All Chapters of The Sleeping Alpha’s Mate: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

ISADORA POVI was sitting on a bench near the roses when Caelen's sister found me.The sun was barely up and the garden was quiet. I hadn't slept. Every time I closed my eyes I felt hands on my arms and the world tilting. So I gave up and came outside.She sat down beside me without asking. She didn't say anything at first. Just looked at the flowers like she was giving me time to breathe."How are you feeling?" She eventually asked."Better." I turned to look at her. "Thank you for last night. For saving me."She waved her hand. "Don't mention it.""I mean it. If you hadn't been there—""I know." She turned to me and her eyes were serious. "I'm glad I was."We sat in silence for a while. The sun rose higher and the garden came alive with birds and the smell of flowers."I never caught your name," I said."Amara." She held out her hand.I shook it. "That's pretty.""Thank you. My mother picked it."We talked for a while about nothing important. The weather and the pack and the garden.

ISADORA POV Before sunrise, I woke to the sound of movement beside me.For a moment, I stayed still and listened, then turned toward Caelen when I heard the mattress shift beneath him. He was sitting up against the pillows, his breathing steady as he adjusted himself, and there was something different about the way he moved. He still looked tired, but the strain that usually came with even the smallest movement was not as obvious as it had been before the ritual.Then I noticed his legs moving beneath the blanket.I pushed myself up and watched as he moved one leg slightly, then stopped as though he had felt something that surprised him. His eyes dropped to the blanket, and after a few seconds, he tried again.“Caelen?”His head turned toward me.He did not answer immediately. Instead, he moved his foot beneath the blanket, slowly at first, and his toes curled.“I can feel my legs.”I stared at him, hardly believing what I heard.“You can?”Caelen nodded once, still looking down as h

ISADORA POV I woke before the sun came up, but I stayed where I was for a while, staring at the ceiling and listening to the quiet outside my room.The house felt different since the ritual.Not safer. Not yet.Just different.There was movement again. People spoke about Alpha Caelen’s recovery instead of whispering about how long he would remain unconscious. Guards walked through the halls with less tension in their shoulders. Even the servants seemed to carry themselves differently.And I still did not know what that meant for me.The thought followed me as I dressed and went downstairs.I found Amara in the dining room, sitting near the window with a cup of tea in front of her. She looked up when I entered.“You’re early,” she said.“I couldn’t sleep anymore.” I pulled out a chair and sat opposite her. “Is Alpha awake?”“He was when I checked earlier.” She picked up her cup. “He sent word that he wanted breakfast in his room.”I nodded. “That’s good.”Amara watched me for a moment

ISADORA POVThe door closed behind me, leaving me alone with the order Caelen had just given me.I remained where I was for several moments, staring at the wood as though the answer to what had happened in his room might somehow be found there. His voice was still clear in my mind.You are to remain inside the packhouse. You will not leave it for any reason unless I give you permission.House arrest.I slowly walked toward the bed and sat down, resting my hands in my lap as I tried to make sense of it. I knew Caelen was angry. I knew Seraphina's tears had affected him, especially after he had only just recovered from the ritual and learned what had happened while he was unconscious. Still, I could not understand how my explanation had meant so little.I had not ordered Seraphina's confinement. I had not taken her to the room. The guards had brought her there after Luna Iris gave the order, and I had been present because there had been no reason for me to hide what happened. I had not

ISADORA POVI reached the covered body before I could think about what I was doing.My hand was already reaching for the sheet when something seized my arm and pulled me backward with such force that I nearly lost my balance. I stumbled, catching myself before I fell, and turned around in shock.A guard stood in front of me.And beside him was Caelen.The anger on his face was immediate.“Did I not place you under house arrest?” he asked.I stared at him, still trying to understand why I had been dragged away from the body when my heart was already beating so hard that I could barely think.He stepped closer.“Or have you suddenly forgotten what that means? House arrest means you do not step a foot outside those doors unless I give you permission.”My eyes shifted past him.Seraphina stood beside him.The moment I saw her there, something clicked into place. I did not know whether she had gone looking for him or whether he had found her, but judging by the timing, I could only assume