Alpha chained Just before her marriage, Alina discovers the unimaginable: her fiancé betrays her with her own cousin. Devastated and humiliated, she flees her pack, leaving her past and hopes behind a peaceful life behind. While she wanders aimlessly, she crosses the path of Kael Blackthorn, the most dreaded Alpha in the region, known for its cruelty and unlimited ambition. In a moment of panic and confusion, Alina accidentally concluded a pact with Kael, just believing a temporary refuge. But she discovered too late that in exchange for her protection, she literally "sold" herself, becoming her partner before the ancestral laws of the wolves. Kael, intrigued by this wolf who dares to challenge conventions, decides to play the game. But Alina ignores that she has a secret that could upset the balance of all the packs: a mysterious birth mark which, according to a forgotten prophecy, designates her carrier as the key to an old power. Brutal attacks on the borders, disturbing visions of a past that it does not recognize, and an inexplicable link which is woven between her and Kael ... Alina must sail in a world where she is both a target and a weapon. Is Kael really his ally, or does he use their link to establish his domination? While it strives to break the pact, a heartbreaking dilemma arises: fleeing this ruthless alpha or accepting the role that fate seems to impose on it ... at the risk of condemning or saving all the packs.
Chapter 1 Chapître 1
Chapter 1
The soft light of the moon stroked the walls of the family home while Alina advanced in the corridor, her barefoot sliding on the cold parquet. Her heart was beating hard, but not for fear - she was excited. Tomorrow would be a great day. His marriage to Darius, his designated companion, was to seal the union between their two packs, bringing a peace expected for generations.
She hugged the silver chain around her neck, a gift from her mother, a Talisman supposed to bring luck. However, a strange nervousness lived in him, a feeling that she could not hunt. She wanted to see Darius one last time before the ceremony, to share this intimate moment that would even bind them before the ritual words were pronounced.
But while she was approaching the door of her room, a whisper made her stop. It was not a trivial conversation. The voice of Darius, bass and hoarse, rose in the middle of a female laugh that she would recognize among a thousand. She hesitated, her suspended breath, before pushing the door slightly, just enough to see inside.
What she discovered struck her like a punch in the stomach. His cousin, Mélinda , was there, lying on the bed that Alina shared with Darius, her half bare body. Darius, leaning over her, caressed her skin with a possessive gesture, her lips touching the collarbone of the young woman.
- Are you sure she will not discover anything? asked Mélinda , his honeyed voice tinged with malice.
- She is too naive, replied Darius, laughing gently. She believes everything she is told. Once the marriage is consumed, I will find a way to get rid of it.
Alina felt the ground shirk under her feet. Each word was a stab, each laugh a cruel reminder of its own credulity. She instinctively fell, but her foot hit the door, producing a slight start.
The two lovers appear. Darius turned his head, her eyes meeting those of Alina . During a fraction of a second, an icy silence settled, heavy with tension.
- Alina ... he started, a point of panic in her voice.
She entered the room, her gaze fixed on him, burning with anger and pain.
- Don't even come to lie, Darius, she scolded. I heard you. All.
Mélinda , half covered with a sheet, tried to play the innocent.
- Alina , that's not what you think ...
- Shut up, she yelled, her voice resonating like a thunderclap. You, my own cousin? How could you?
Darius, always shirtless, tried to approach, hands raised in a gesture of supplication.
- Listen to me, Alina . It was just an error. A moment of weakness ...
- An error? she spat, her twisted face of rage. To betray you with her is not an error. It's a betrayal.
Mélinda , regaining his arrogance, straightened up slightly, her provocative gaze.
- So what? What do you plan to do? Everyone knows that this marriage is a formality. You're just a pawn in this game, Alina .
These words were the drop of water. Alina felt an uncontrollable fury getting into her, a raw force that she had never known before. Her claws instinctively arose, but she held back, refusing to grant them the pleasure of seeing her lose control.
- You can keep this bed, she said in an icy voice. But I swear you will regret this day.
She turned her heels and left the room without looking back, her steps resonating in the corridor. The panic murmurs of Darius and Mélinda barely reached him. All she felt was a burning mixture of shame, anger and despair.
She couldn't stay. Not after that. Marriage was no longer an option, and the thought of living under the same roof that these two traitors gave him nausea.
Back in her room, she grabbed a bag that she has in a hurry with clothing and essential objects. She hesitated in front of the silver chain, her trembling fingers by winning her from her neck. It was a precious memory, but she didn't want to take anything that would remind her of this place.
A deaf noise behind her made her jump. She turned to see her mother, her worried look scrutinizing her face.
- Alina , what's going on? You are pale like a ghost.
The words refused to come. How to explain the inexplicable? How can we admit that she had been betrayed by the man she loved and the family who had confidence in?
- I can't stay, she whispered in the end. I have to leave.
- Leave ? repeated his mother, incredulous. But marriage ...
- There will be no marriage, she cut, tears burning her eyes. Not with a man like him.
His mother seemed to protest, but the gaze of Alina , determined and injured, made her silence.
- Very well, she ends up as a result. But be careful, my daughter. The world outside this pack is ruthless.
Alina nodded, unable to answer. She kissed her mother one last time before stealthy the stairs. The house was plunged into silence, but each cracking of the wood under his feet seemed to deafening him.
When she finally crosses the limits of the pack territory, she felt a strange mixture of freedom and fear invade her. The forest stretched in front of it, dark and threatening, but it had no choice. She had to move forward, far from everything she knew, far from everything that had caused her so much pain.
The freezing wind bit her skin as she sank into darkness, her bag tight against her. She had no idea what was waiting for her, but she knew something with certainty: she would never be the victim again.
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