Blood And Silver:Rise of the Alpha’s Rejected Mate

Chapter 249

ALINA

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Firelight in the gathered hall danced upon the walls in long shadows while I sat toward the rear.

I chose my place for a specific reason: I could let my eyes trail across them, from the babbling wolves to those nervous looks at neighbors and the more who whispered stories of Rowan’s rise and fall into destruction.

“Did you hear how he argued with Aurora before he was arrested?” I whispered to Lyra, a younger wolf sitting to my side.

Lyra’s ears twitched. “I heard him say something about her playing favorites. Is that true?”

I sighed, faking reluctance. “I wouldn’t say that outright, but. There’s truth to every rumor, isn’t there? Rowan wouldn’t have acted out for no reason.”

Lyra frowned, her gaze wandering to the front of the room, where Aurora stood beside Dane. “But Aurora’s always been fair.”

“Fair?” I let the word hang in the air, laced with doubt.

“Fairness is not the same thing as a good leader, Lyra. Fair doesn’t mean it listens to everyone. Rowan wanted to be heard,

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and look where it got him.

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And in that, the seed was sown. Lyra’s doubt would grow like a fire taking to burn slowly, and I would be the one fanning the flames.

Later that day, I made my way to the training grounds, where a group of wolves sparred beneath the sharp commands of Piper.

Her voice rang out with authority, but with a jagged edge a hairline crack that I was more than happy to widen.

“Piper,” I called, taunting her with a sweet smile.

She turned, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “What do you want, Alina?”

“Just a moment of your time,” I said innocently. “You work so hard. I thought you could use a little break.”

Piper crossed her arms. “I’m busy.”

“Too busy to hear what Warrick’s been saying?”

furrowed, and I knew I had her attention. “What

offhandedly

it’s probably nothing. I just overheard him mentioning how he admires, strong willed wolves. He seemed awfully impressed with Freya the other day. You know,

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clenched.

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course, he wouldn’t,” I said smoothly.

And sometimes. admiration can turn into

me, her features hardening. “Why

you should know,” I replied,

Piper. Strong wolves like you don’t have to

ensued was satisfying… I walked away, glad that I was getting all of my

Rowan in search of

behind.

room was empty, his effects having been gathered together in haste following his arrest, but one thing caught my eye: a folded piece of parchment tucked beneath the edge of

cryptic, near nonsensical at first glance, but

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heart was pounding in my chest,

“What are you doing?”

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sharply to face Piper standing at the

replied casually, hiding the letter behind my back. “Rowan’s

eyes. “You shouldn’t be

I said, advancing on the door. “But if anyone asks, we’ll just say you were checking

into the hallway as the letter seemed

silence of my own quarters, closing the door

mind was racing, piecing together the implications of the cryptic words. “The truth buried in the grove will

the truth? And how

my fingers

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might be a fool, but his desperation had

at the letter as if it might reveal more

this pack, molded its. leaders, and

have this? And

on the training grounds, pretending to watch

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the space as she corrected some young

grin back in place as he offered some kind of joke