“Did you honestly think you could get away from me?” he snarled, looming over me. I turned to look at the other side of the couch–Alpha Elias was gone. Panic surged through me. Where had he gone? How could he just disappear like that?


    “I… I…” I mumbled, unable to string a proper sentence together.


    “You’re going to wish you were never born,” he growled, voiceced with venom. “If thought things were bad before, just wait. Your life is about to be a living hell.”


    you


    My heart pounded violently in my chest, and sweat poured from my forehead. He reached down, clutching my shirt to haul me off the couch.


    I iled my arms and kicked wildly–and then my eyes flew open.


    Alpha Elias was crouched beside me, his expression rmed. He leapt back when I shot up


    from the couch.


    “It’s alright, Lyra. You were dreaming. Just a nightmare,” he said gently, trying to soothe me.


    “He found me. My dad found me,” I gasped out, repeating it like a broken record.


    “No, he didn’t. You’re safe here. He doesn’t know where you are. Even if he tried, my warriors would never let him near you. He’ll never touch you again. I swear it,” Elias said firmly.


    “Were you asleep too?” I asked, my eyes darting around the room.


    “No. You weren’t out long, but you clearly needed the rest. Why don’t you try sleeping in the bedroom? You might be morefortable,” he suggested, inching closer once he realized I


    was okay.


    “No. It’ll happen again. I’ll just relive it.” I rubbed my eyes, dragging my hands across my face.


    He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stood there. I noticed his gaze dip toward my legs where his basketball shorts failed to cover the old wounds. Raw red marks from the silver whip were still visible. Quickly, I grabbed the nket and pulled it over my legs, feeling exposed and ashamed.


    I didn’t want him to look at them. They were ugly, a painful reminder of what I’d been through. I could only imagine what he thought of me now. His expression gave away nothing good. I knew he didn’t find them–or me–appealing. The sight must have repulsed him.


    < CHAPTER 10


    More Rewards


    “Alright. Let’s try another movie. Maybe aedy this time? Something light–hearted might help,” Elias said, walking over to the other end of the couch and grabbing the remote.


    He started scrolling through the apps on the TV, searching for something to lift the mood.


    It all felt surreal. Just sitting there watching TV like a normal person–it was unfamiliar, unsettling. I wasn’t used to stillness. I kept thinking I should be doing something, anything. But Elias kept insisting I didn’t need to. He said I had to learn to rx. Easier said than done.


    Honestly, I didn’t even know what rxing felt like. Even now, curled up with a nket,


    watching a movie, I felt strange. Wrong.


    I nced at the clock–it was 3 a.m. No wonder I was exhausted. We’d had a long, chaotic day with barely a moment to breathe. And yet Elias looked fine. No yawning, no signs of


    fatigue. He just sat there calmly, watching the screen.


    I knew he was staying up to make sure I was okay, and I appreciated it more than I could say.


    Every so often, I’d steal nces at him. A couple of times, he caught me and I quickly looked away, pretending I hadn’t been staring. But out of the corner of my eye, I caught a faint smile forming on his lips.


    Not long after, a disturbance broke out outside. Alpha Elias immediately rose from the couch and headed toward the front door. Something told me he already had an idea of what was going on. Still, I stood up and followed him slowly, stopping at the doorway and leaning against the frame, only half of me visible from outside.


    Three of his warriors were holding a man between them. Elias stood facing him, his expression unreadable, but it was clear from his eyes–he recognized the man.


    “People are going toe looking for me. You know that,” the man said, his voice full of smug defiance.


    “They won’t find you,” Elias replied coolly. “And if anyone darese near this ce, they’ll end up just like you. Isn’t that right?” His tone made it obvious that no answer was required.


    “How do you know I didn’te with backup?” the man shot back.


    “Because my warriors aren’t careless. And you know that better than anyone,” Elias said,


    voice hard as steel.


    The man shifted his gaze past <b>Elias</b><b>, </b>locking eyes with me. I instinctively pulled back into the shadows of the doorway, but not fast enough–he saw me.


    < CHAPTER 10


    More Rewards <b>> </b>


    “Well, well. What’s this?” the man sneered. “Has the great Alpha found himself a new little


    ything? What about the others? They’re not going to like that very much.”


    Elias turned slightly, realizing I was still standing there. His jaw tightened.


    “Take him to the cave. Post a guard around the clock,” Elias ordered. Without hesitation, the


    warriors dragged the man away, and Elias turned back inside, shutting the door behind him.


    I didn’t speak. I simply returned to the couch, pulled the nket over my legs again, and


    turned my attention back to the movie as if nothing had happened. But inside, my thoughts


    churned.


    <i>What </i><i>did </i><i>he </i><i>mean </i><i>by </i><i>‘</i><i>others</i>‘? I knew what a bedwarmer was–I wasn’t na?ve. But he said it in


    plural. <i>Did Elias </i><i>really </i><i>have </i><i>more </i><i>than </i><i>one</i>? <i>Were women </i><i>constantly </i><iing </i><i>through </i><i>this </i><i>house</i>?


    I didn’t want to ask. I was scared of the answer. And it wasn’t really my ce to question it.


    Who he brought into his home–or his bed–wasn’t my business.


    “You know what?” I said, standing up. “I think I’ll go to bed. Try and get some sleep.”


    I started toward the hallway, but Elias stood quickly and caught my hand. That same tingling


    current zipped up my arm–strange and pleasant all at once. No one else made me feel that.


    It had to mean something. Maybe it was a mate thing. I didn’t know.


    “Lyra,” he said gently. “If you’re upset about what that man said, don’t be. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Especially not other women.”


    His voice was sincere, but I kept my gaze lowered. “It’s not my business,” I muttered.


    He stepped closer and lifted my chin with his thumb and forefinger, guiding my eyes to his.


    “I swear, there is no other woman for me. Not since I met you. Whatever happened before-


    whoever they were–it’s done. I would never hurt you like that.’


    “Hurt me how?<i>” </i>I asked, confused. “We’re not… anything.”


    <i>” </i>


    He paused for a moment, then asked, “How much do you know about the mate bond?”


    “Not much,” I admitted quietly. “Hardly anything.”


    “When a werewolf discovers their mate, that bes their whole world. I don’t care about


    anyone else anymore. Now that I’ve found you, making you happy is all that matters to me. You’re the only person I want in my life. Not anyone from before,” he told me, his voice soft


    but certain.


    :


    < CHAPTER 10


    More Rewards <b>> </b>


    I knew I was clueless about everything involving mates, bonds, intimacy–even about being a werewolf in general. It wasn’t like I ever had someone to teach me. I didn’t have anyone to speak to about anything. Father and Luna would never sit down and have a conversation like that with me. And the library back at our old packhouse didn’t help either. There was nothing in it about our kind’s history or real information about werewolves. Just fantasy novels we all knew were made–up. So no, I didn’t know nearly enough. I was painfully aware of that.


    When he was done saying all that, I didn’t really know how to respond. I just gave him a small


    nod.


    He let go of my hand, hesitantly, and I made my way to the bedroom. I shut the door quietly behind me, then sat down on the bed. A strange mix of emotions started bubbling inside me -ones I didn’t recognize. I’d never experienced anything like this, and I had no idea how to


    deal with it.


    I crawled under the nkets andy on my side, facing the window. We were tucked too far down in the valley for me to see the sky or the moon. But I could see the tree line running up


    the surrounding hills. That was enough for me.


    I didn’t end up sleeping the rest of the night, even though I hoped I would. I just stared out the window. And the sunrise took its sweet time here. When it finally arrived, I got out of bed, sat


    on the edge, and looked outside again.


    The vige was stirring–more people had returned, and I noticed children running around. Life was picking up out there, and it was getting a little louder. I decided to head into the kitchen for something to drink. But the moment I stepped into the room, I saw Alpha Elias already there, standing by the counter.


    Without a word, he poured me a cup of coffee and handed it over. I’d tasted coffee before, but this was different. It didn’t have that bitter, metallic aftertaste. It was surprisingly good.


    He took a seat at the table and motioned for me to join him. I sat down.


    Just as he looked like he was about to speak, the front door mmed open. The loud noise


    made me jump in surprise.


    I turned to see a woman with fiery red hair standing in the entrance, her expression zing


    with anger. <ff1> Updates are released by FιndＮovel</ff1>


    “Lenore, what the hell is your problem?” Alpha Elias snapped, his voice hard.


    “I’m not here for you<i>,” </i>she spat. “I came to speak with that little b***h who thinks she’s your


    < CHAPTER 11


    :