The Alpha Who was Rejected by His Mate 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 1 - 챕터 8

I smelled the pack before I saw the border markers.Pine, damp earth, and the faint metallic trace of wolves who still lived under one roof. Blackwood territory hadn’t changed much in five years. The same dense trees. The same narrow road that curved toward the compound. Only the air felt heavier, like it remembered me.I kept the truck in the lower gears and rolled past the first wooden post. No one stopped me. Either the patrols had grown careless or they simply didn’t recognize the woman behind the wheel.Lena slept in the passenger seat, her head tilted against the window. One small hand rested on the stuffed wolf she refused to leave behind. Five years old and already quieter than most children her age. She had my dark hair and a stubborn set to her mouth that belonged to someone else.I didn’t wake her.The compound gates stood open. Two young wolves leaned against the post, talking too loudly about a run scheduled for later. They glanced at the truck, then looked away. I drove

I woke before the alarm I hadn’t set.The cabin was still dark except for the thin gray light pressing at the edges of the curtains. Lena slept on her side, one arm thrown over the stuffed wolf, breathing slow and even. I sat up carefully so the mattress wouldn’t shift and swung my feet to the floor.The air smelled of cool wood and the faint trace of last night’s tea. Outside, the forest was quiet in the way it only got just before dawn. I moved to the window and pulled the curtain back a few inches. No one stood on the path. The compound lights had gone off sometime during the night.I washed my face in the small bathroom, changed into clean clothes from the bag, and started coffee with the grounds someone had left in the cupboard. The machine made more noise than I liked. Lena stirred but didn’t wake.By the time the sky had lightened enough to see the shapes of the trees, a soft knock sounded at the door. I checked the glass panel first. A young woman stood on the porch holding a

The council room felt smaller with more people in it.Mira sat at the far end of the table, posture straight, hands folded over a thin notebook. Two of the senior pack members flanked her. Kael took his usual place at the head. Ronan stood near the door. I sat opposite Mira and kept my hands loose on the tabletop.No one had brought Lena. I had left her at the cabin with a young woman from the kitchen staff who seemed steady enough and had clear instructions not to let anyone else inside.Mira spoke first. Her voice was calm and precise.“The pack has questions. A former member returns after five years, moves into compound housing, sits in on border briefings, and arrives with a child no one knew existed. That requires explanation.”Kael’s expression didn’t change. “She’s here under temporary arrangement. The details are between her and me.”“Not when it affects the rest of us.” Mira opened the notebook but didn’t look at it. “The eastern packs are already asking about the girl. Word

The western markers hadn't been checked in months. That much was obvious before we'd gone half a mile.Kael drove. I hadn't expected that. Usually it was Ronan behind the wheel and Kael somewhere else, buried in reports or councils or the low murmur of pack business that never seemed to end. But he'd been waiting by the truck at first light, sleeves already rolled, and when I came down the porch steps he'd simply opened the passenger door and waited."Ronan's handling the northern rotation," he said, before I could ask. "This one's mine."I got in.Lena stayed at the cabin with the kitchen woman and a new stack of books Ronan had pulled from somewhere. She hadn't argued about staying behind. She'd only looked up from her drawing long enough to ask if I'd bring back more stones, and I'd told her I would if I found any worth carrying.The service road narrowed as it climbed, pine crowding closer on both sides until the truck's mirrors nearly brushed branches. Kael drove the way he did e