All Chapters of The Alpha's Regret The Enemy's Claim: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

We left the forest behind at dawn. The sky was still dark when we slipped through the last line of trees, the cold wind biting at my cheeks, sharp and unforgiving. The map was tucked safely inside my coat, pressed against my chest, the weight of it grounding me. My mother's handwriting. Her hope. Her life. Her legacy. Xavia walked beside me, his steps sure and steady, his amber eyes scanning the horizon like a hawk searching for prey. He had not spoken much since we left, but I felt his presence like a steady flame at my side, warm and constant. "How far?" I asked, my voice quiet, barely carrying over the wind. "Two days, maybe less if we keep a good pace." He glanced at me, his gaze softening. "Are you alright?" I wanted to say yes. I wanted to be strong, to be the woman my mother believed I could be. But the weight of everything — the ring, the journal, the revelation that my mother was alive — pressed down on me like a stone, heavy and suffocating. "No," I admitted, the word s

I stared at my mother, her words echoing in my ears like a thunderclap. Your father. My father. The man who had watched me walk into the mating ceremony, watched Ezekiel reject me, watched me be exiled and erased from my own pack. The man who had suppressed my power my whole life. The man who had kept so many secrets from me. And he was here. In this hellhole. Imprisoned. Alone. Suffering. "Where is he?" I asked, my voice sharp, raw, barely containing the storm inside me. My mother pointed toward the wall, her thin hand trembling. "The cell next door. They've been keeping him there for years. I never thought I'd see him again. I never thought any of us would see the light of day again." I turned toward the door, my heart pounding in my chest like a war drum. Xavia was already moving, his body tense and alert, his amber eyes scanning the corridor for danger. "Stay with her," I said to Xavia. "Elara—" "I need to do this alone." He studied me for a moment, his eyes searching my

Dawn came slowly, stretching pale fingers of gold and gray across the treetops. The world was quiet, too quiet, as if the forest itself was holding its breath. I had not slept. I had tried. I had closed my eyes and willed my body to rest, but every time I drifted toward unconsciousness, the images came rushing back — the facility, the iron doors, the hollow eyes of the prisoners, my mother's thin fingers wrapped around mine. My father's broken voice. The way he had said my name like he had already given up. So I sat at the edge of the camp, watching the fire burn low, my knees drawn up to my chest. The ring on my finger glowed faintly, pulsing in time with my heartbeat. I turned it over and over, feeling the smooth silver beneath my thumb. She wore this. She touched this. She left it for me. My mother stirred behind me. I turned to see her sitting up slowly, her movements stiff and careful, as though her body had forgotten how to move freely. She winced as she shifted her weight,

The fire had burned low, casting long shadows across the ravine that danced and flickered like ghosts against the stone walls. The rogue wolves had settled into a restless sleep, their bodies curled against the cold ground, their breathing shallow and uneven, haunted by dreams I could only imagine. My parents were huddled together a few feet away, my mother's head resting on my father's shoulder, their hands intertwined like they were afraid to let go, like they had spent so many years apart that they couldn't bear to be separated again. I sat apart from them all, staring into the dying embers, the weight of everything pressing down on my chest like a stone. The fortress loomed in my mind, dark and jagged, rising from the mountain like a scar on the earth. I had seen it from the edge of the ravine — its black walls, its sharp towers, the guards patrolling its perimeter like ants crawling across a corpse. It had looked impenetrable. It had looked like the end of everything. 'We're no

The fortress burned behind us. I could feel the heat on my back, the orange glow lighting up the night sky. The Council's power was broken, their bonds severed, their influence crumbling into ash. But the victory felt hollow, like a bell that had been struck but hadn't yet rung. Xavia walked beside me, his hand still wrapped around mine. I could feel the calluses on his palm, the steadiness of his grip, the warmth of his skin against mine. He had been silent since we left the fortress, and I didn't push him to speak. The rogue wolves followed behind us, their footsteps echoing off the mountain walls. Lena was at the back, her eyes scanning the darkness, her hand resting on her blade. She was still alert, still watching, still waiting for the next threat. I felt the ring on my finger, warm and steady, pulsing in time with my heartbeat. The silver had dimmed, the glow fading now that the Council was broken. But I could still feel my mother's presence, like a whisper in the back of my