting room. He had changed into a dry shirt, but the fatigue sat clear around his eyes. A closed folder lay on the table beside him.“The night supervisor confirmed he signed the transfer without checking the physical count,” Darian said without preamble. “He

Sienna spent the morning in the east library with a book she did not read. The rain had settled into a steady gray curtain against the windows. Every so often the bond shifted—Darian’s focus tightening, then releasing, as if he were moving between reports and decisions. She kept her hands flat on the closed cover and waited.Just before eleven the internal line rang.“Study,” Darian said.She went immediately. He was standing behind the desk with a tablet in one hand. The fatigue around his eyes had deepened, but his voice stayed even.“The orderly avoided the junction,” he said. “They stopped long enough to check it, then turned north into the logging sector on foot. We have a team on them. Quiet. No engagement yet.”Sienna closed the door behind her. “They knew the junction was a risk.”“Or they were told to avoid open roads. Either way, they’re still moving with purpose.” He set the tablet down. “The night supervisor’s statement holds. The phone call happened. The phone itself is w

Sienna woke to the sound of rain still moving against the glass. The room was dark. She had fallen asleep in the chair near the west-facing window without meaning to. The bond carried a distant, sharp focus that told her Darian had not slept at all.She stood, stretched the stiffness from her shoulders, and checked the time. Just after five. The internal line had not rung during the night. That did not mean nothing had happened.She washed her face, changed into clean clothes, and waited.At six-thirty the line finally rang.“Study,” Darian said. His voice was rough with fatigue. “Now.”She went downstairs. The corridor was still under lockdown quiet. Two seniors stood at the main junction and watched her pass without speaking.Darian was alone in the study. The tablet on the desk showed a map with two marked paths. He looked up when she entered.“The second figure left the shed and reached a vehicle,” he said. “Headed west. We lost them in the rain. The orderly stayed behind for almo

Sienna stayed in the east library after Darian’s update, the closed book still under her hands. The morning light had strengthened, pushing thin and pale across the floor. The bond carried his focus outward again—sharp, sustained, the kind that meant the tracking team was still active.She did not try to read.At nine-thirty Elias appeared at the door with a short message. “The Alpha wants you in the security corridor. Not the study. Five minutes.”Sienna followed him without asking questions. The lockdown quiet made every footstep sound deliberate. Elias stopped outside the security room and opened the door for her.Darian stood in front of the main bank of screens. One feed showed a grainy thermal outline moving through trees. Another cycled the outer line cameras. He did not turn immediately when she entered.“The orderly is still on foot,” he said. “They passed through the clearing and kept north. The team has soft sign and intermittent thermal. No second person. No vehicle.”Sien