Chapter FortySilas POVThe heavy glass doors of the gallery swing shut behind Zara, cutting off the bitter howl of the courtyard wind. I step into the warmth of the room, my suit jacket unbuttoned, my alpha aura still coiled tight from three hours of listening to Northern lawyers argue over trade margins.Then, I smell him.The sharp, unmistakable scent of crushed pine and silver frost is practically dripping off the walls. It coats the air, heavy and desperate, suffocating the clean scent of the gallery. But more importantly, it’s clinging to her.Zara stands in the center of the room, her cheeks flushed a deep, violent crimson from the cold. Her breathing is jagged, her chest rising and falling beneath the golden silk armor of her gown. She looks like she just fought her way out of a collapse.My inner wolf slams against my ribs, a savage, territorial roar tearing through my veins. The impulse to hunt down the scent, to find Lir in the dark and tear his throat out until his blood s

Chapter Forty-OneZara Fen POVThe doors to the Oakhaven Exhibition Hall split the world in two.A blinding wall of white light and the deafening, collective roar of the Northern aristocracy hits me like a physical wave. The scent of heavy perfumes, expensive furs, and the suffocating pressure of a hundred high-ranking Alpha auras fills the massive, vaulted pavilion. Every single seat in the velvet gallery is full. The High Council sits on their elevated dais, looking down like judges awaiting an execution.But I am not the one who is going to die today."Keep your chin up, sweetheart," Silas murmurs from my left. He walks half a step behind me, his shoulder brushing mine, a towering, "Let them see every single millimeter of the gold they couldn't afford."I don't look at him. I keep my eyes locked straight ahead, my heels clicking a slow, rhythmic cadence against the polished white marble path.The gold silk of my gown pools and ripples around my ankles like liquid amber, with the he

Chapter Forty-TwoAlpha Silas POV"What is the meaning of this, Alpha Silas?" the elder demands, his gavel trembling in his hand. "This is a court of trade evaluation, not a low-town auction. You cannot halt a Council security execution with a stack of ledger sheets.""I can when those ledger sheets contain the records to your mortgages," I say, stepping fully into the spotlight, shielding Zara from the glare of the gallery. I drop my hands into my pockets, my posture loose, arrogant, and completely unbothered by the fourteen weapons pointed at my chest.I tilt my head back, looking past the stage toward the VIP box where Lady Victoria is still clinging to the velvet railing like a drowning woman."For the last two years," I continue, my voice smooth, carrying effortlessly to the highest rows of the gallery, "the Silvercrest pack has quietly defaulted on winter grain bonds. Your high-altitude farms have been failing since the great freeze of '24. To hide the deficit from the High Coun

Chapter Forty-ThreeAlpha Lir POVAcross the marble floor, Silas’s smirk doesn't falter, but the golden glow of his eyes narrows into sharp, predatory slits. He doesn't let go of Zara’s hand. If anything, his fingers tighten around hers, pulling her slightly back behind the line of his shoulder."The Sovereign Blood Law was written before your grandfathers crawled out of the tundra, Lir," Silas says, his voice a cool, dismissive drawl. "It’s a dusty piece of parchment meant for a time when wolves still fought with stone. It doesn't erase a multi-million-currency default.""It does when the default is explicitly tied to the territory's royal lineage," I say, stepping onto the first riser of the stage.The fourteen High Guard enforcers instantly look at me, their visors turning in unison. I don't look back at them. I keep my focus entirely on Zara. She is staring at me, her lower lip parted, the gold-and-silver light of the Shattered Mirror washing over her face. She looks terrified, fu

All Chapters of Shattered By The Alpha: Chapter 41 - Chapter 44

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