Chapter 52
“Don’t get all worked up,” Vanessa’s frail voice cooed, but there was a chilling edge beneath it.
“I just want to reconnect with you, Evelyn. After all, I’ll be bound to the Blackwood pack one day, right?”
Her sickly sweetness sent shivers down Evelyn’s spine, making her wolf bristle.
Evelyn had a sinking feeling that Vanessa would tear her son-and the entire Blackwood pack-apart, leaving nothing but chaos in her wake.
She regretted ever letting that she-wolf cross their threshold.
But it was too late.
Six Days Later
My leg was nearly healed, the stiffness fading, the wound finally scabbed over enough to let me walk short
distances without wincing.
The past few days had been eerily calm.
No sign of Adrian.
With the YikYak drama exploding like a wildfire, he was probably swamped-caught between a vilified
Vanessa and the Quinn pack.
I’d braced for trouble.
After my call with Cassie, I’d worried the Quinns might not dare storm Alpha Gideon’s building, but they could target my parents instead.
The more I thought about it, the more my wolf paced, uneasy.
That night, I called my dad, Thomas Hart, asking him to take my mom to my grandma’s for a visit-framed as a family catch-up, but really to keep them out of harm’s way.
Our phone call was brief.
Cassie had already filled them in, and all the questions, worries, and care hung unspoken, buried in the heavy
silence.
Thomas only told me to take care of myself, his voice gruff but warm.
I’d prepped for the worst-pack enforcers at my door, threats slipped under the penthouse entrance, even a
crank call or two-but nothing came.
No Quinns, no harassment, not a single whisper.
Yet YikYak’s heat hadn’t died down.
Were they plotting something big?
Or were they wary of Alpha Gideon’s influence?
51.7%
VIP Ad-Free >
When will God stop Evil? – God questions
15:26
< Chapter 52
Rewards
Menu
One appearance at the charity gala, and his shadow loomed large enough to keep them cowering?
Speaking of Alpha Gideon, since I’d been staying at his place, he’d made himself scarce.
Even Frank had moved to the staff quarters, only showing up to cook or serve meals-venison stew, roasted root vegetables, honey-glazed pheasant-like a ghost in his own home.
Clearly, they were keeping things strictly professional, as if sharing space with me might taint his alpha
reputation.
Sometimes, Alpha Gideon’s gentlemanly tact was almost too sharp.
Dusk
4
I found Frank in the kitchen, prepping dinner-chopping wild garlic, searing a slab of elk steak that smelled
like heaven.
I rolled in to lend a hand.
“Frank, where’s Alpha Gideon been staying these days?”
Frank chuckled, wiping his hands on a towel.
“Alpha Gideon’s not homeless, don’t worry. This place is just his crash pad- convenient. Since he’s letting you stay, he’s gone back to his real villa. His parents, Charles and Margaret, have been missing him anyway.
Eldest son’s duty, y’know?”
I nodded, understanding.
Back to the Hartley pack’s main manor, where the alpha bloodline ran thick.
Frank leaned in, a mischievous glint in his eye. “You know, Charles called him back for something big.”
Curious, I played along, grinning.
“Oh? What’s that?”
“A mate-matching feast. The elders are pushing hard this time.”
Alpha Gideon?
Needing a setup?
“As the eldest son, his bonding is a big deal for the Hartley pack. A couple of years back, they pushed him to
meet some highborn she-wolves over the winter solstice. He went along, but nothing stuck. His focus was on
Meridona back then-expanding the pack’s territory-so he bolted after the new year, and Margaret couldn’t do much about it. Now that he’s back in the great pack, he’s got no escape.”
I smirked.
“So even Alpha Gideon can’t dodge the parental mate-hunt. Good to know even top alphas aren’t immune.”
It was hard to picture someone like him-radiant, untouchable, perched at the top of the pack’s hierarchy- tangled in something as mundane as arranged bonding.
52.0%
VIP Ad-Free >
15:26
< Chapter 52
Rewards
Menu
He seemed above it all, a lone wolf who didn’t mess with pack drama or earthly desires.
Frank sighed.
“Alpha Gideon’s got a cool head, especially when it comes to she-wolves. Never seen him ruffled, not once.”
Is that so?
I thought of Camilla, the she-wolf with a fiery love-hate history with him-her eyes blazing when she spoke his
name.
Despite his claim of not being into she-wolves, I wasn’t convinced they had no past.
Maybe they’d loved fiercely, but he’d cut it off for some unspoken reason, leaving her pining.
“No worries. Fate’s got a way of working out. Maybe the next highborn she-wolf he meets will steal his heart
on sight.”
“Here’s hoping,” Frank said, grinning, as he flipped the elk steak.
A low, cool voice interrupted from the doorway.
“Borrowing her luck, are we?”
I jumped, spinning to see Alpha Gideon standing there, arms crossed, his gaze sharp.
Oh, moons.
How long had he been there? What had he heard?
Frank, caught gossiping-a rare slip-ducked his head, busying himself with the potatoes, avoiding Alpha Gideon’s gaze.
The two of us, busted for dishing about him, squirmed in embarrassment, the kitchen suddenly feeling tiny.
Alpha Gideon’s cool stare swept over us.
“Forget cooking. Grab a stool, some snacks, and go gossip at the complex gate. Might as well put on a show.”
Frank and I winced.
Alpha Gideon’s sarcasm could cut through steel.
He turned and left the kitchen.
I hesitated, then followed, trailing him to the study.
He went in, grabbed a folder of papers, and headed for the exit, clearly not planning to stay.
As he reached the door, I blurted, meaning to apologize but choking on my nerves.
“Uh, dinner’s ready. You eating?”
Alpha Gideon turned, his deep,. “Nah, I’m off to my mate-matching. Gotta find that fated bond, right?”
My words died in my throat.
52.2%
VIP Ad-Free >
15:26
< Chapter 52
Alpha Gideon left without a backward glance, the door clicking shut behind him.
I deflated, slumping against the wall.
Was that really necessary?
Rewards
Menu
Why was he so touchy?
Frank stepped out, wiping his hands.
“Don’t sweat it. Alpha Gideon’s not that petty. He’ll forget by tomorrow. Come eat-elk’s getting cold.”
Offending Alpha Gideon felt as easy as breathing-one wrong move, and you were in the doghouse, no exceptions.
Dinner was a struggle; my appetite, which had been roaring a minute ago, vanished.
The elk steak, which smelled divine, tasted like ash.
I picked at it, my mind stuck on Alpha Gideon’s smirk, on the way he’d said “fated bond” like it was a joke.
Maybe it was.
Maybe for wolves like him, bonds were just another duty-another chain to wear for the pack.
But why did the thought of him at that mate-matching feast, charming some highborn she-wolf, make my chest feel tight?
I shook my head, scolding myself.
Don’t be stupid. He’s your boss. That’s all.
< The Alpпa kegretted Having An Arrain
