All Chapters of THE ALPHA'S SURROGATE MATE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

CHAPTER 2 The car slowed, and I saw them through the windshield.Iron wolves were carved into the enormous stone pillars on either side of the road, their jaws open in silent warning, their hollow eyes pointed toward every vehicle that passed beneath them.Beyond the gates stood a forest so dense that sunlight barely reached the ground.I gripped my suitcase handle tighter.Nine months.It's temporary.It's a transaction.My heart didn't seem to believe any of it.It hammered against my ribs as the car rolled toward the gates."Why are there guards at every checkpoint?" I asked.We'd already passed three.The driver didn't look at me."Because this is Blackthorn.""And?"His eyes flicked briefly toward the rearview mirror."Because nobody gets in without permission."I stared out the window.The guards wore black uniforms with silver wolf insignias on their chests. Every one of them stood perfectly still as the car approached.Then the gates opened.No one touched them.I felt it bef

CHAPTER 4 Greta found me at breakfast and set a folded sheet of paper beside my plate like she was serving another course."House rules," she said. "Formalized, since you seem fond of ignoring the verbal version."I unfolded it.Meal times.Curfew.Restricted areas.No leaving the estate without an escort.No entering the Alpha's study.And one line that immediately caught my attention.WEST WING ACCESS FORBIDDEN UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.I looked up."West wing.""Yes.""That's it? No explanation?""Some things don't require one.""According to who?"Greta's expression didn't change."The Alpha."Of course.I looked back at the paper."Does everyone here follow these rules?""Everyone who intends to remain here."There was something about the way she said it that made me glance at her.But she had already turned away."Breakfast ends at eight."Then she walked off.I stared after her.Everyone in this house is allergic to straight answers.And after what I'd overheard in Roman's stud

Chapter 6 Sable's fingers pressed against my wrist, counting.Then stopped.“Is something wrong?”She smiled, quick and practiced.“Just being thorough.”Her hands moved to the monitor beside the examination table. She adjusted a dial I didn't recognize.“First full workup since your arrival. Standard procedure.”“This doesn't feel standard.”I nodded toward the machine.“I've been to doctors before, Sable. Nobody's ever hooked me up to something with this many wires for a checkup.”“Blackthorn has higher standards than most clinics.”“Or you're looking for something specific.”She didn't answer.She simply reached for another instrument, calm as still water.I decided to let it go.For now.“How long have you worked for Roman?”“Long enough.”“That's not an answer.”“It's the one you're getting.”There was something almost warm underneath her words, like she didn't dislike me.She just wasn't going to hand me anything easily.“Ten years,” she added. “Since before he took the title.

Chapter 8 I found the wall by accident.A gap in the hedges I wasn't supposed to notice led to a narrow stone path, and behind it were roses gone wild over beds nobody had tended in years.I was crouched over a tangle of thorns when a voice spoke behind me."She used to tend this herself."I jumped, spinning around.Roman stood a few feet away, his hands in his pockets, watching the garden instead of me."I didn't hear you.""I know."He didn't order me to leave.That alone told me something had shifted."Who?" I asked, though I already suspected."Lyra."The name settled between us, heavier than the last time I'd heard it."You're not going to tell me I'm not allowed here?""Would it stop you?""Probably not."Something almost like amusement crossed his face.He stepped closer and crouched beside the same tangled bush I'd been examining. His fingers brushed over a wilted bloom as carefully as if it might still respond to him."She grew these herself. Insisted on doing it without hel