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CHAPTER 051
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2025-04-04 23:57:28
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THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 052
INGRID."What are you doing here, Ingrid?" Lucian growls, his eyes burning a dangerous shade of red."I came to check on Aiden, and it seems I arrived just in time," I snap, rushing toward them."Let him go," I command.Lucianâs grip tightens for a split second before he yanks Aiden away and steps back."Ingrid, he just came in and started attacking me, saying that I'm lying," Aiden pleads, wiping the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand.I stand tall and face Lucian head-on, my hands trembling with fury."Is this what you meant when you said you were going to talk to him?" I ask, my voice sharp and accusing. "What if heâs not lying, Lucian? Have you even considered that he might be telling the truth?"Lucian says nothing. His jaw clenches, his fists tightening at his sides as his gaze darts between Aiden and me."What kind of Alpha attacks an injured pack member without even giving him a chance to defend himself?" I press on, my voice rising.I keep taunting him, pushing him
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-05THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 053
LUCIANAs I watch Ingrid sparring with Aiden from my window, it feels like a knife is being twisted deeper into my chest with every passing second.I see her laughing as she blocks one of his attacks, and he grins like sheâs the only person in the world.I wanted to believe her about him being her friend, but Aidenâs words kept echoing in my head like a broken record: âShe might be your Luna, but only one of us has claimed her.âAt first, I didnât believe him, especially after how he manipulated Ingrid by making her rush to his side like I was the villain in their love story. I knew something was off.So I did the only thing I could. I investigated.I started with Ezraâs former pack members, and luckily, wolves tend to remember everything in detail.They told me stories, too many stories for it all to be coincidence.How Aiden used to have a girlfriend, Audrey, and how everyone in the pack knew that something changed when Ingrid arrived.Later on, Audrey confronted Ingrid in public th
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-05THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 054
INGRIDAfter a long, grueling day of training with Aiden, Ezra, and the rest of the pack, my entire body screamed for relief.Muscles I didnât even know I had were aching, and all I could think about was a hot soak and a few moments of peace.But the second I pushed the door to my room open, that fantasy went down the drain.Pack members I recognized were inside, moving my furniture and pulling clothes from my closet, and folding them into boxes.âWhat is going on?â I demand, my voice sharp and rising, but no one answers.I lunge forward and grab one of the women by the arm, my fingers digging into her skin. âWhere are you taking my things?â I growl, my voice on the edge of fury.She yanks free and shakes her head, avoiding eye contact.âGo ask the Alpha,â she mutters before returning to her task.I stumble back, stunned, but why am I surprised? Who else could pull a stunt like this? I had defied him and disobeyed a direct order by releasing Aiden from that cell.This is his way of ret
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-07THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 055
LUCIAN.As I watched Ingrid storm out of my office, confused, humiliated, and angry, Iâd be lying if I said it didnât feel good.I hated that she had gotten too comfortable with the arrangement and too bold.She needed a reminder of her place here, and I was happy to give it to her.I saw her run outside to Ezra like a child because he is her safety net, and I watched from the window as she spoke to him, animated and desperate.I waited, curious if heâd do something stupid like to come and confront me, but when I saw her shoulders drop and her feet slowly start back toward the house, I knew Ezra couldnât help her.A moment later, he glanced up, and his eyes found mine in the window.The stare he sent me couldâve melted stone, so I opened the window slightly, just to make sure he knew I was watching him too.That night, I stayed in my study longer than usual. I wasnât in the mood for another argument and wasnât ready to face her on our first night.After well past midnight, I finally
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-08THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 056
INGRIDAfter Ezra told me he couldn't help me, I was heartbroken.As his long-lost child, I thought he would do anything to protect me, but I was wrong.No one was going to fight this battle for me. I had to rely on myself.I walked back into the house, my heart heavy, and dragged myself to Lucianâs chambers.The moment I entered, my breath hitched. I hated to admit it, but his room looked like heaven.The first thing that hit me was its sheer size. It was nearly three times the size of the room I was sleeping in.The marble floors shimmered under a golden chandelier, its crystals catching every bit of light, scattering it across the ceiling like stars.The walls were painted a deep matte black but didnât feel dark because they were lined with gold-accented art, ancient wolf emblems, and one massive mural of the moon goddess herself on the far end.His furniture was regal and masculine, a blend of mahogany and black leather. The desk in the corner looked hand-carved, its edges etched
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-08THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 057
LUCIANItâs been almost two weeks since Dash came back from his assignment.Iâve kept what he told me to myself because the information he shared was too delicate, and Iâm no longer sure who I can trust.He confirmed that Aidenâs story partly checked out. He did find blood stains right where Aiden claimed to have collapsed, just outside our borders, so that part lined up.But then things took a strange turn.When Dash followed Aidenâs scent deeper into the woods, it led him to a part of the forest none of us had ever charted.He described how the scent trail twisted oddly, almost like something else had masked it.He caught a stronger, unfamiliar scent that reeked of smoke and old blood.Driven by instinct, he followed it until he encountered a hidden mound of branches and dried leaves.At first glance, he said it looked like nothing, but when he cleared it, he found ash and dried blood.Curious, he dug through the remains using a stick, and thatâs when he found something. A ring.Das
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-09THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 058
INGRIDIâd used the same trick to keep Lucian out of his chambers for days nowâand to my surprise, it worked better than I expected.He stopped coming to sleep altogether and I only saw him briefly in the mornings when he came in to change clothes, and even then, we barely spoke.I could tell something was on his mind. Something big, so I assumed that was the only reason he hadnât called me out on my games.This morning, after my shower, I was standing by the window when I caught a glimpse of Ezra, Aiden, and a few pack members heading out the gate.My brows pulled together, wondering why Ezra hadnât told me he was going somewhere, not that he needed my permission.Curiosity got the better of me, and I quickly dressed, hoping to catch them before they left.But on my way down the stairs, something else caught my eye, making me pause mid-step.It was Victoria, standing in Lucianâs study.I stopped and watched them from across the hallway.She stood so close to him, talking, and he look
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-09THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 059
INGRID"Get out, Lucian! Canât you see Iâm naked?" I yell, using my hands to cover myself in panic.He doesnât flinch. Instead, he calmly steps inside and closes the door behind him like he owns the damn place, which he does."Didnât you hear what I said, Lucian?" I bark again, pointing at the door with one hand, a mistake I instantly regret when I notice his eyes drop to my chest.He arches a brow, amused."Now you have a problem with me seeing you naked? I thought that was the whole plan. I walk in, see you half naked, so Iâd stay away from this room?â he pauses.âOr that only applies when you are pretending to be asleep?" he mocks, as he walks over to the rack and casually starts flipping through his jackets."Also, you donât have to sneak around drinking my expensive liquor. If you want some, just ask," he adds with a smirk.I take advantage of the distraction, slip out of the closet, and tug my T-shirt over my head in record time.He grabs a jacket and follows me out, unbothered.
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-10
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THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 085
LUCIAN.I couldnât believe what I was reading.Each page felt like a dagger to the heart â like I was being dragged deeper into a truth I never asked for.At first, I told myself the journals were just stories. Just fiction. Maybe even training manuals or old records from long ago.But the moment I read the words rogues and torture, the denial started to crumble.Page after page, it got worse.They had brought in a hunter and made a deal with him.His job was to âreformâ the rogues or eliminate them if they were too violent. As if reforming ever meant to torture.I start to imagine how they might have convinced themselves they were doing it for the good of the pack. For peace, even order.But peace doesnât come from pain. And order can never be built on blood.After Ingrid left the room, I found myself sifting through the letters and the rest of the journals she had tried to show me earlier â the ones I refused to believe.Among them, I found another journal.This one was my motherâs.
THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 084
LUCIAN"So, who is Thomas Blackwood?" Lucian asks, pointing to the name scrawled at the bottom of the parchment.I stretch out my hand, pick up the hunter's manual, and place it in front of him."Probably the same man who wrote this," I mutter, my eyes flicking between the book and the letter.Lucian opens the manual and begins flipping through its pages, starting slowly and then speeding up.With every line he reads, I see the shift in his expression. His jaw clenches, and his hands curl into fists, followed by his eyes beginning to burn red with fury."They did all these things to me, Ingrid, everything written in this book," he blurts, slamming the book shut.I nod silently, sympathizing with him."Is he the author?" Lucian asks, his eyes locking with mine.I shake my head quickly. "No. But I think... his father was."Lucian jolts up so fast his chair screeches backward.He slams his hand down on the desk with force that a cloud of dust bursts into the air.I cough as it fills my l
THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 083
INGRID.I hadnât laughed like that in such a long time.It was refreshing seeing Lucian freak out like that, mainly because he always looks so uptight and in control. Like nothing could ever catch him off guard.But somehow... I did.After breakfast, he heads back upstairs, and I remain behind to clear the kitchen and wash the dishes just in case we need them later.Once Iâm done, I decide to explore the house a little more, especially if weâre going to be stuck here longer than planned.I start on the ground floor, wandering from room to room, admiring the furniture and the paintings on the walls.They are everywhere. Like his parents were obsessed with art or something.Everything in this house looks custom made. Handcrafted and one of a kind. The other houses Lucian owns donât come close to this.I make it to the end of the hallway and spot a narrow staircase leading down to what must be the basement.Curious, I head down to see the wine cellar Lucian mentioned to me.At the bottom
THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 082
LUCIANSleeping next to Ingrid turns out to be one of the worst ideas Iâve had in a long time.The moment I heard her quietly slip into the bed, my heart started pounding, and I could feel the sweat gathering on my back under the sheets.She isnât anywhere near me; she had made sure to lie as far as possible, but it doesnât matter. My body still betrays me, aching for her in ways I canât control.I close my eyes and try to focus on getting some rest. I toss, turn, and even count to a thousand in my head.Eventually, exhaustion wins, and I drift into a shallow sleep. But it doesnât last.I am jolted awake by sounds. Soft, pained whimpers coming from her side of the bed.I blink my eyes open in the darkness and switch on the bedside lamp.Ingrid looks restless.Her head keeps thrashing lightly from side to side, her fingers clawing at the headboard. She moves her legs as if she is trying to escape something. She must be trapped in a nightmare.I slide closer to her and gently place a h
THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 081
INGRIDâMmh.. what is that smell?â Kiraâs voice jolts me awake.I open my eyes slowly, disoriented for a moment.I look down and notice Iâm still wrapped in a towel, lying above the comforter where I must have passed out after soaking my body in bath salts for almost an hour.My body feels relaxed, but my senses are immediately drawn to the sweet, mouthwatering scent wafting through the air.I sit up, stretch my feet out of bed, and yawn. Kiraâs right, something smells heavenly.I drag myself to the dusty closet and open it only to find a surprising assortment of clothes that happen to be my size.I sift through them quickly and pick out a simple t-shirt and a pair of jeans, brush my hair, and tie it into a high ponytail.This somewhat makes me feel human again.I head downstairs, my bare feet silent against the old floorboards. The scent grows stronger with every step until I find myself standing at the threshold of the kitchen.Lucian is there, in the middle of the room, sleeves rol
THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 080
LUCIAN."How much further are we walking, Lucian? I'm tired," Ingrid whines from behind, her footsteps growing slower with each passing minute."We should have taken the truck," she adds with a frustrated sigh.I turn my head just enough to arch a brow at her, but donât slow my pace.âThat truck might have a tracker hidden somewhere, Ingrid,â I explain curtly, even though I had a few more times. âI canât risk any of them finding us.âI donât wait for her to argue back, I simply turn back around and keep moving, weaving between the trees."You havenât even told me where weâre going," she points out after a few moments of heavy silence. "Is it to a motel or something?"I almost laugh, at how cute she is. Like I would sleep in some cheap motel.âNo, not a motel,â I reply glancing at her over my shoulder. "I know somewhere better. Somewhere we can lie low for a few days until we can come up with a real plan."She falls silent for a few moments, and I think maybe she's given up complaining
THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 079
INGRIDI see movement from where Lucian lies, and instinctively, I lean forward in my chair, my body tense, hoping heâs finally awake.I watch as his eyes flutter open, and relief floods through me like a crashing wave. I jolt from my seat and rush to his bedside, my heart pounding in my chest."How are you feeling? Have you healed?" I ask quickly, stretching out my hand toward his shoulder, desperate to check for myself.He shits, gritting his teeth slightly as he forces himself to sit up."Yes. Iâve healed." He mumbles.I give him a faint smile and nod, swallowing the lump of exhaustion caught in my throat."Good. That's good. You've been out for almost two days," I mutter, my voice coming out hoarse from lack of sleep.Lucian arches his brow, clearly surprised. "You havenât slept the whole time?" he asks, concern laced in his voice.I sigh heavily, rubbing my tired eyes with my palm. "Someone had to keep watch... just in case," I respond casually, even though my body screams with f
THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 078
INGRID."We're here," I pant, my voice barely above a whisper as I come to a halt in front of the old abandoned cabin.The place looks even more broken than I rememberedâboards hanging loose, windows cracked, the front porch sagging like it might collapse under our weight."How do you know this place?" Lucian asks, his eyes scanning the woods, then flicking warily back to the cabin.I hesitate before answering, the old hurt rising like smoke in my chest."It's where I stayed when you chased me out of your territory," I blurt, my throat tightening.The words hang in the air for a moment, causing a little bit of tension.Lucian looks away in pretense, and changes the subject quickly."Are you sure itâs safe?" he asks, his hand pressing against his stomach almost instinctively."Yes," I respond quickly. "I'm sure, they probably think weâve already left Shadow Ridge by now."I climb the creaking steps onto the porch and peek inside through a broken window. "Itâs clear!" I call back. "No o
THE WOLF WITHIN:CLAIMED BY THE ALPHAÂ Â Â CHAPTER 077
LUCIAN"Lucian... Lucian, please..." I hear a fragile voice, echoing through the heavy darkness surrounding me.Itâs barely audible yet sharp enough to cut through the wall of numbness Iâve built around my mind.For a moment, I wonder if itâs real or just another hallucination crafted by the pain Iâm going through.I've been coasting between the thin veil of life and death for some time now, and I had to lock my body in survival mode, using every ounce of energy I have left to knit torn flesh and mend shattered bones.I try to keep my heart beating even though I know it would be easier to let go.I hear the voice again. A growl this time, raw and wounded. It echoes faintly at first, but something about it makes my broken senses twitch.The sound grows, becoming more desperate, and it sparks something inside my mind.A memory slices through the haze, and suddenly I remember where I am and what the hunters are doing to me.I hear a scream, loud enough to wake the dead, and this time I r
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