Todos os capítulos de THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

The Luna's room was warmer than my whole house in winter.It had a real bed, not straw. Furs, thick and soft, white and grey, piled so high I sank when Kael set me down. A fire burned in stone corner, not small cooking fire like we had, but big fire that heated the whole room. The walls were stone, but covered with tapestries — wolves, moons, forests. And it smelled like him. Pine and smoke and blood, but clean blood, like fresh snow.I sat on edge of bed, white dress dirty now, torn worse, wrists bleeding onto furs. I tried to hide them behind my back.Kael knelt in front of me. He was so big kneeling, his head still higher than mine sitting. His gold eyes were not black now. Gold again, but dimmer, tired. His wolf ears were still out, twitching at every sound outside — wolves whispering."Don't hide," he said, voice rough. "Let me see.""It's nothing," I whispered. "Rope burn. It happens.""Not to my mate, it doesn't."Mate. That word again. He said it like it was true, like priest'

They gave me boots that were too big.Beta Mara brought them at dawn, along with a wolf-skin cloak that smelled like Kael — pine and smoke — and a small knife with bone handle."You can't take food, can't take fire," she said, tying cloak around my shoulders. Her hands were rough but fast. "But you can take boots, cloak, and knife. That's Luna law. Even Lira took knife."I nodded. My throat was too dry to talk. I had not slept. I listened to Kael breathing outside my door all night. Once, he whined in sleep, like wolf dream, and I wanted to open door and touch his hair, but I didn't.Kael stood at edge of den, bare chest despite snow starting to fall, black pants, hair loose. His gold eyes were black again, sleepless. He hadn't shifted all night. Pack said Alpha who doesn't sleep in wolf form gets sick, but he stayed man, outside my door.Behind him, whole pack gathered — 100 wolves, maybe more, men, women, pups hiding behind legs. Council in grey robes. All silent. Snow fell on their

Kael carried me through snow like snow didn't exist.His bare feet left deep prints, but he didn't slip, didn't slow. Twenty wolves behind us, in man form but with claws out, with gold eyes glowing in dusk. Beta Mara in front, silver hair white with snow, carrying staff now, not just old woman — Beta.Behind us, more wolves came out of den, watching from rocks, pups peeking. Pack had never seen village men at Blood Tree with torches before. Deal was always one girl left, village leaves. No men come back.Blood Tree was same as five days ago — big, black-red bark, roots like fingers — but now 20 men stood around it, torches high, pitchforks, axes, priest in black robe with black bowl in hands. My Mama was there, and Mara in my blue dress, and Thomas baker's son holding bread knife, face pale.They were shouting."WITCH! GIVE US WITCH! DEAL BROKE! WOLVES TOOK HUMAN AND MADE WITCH LUNA!"Priest banged black bowl. "Moon Law says human cannot be Luna! She must be burned, or Blackthorn Pack

The heat was gone on the fourth morning.I woke up and the room was not too hot, not too cold. The sheets were dry. The sweet smell was gone. My neck didn't throb anymore. I could think clearly for the first time in three days.I was lying on furs in the hallway doorway, not in bed. Snow had melted around us. Kael was still there, but in man form now, bare chest, black pants, hair wet from ice melting, holding me in his arms, asleep sitting up against the wall. His head had fallen back, mouth open a little, snoring soft. He looked younger asleep.Beta Mara stood over us with a fur blanket, shaking her head but smiling."Both fools," she whispered. "Alpha in ice, Luna in thin sheet. But heat is gone. Scent is clean. You did well, both of you."She helped me stand. My feet were okay, pink, not blue. The cold snow had actually helped.Kael woke when I moved, gold eyes snapping open, instantly checking my face, my neck, my hands."Elise? Heat?" he asked, voice rough from river and snow."

Kael didn't sleep after reading the letter. He sat on edge of Luna bed, bare back to me, black pants, claws out, staring at fire. His bond feeling was like storm — anger, worry, planning, all mixed. I sat behind him, grey dress still bloody on shoulder, hand on his back, feeling scars under skin. "You need to call them tonight," I whispered. "Not tomorrow." He turned, gold eyes tired. "How you know?" "I feel you," I said, touching my itching mark. "You are thinking — call tonight, or Rorik will think we are scared." He nodded. "My Luna feels too much. Wolf females don't feel Alpha thoughts until months. You feel in one day." "Because I am human?" I asked. "Because you are mine," he said. He stood, pulled black shirt on, and opened door. Beta Mara was still outside, with two young wolves — boys, maybe 16, thin, holding spears. "Call pack," Kael said, voice Alpha now, not soft Luna voice. Deep, loud, making floor shake a little. "All wolves, Stoneclaw, to