All Chapters of The Alpha Twins Plaything: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

AURORANobody spoke for a while after that.The room felt strangely quiet despite the fact that three Alphas were standing inside it.My gaze remained fixed on the floor as Malrik’s words repeated themselves inside my head.Prepare yourself for the possibility that you won’t like her answers.I hated that those words affected me.I hated that part of me was already wondering what those answers could be.The worst part? I wasn’t afraid that my mother was dead anymore. I was afraid she had chosen to stay away.That fear sat heavily in my chest because death was easier to forgive. Abandonment wasn’t.“You look like you’re planning a murder.” Darius’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.I looked up to find him watching me. There was no mockery in his expression.No amusement. Just concern. Which somehow felt weirder.“I might be.”He snorted. “Good.”My brow furrowed.“Good?”“If your mother really is alive, she deserves at least one punch before you forgive her.”A surprised laugh escaped

AURORAThe council chamber was already full when we arrived.Apparently, the elders had decided they couldn’t wait until morning to ruin my life.Wolves filled the room. Some stood along the walls. Others sat in the elevated seats overlooking the circular chamber. The moment I stepped inside, every conversation died.Every single one.I hated that.I hated being looked at like I was a problem waiting to happen.Beside me, Darius muttered, “If one more person stares at her like that, I’m punching someone.”“Please don’t,” Lyra sighed.“No promises.”I almost smiled.The elders sat at the center of the room.The same elders I had accidentally launched across the chamber earlier.Judging by the way they stiffened when they saw me, they hadn’t forgiven me.Wonderful.Malrik walked in behind us and immediately the atmosphere shifted.The wolves parted for him. Some lowered their heads. Others looked away entirely.Power. That was what he carried. Raw authority. The kind that didn’t need to

AURORAA retrieval.The words echoed through my head long after Malrik stopped speaking.The council chamber had gone completely silent. Even the elders looked disturbed.I stared at Malrik, waiting for him to explain.He didn't. Of course he didn't. The man treated information like it was gold."What do you mean by retrieval?" I snapped.Malrik looked at me for a long moment before answering."Exactly what it sounds like."I rolled my eyes."That's not an explanation.""No," Darius muttered. "That's Malrik."A few wolves actually laughed. The sound disappeared quickly. Nobody was in the mood for humor tonight.I folded my arms and glared at Malrik."Start talking."One of the elders stood."Alpha Malrik is speculating."The look Malrik gave him was almost insulting."Am I?"The elder's jaw tightened."You have no proof.""I have twenty years of experience."The elder sat back down. Apparently that ended the argument.I hated wolf politics. It was like watching children argue over who

AURORAThe meeting should have ended after that.It didn’t because apparently wolves could argue about anything including something that had already been decided.“I’m still against it.”The elder who had spent the last hour trying to lock me up folded his arms stubbornly.“This is reckless.”Darius looked exhausted, “Then stay here.”The elder glared at him, “I wasn’t speaking to you.”“That’s never stopped you before.”Several wolves coughed suspiciously into their fists. I was fairly certain they were hiding laughter.The elder looked ready to throw something. Honestly, I was rooting for him.It would at least make the meeting interesting.Malrik sighed.The sound immediately silenced the room.“I wasn’t asking permission.”The elder’s face darkened.“You are not the Alpha King.”“No,” Malrik nodded, “But I’m the only one in this room thinking ahead.”That started another argument.I tuned most of it out. At some point, all the shouting started sounding the same.Protect the pack.

AURORAI didn’t sleep not even for a minute. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw something different.My father, the notes, the spiral symbol, and the dead scouts hanging from the border markers.Then there was my mother. The woman I had spent years grieving, the woman I hated for leaving.The woman I was now crossing into the most dangerous place in existence to find.By the time dawn arrived, I was already dressed.The sky outside my window was still gray when someone knocked.Three sharp knocks then silence. I already knew who it was.“Come in.”The door opened immediately.Darius stepped inside carrying two travel bags over one shoulder.He looked annoyingly awake.“Have you slept at all?”“No.”“Good.”I frowned, “How is that good?”“It means I won’t be the only one miserable today.”I rolled my eyes, “You’re impossible.”“That’s what Draven says.”“Because it’s true.”A grin spread across his face. For a second, he looked younger and less like an Alpha. More like the reckless idi