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212 A Pause
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2025-03-25 21:23:35
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Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 213 Political Tension
Kai It had been a week since we received the official message that Edmond would be arrested and presented before the Council for a hearing.According to the text, it was meant to happen three days after the notice came through. But that deadline had come and gone—and nothing.No update. No cancellation. No reminder. Just silence.Too much silence.Edmond had gone dark, too. No replies to my messages. No answer on the secure lines. At first, I told myself he was laying low—keeping quiet until the hearing. But now? Now I wasn't so sure.The whole thing reeked of something calculated. Deliberate.It didn’t sit right with me.We were supposed to move on Abraham shortly after Edmond’s hearing. Our plan had been precise. Quiet. Ruthless if it needed to be. But what if Abraham had gotten wind of it? What if he knew?What if he beat us to it?I couldn’t rule it out.Abraham didn’t play fair—he played first.And if he’d taken Edmond without making noise, then we’d lost our only key witness an
Last Updated : 2025-03-25Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 214 Reaching Edmond
Kai. I hung up the call and immediately opened my secured terminal. If Edmond was still out there, I needed to know—and if he wasn’t, I needed to know who had him.I kept the message simple. Careful. Disguised.Subject: A Quick DiscussionDear Mr. Bruce,Kindly reach out to me when you can. I’d like to speak with you regarding a minor issue I’m having with the Council concerning my mate. I’d appreciate the opportunity to discuss my options with you.You may reach me directly on my personal line. If necessary, I’d be happy to arrange a pickup, or if you’re able to come down yourself, I would be grateful.Looking forward to your response.Warm regards,Malachi RedwolfThe topic of Adasha was a deliberate misdirection. Edmond would know that. He was sharp—and cautious.I mentioned my Luna because it was completely unrelated to the real issue. If the wrong eyes saw the message, they'd think I was just seeking advice over a political complication. Nothing suspicious. Nothing alarming.But
Last Updated : 2025-03-25Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 215 The Rescue
Kai I crouched low behind a moss-covered boulder, eyes sweeping the shadow-drenched treeline. The air was thick with pine, damp earth, and something else—something sharper.The kind of scent that didn’t come from nature. It settled on instinct, not memory.Something was off.Magnus crouched beside me, his form hulking and still, every muscle coiled like a spring. We didn’t speak.We didn’t need to. Behind us, five of my best warriors waited in silence, weapons ready, eyes trained on the shadows.They were disciplined—chosen not for their size, but for their precision.Edmond was somewhere inside that rundown cottage, thirty feet ahead. A single light flickered behind a warped curtain, leaking through a cracked window like it was struggling to survive.I linked my men.“On my mark. No noise. We’re in, we get him, we’re out.”Magnus gave a short nod.The air was too still.I could still hear Edmond’s voice from earlier—shaky, barely held together. He hadn’t just been hiding. He’d been
Last Updated : 2025-03-25Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 216 Compulsion
Kai The weight pressed down like gravity had turned personal.One by one, my men dropped—eyes wide, mouths open in silent agony. Magnus wavered, his massive form trembling, breath labored, legs shaking under the invisible pressure. Edmond collapsed near the tree line, completely limp.And me?I stood.Chest heaving. Rage boiling.I felt it—just barely. A pull at the edge of my consciousness. Like fingers trying to dig into my mind. Trying to own me. But they couldn’t. Because the bond with Adasha surged like wildfire, blazing through my spine, anchoring me in a way compulsion couldn’t breach.My wolf didn’t just resist—it rejected it.Whoever was behind this… they were strong. But they weren’t here.They were watching. Testing. Hiding behind the trees like cowards.I turned on the nearest wolf and tore into him without hesitation.Blood exploded across the forest floor as I ripped into his chest. My claws found bone. My teeth found his throat. He howled once—then nothing.Another lun
Last Updated : 2025-03-25Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 217 A Need To Act
KaiAdasha and Gregory hurried toward me the moment I stepped into the house. The worry in her eyes was unmistakable—wide, searching, too quiet to be anything but fear barely held in check.My aunt followed close behind, her expression tight with concern. But true to form, she led with scolding, not softness.“Why get yourself tangled in Edmond’s mess?” she snapped. “You’ve got enough fires burning.”I didn’t answer her right away.My eyes were on Adasha.She stopped just in front of me, her breath catching as she took in the blood on my shirt, the bruises forming across my ribs, the shallow wound at my temple. Her hands hovered—unsure where to touch, afraid to hurt me more.And worse, her expression said everything I feared.I hadn’t told her.Hadn’t said goodbye, hadn’t given her a word of warning before leaving.She didn’t need to speak—I knew I’d broken something fragile in her with that silence.I thought it would be quick. A simple in-and-out extraction.But it hadn’t been.“I di
Last Updated : 2025-03-25Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 218 You Should Have Told
AdashaKai annoyed me—and scared the hell out of me—when he decided to go on a dangerous mission without informing anyone.Anything could have happened.And if it had, there would've been no help. No backup. Just silence.I was furious. Hurt, too. But the moment he stepped through the doors of Eldenberge, bloodied, battered, and distant, that anger cracked under the weight of reality.He didn’t need a scolding.He needed support.And so, even though my chest was tight and my mind was racing, I swallowed it all and stood beside him. Quietly. Steady. Like a Luna should.But my questions burned beneath the surface.Why was Edmond Bruce so important? Why risk his life to protect a man who had already been exiled by the Council?What did Edmond know?Did this tie back to my missing uncle? Or to the secret meetings Kai had complained about—the ones happening behind their backs, shifting the balance of power in the shadows?I had theories. I had fear.But I said none of it.After Kai informe
Last Updated : 2025-03-27Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 219 Don’t, If It Means Death
AdashaI didn’t realize how much my bloodline was eating away at Kai until now.He always said he’d find a way to fix things—to protect me. But I never imagined this was part of his plan. That risking his life was just another option he’d quietly accepted.I stepped closer, reached up, and cupped his face until his eyes met mine.“If my freedom means your death, then I don’t want it, Kai,” I said softly. “If setting me free means you putting yourself in the line of fire, I’d rather stay in the shadows.”He opened his mouth, but I didn’t let him speak yet.“We have each other now. We’re together. And there’s nothing more I want than that. Nothing I need that I don’t already have in you.”He closed his eyes for a second, breathing deeply, jaw working as if trying to hold back everything he couldn’t say out loud.Then he shook his head.“Your freedom is my freedom,” he said. “And the freedom of our children—when they come. I won’t live with the fear that someone can use it against us. I
Last Updated : 2025-03-27Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 220 Why Abraham
KaiI didn’t realize how deeply my actions had hurt Adasha until she opened up to me in the room.I knew I had messed up the moment the ambush happened. I had gone in too focused—too driven by my goal to protect and control the outcome—that I’d forgotten the people waiting for me to come back.Her especially.Seeing her cry against my chest broke something in me. She wasn’t weak. She wasn’t dramatic. She was terrified—and with good reason.I promised myself I wouldn’t be so careless again.And this time, I meant it. Not just with words.So instead of offering her empty promises, I told her the truth.Everything.About the next mission.About Abraham.About what Draco, Randy, and I were planning.She sat up slightly in bed, eyes still red but focused now. “Why Abraham though?” she asked softly. “Why not the others?”I sat on the edge of the bed and exhaled, rubbing a hand over the back of my neck.“They’re all cowards,” I said plainly. “William, Linus… they want power, sure. But they d
Last Updated : 2025-03-27
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Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 236 I Bear No grudge
AdashaKai gave me a look—soft, supportive—and stepped away without a word. Gregory and May followed.Leaving us alone.Randy shoved his hands into his pockets, clearing his throat.“Didn’t know you were this badass,” he said with a half-smile.I laughed—tired, but real. “Neither did I.”We stood in silence for a beat, the dust still settling around us.And for the first time in a long time… there was no anger.Just quiet respect.Something new, but welcome.“Heard you held your ground,” Randy said, his voice low with something like admiration. “Liberated everyone before we arrived. I guess I underestimated you… didn’t give you the chance to prove yourself.”I smiled gently. “It’s all in the past now. I bear no grudge, Randy.”He nodded, eyes softening. “I know. Still… I’m glad you found a home.”A pause.“Thank you for not eliminating me all those years. I was cruel to you,” he added, glancing around at the aftermath. “Seeing what you did to these people… I might not have survived yo
Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 235 After The Fight
AdashaI managed to shift back to my human form.Exhausted. Barefoot. Bloodstained.The weight of everything I’d just endured sat heavy on my shoulders—on all of us—but we had survived.Our men were rounding up the last of the attackers. The worst was over.Or so I thought—until I saw them dragging Austin across the ground, silver cuffs ready.“No,” I said quickly, voice firm despite the fatigue.The guards froze. Heads turned. Kai looked at me like I’d lost my mind.“Don’t do that to him,” I said, stepping forward, my voice softer now. “He’s innocent in all this.”Kai’s brows drew together. “Adasha… he came to attack you.”I shook my head.“No. He came to fight for the honour of his family. He thought you stole the South. He thought you rejected the terms laid down by his father. He didn’t know who I was. The moment he found out—he tried to protect me.”Kai’s expression shifted slightly. Still uncertain. Still guarded. But he was listening.“He loved his brother, my father,” I added
Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 234 Last Stand
AdashaThe sky burned red.Ash spiraled down like black snow, clinging to the blood-soaked fur that covered my body. My heart thundered in my chest—not from fear, but from purpose.I stood tall in the wreckage of Eldenberge, surrounded by my people, their blood and breath mixing with the dirt beneath our paws.And across the battlefield… Edmond shifted.His bones cracked in ways that defied nature, each snap echoing like gunfire in my ears.His body distorted—shoulders widening, spine elongating, limbs trembling with dark energy.I watched in horror as his skin tore and reformed, blood pooling beneath him until the fur broke through—muddy brown, slick with red, glistening like it had been born in violence.Then came his eyes.Bloodshot. Burning. Wrong.They glowed like coals left too long in the pit.His jaw widened, fangs curving longer than they should have.His wolf form towered, thick with muscle, scarred, trembling with unnatural power.Something inside him was twisted—this wasn’
Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 233 The Power Of Madness
AdashaIt wasn’t long after we consumed the nightshade that they caught up with us.Snarling. Growling.Rivercreek warriors—traitors in Kai’s ranks.They circled slowly, eyes burning, claws flexed, thinking I was an easy target now. A mindless beast that had run from battle.They were wrong.I was choosing it.I stood tall in my wolf form, lifted my head, and linked them with a voice laced with power and memory.“I am the daughter of Kevin Westwood. Your loyalty should lie with me.”Some paused, ears flicking.They’d heard it. Austin had called me Michelle. They knew something didn’t add up. Edmond had admitted it.One of them growled low, hesitant.“You heard Austin,” I pushed, “call me by my mother’s name—Michelle Westwood. You. heard Edmond. I didn’t die. I was hidden. If you let Edmond Bruce collar me, I will die, and with me, the true Westwood bloodline ends.”I stepped forward, no longer stumbling. No longer shaking.“You’ve seen what Tamara did to her mate—what she did to Laur
Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 232 Heartless
Adasha“Let’s push back, Willow,” I whispered to my wolf.She purred weakly inside me. Exhausted. Wounded. Trying.We had never wielded compulsion willingly.Never trained.No one had ever shown us how.And because of that, even our shared will—our fused strength—wasn’t enough to push it off us.Not yet.I turned to Tamara, my voice raw and breaking, but steady enough to strike.“Don’t you even care about your daughter?” I asked, my gaze falling to Laura, unconscious and injured in the dirt.Tamara looked at her briefly, then back at me—expression unmoved.A shrug. That was all.And in that second, I realized something chilling—Laura was just another piece on her board.Just like Kevin had been.Just like Austin.And now… she was reaching for me too.Because that’s what power-hungry cowards do.They harvest what they can’t create.And they crush anything that reminds them of who they used to be.“Laura will be fine. What do you care anyway?” Tamara snapped, her voice sharp and cold.
Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 231 Unchecked
AdashaSoon, Magnus, Ingrid, May, and Gregory were at my side as our enemies attacked again.We fought in a tight circle, backs to each other, striking in sync. Fire blazed around us, the scent of blood thick in the air. We held the line. For a moment, it felt like we might survive this.Then I heard it.Gregory’s scream.A sound so raw it cut through the roar of battle like a blade.“Compulsion!” he shouted, hands clutching his head before collapsing hard to the ground.My heart seized. I turned to him.He looked right at me, eyes wide with panic, betrayal, confusion.I shook my head, frantic. “It’s not me!” I mouthed.But it was already spreading.May dropped next, crumbling mid-swing. Then several Eldenberge warriors collapsed mid-charge, their bodies twitching, eyes glazed.The pressure hit me like a tidal wave.It wasn’t just pain—it was invasion.Like fingers digging into my skull, trying to pry me open. Like someone was trying to rip my thoughts out, replace them with their wil
Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 230 No Hesitation
AdashaI couldn’t hesitate anymore.My skin shimmered as the shift overtook me—half-wolf, half-woman. Bones cracked, power surged, and for the first time, I didn’t hold it back.I embraced it.With my claws out and rage coursing through me, I launched into the fray.Steel met flesh. Screams split the air.Some attackers I slashed down with precision. Others—those who got too close when my fear spiked or fury flared—exploded. Not from any weapon. From me.I didn’t even fully understand how.I didn’t take pleasure in ending them. But it was simple: them or me.And I chose me.I heard his voice again over the chaos.“Michelle!”That man—Austin. Fighting his way toward me. Desperate.I turned, breathing hard, blood on my hands, smoke in my lungs. I took a stance, claws curled, heart pounding in my ears.I wasn’t Michelle.But I saw it now—clear as day. May had been right.I was her mirror.And this man—this uncle I’d never known—was seeing her for the first time in me.My secret was out.
Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 229 Suddenly
Adasha“I’m sorry, Adasha,” Gregory said, voice low and full of remorse. “I was out of line… it’s just that I really hoped she passed the genes down to you. It’s important, you know? The survival of our bloodline depends on it.”He wasn’t pushing anymore—just trying to explain why his desperation had broken through his common sense.I looked at him for a long moment.Then I nodded once.“Well,” I said softly, “I can’t wield compulsion.”His eyes widened, and for a split second, he looked… sad. Like the weight of that truth hurt more than it satisfied.But he said nothing else. He dropped it.“So the three Regional Alphas—they know who you are?” he asked, and this time there was a brightness in his voice. A flicker of awe. “I’ve never seen powerful people protect us before. That’s why I’m asking.”I smiled gently, feeling the shift in him. “They know. And they’re doing everything they can to keep it that way.”He laughed, almost boyishly.“Not everyone is cruel, Gregory,” I said. “Ther
Trapped In The Alpha's Shadow 228 He Shouldn’t Be Out
AdashaAustin, May, and I remained in the infirmary, watching over Edmond.This was the first real assignment Kai had given me, and while I knew I might’ve been overdoing it, I wasn’t willing to take any chances. Not on my watch.I stayed alert, eyes flicking between the monitors and Edmond’s still form. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t opened his eyes. And yet… I felt something shifting.Magnus entered quietly, Ingrid just behind him. She gave me a soft smile, and Magnus bowed slightly in respect.“You can rest now, Luna,” he said gently. “I have men at the gates and more stationed around the building. Nothing will happen to him.”I offered a small smile in return. “I know you’re capable, Magnus. But I want to study his progress.”And that was the truth.If compulsion did this to a full-grown man—shut him down so completely—I needed to understand it. I needed to see what recovery looked like… if recovery was even possible.He nodded. “Very well, then. Link me if you need anything.”With that,
