Alle Kapitel von THE ALPHA'S DEFIANT BREEDER : Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 5

Vera’s POVThe dressmaker had pinned the waist of my gown so tightly that I could barely sit, and I was still trying to loosen the stitching when Adrian came into our bedroom. He stopped beside the wardrobe, looked at the dark green silk spread across my knees, and frowned as though I had chosen it deliberately to offend him.“Please tell me you have something else to wear,” he said, setting his gloves on the dresser. “The delegates from Silvercrest will be at dinner, and I would rather not spend the evening listening to their wives discuss your clothes.”“I wore this when we welcomed the northern council,” I reminded him. “You said nothing about it then, and your mother complimented the color.”“My mother compliments anyone who manages to get dressed without assistance.” He opened a drawer and searched through his cuff links. “Wear the black one, Vera. It makes you look smaller.”I had spent the afternoon checking the kitchens, rearranging the seating chart after two council members

Vera’s POVElder Mordecai kept us waiting outside the council chamber while the other elders assembled. Adrian stood several paces away from me, speaking in a low voice to his adviser, and I wondered whether he had told anyone that I intended to challenge the petition. No one had asked me for a statement before the hearing.When the doors opened, Mordecai was seated beneath the carved Blackwood crest with his staff resting against his chair. The other elders occupied the long table, and a clerk waited beside an open ledger. Adrian took the seat prepared for him, leaving me standing until an attendant brought another chair.“Luna Vera,” Mordecai began, “Alpha Adrian has requested the dissolution of your marriage because he has recognized a mate bond with another woman. We have examined the request under the laws governing the Blackwood bloodline.”“Then you should hear my account before deciding anything,” I said. “I learned about this bond yesterday, and my husband had already arrange

Vera’s POVIronclaw's fortress stood behind a high stone wall, with armed guards posted above the entrance and a narrow road leading through the gate. By the time our carriage stopped in the courtyard, my back ached from the journey, and I wanted nothing more than a meal and a room where nobody could issue another order about my future.A broad-shouldered man approached the carriage before the driver had finished lowering the steps. His dark hair was tied behind his head, and the scars along his hands were visible when he opened the door. He wore no ceremonial cloak, but the guards straightened as soon as he appeared.“Vera Ashford,” he said. “I am Cassian Blackwood, and I expect you have been told why you are here.”“I have been told what my husband wants, what the elders want, and what your council wants,” I replied as I climbed down. “Nobody has shown much interest in what I want, so I hope you will forgive me for not being enthusiastic about the welcome.”His silver-gray eyes rem