All Chapters of The Alpha's Secret Witch : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Cressida's pov The dining hall was loud.Not the good kind of loud, it was the kind that made my teeth ache. Wolves shouted across tables, trays clattered, someone laughed too hard at a joke I didn't catch. Floating candles drifted overhead, and the enchanted ceiling showed a sky that was trying too hard to be cheerful.I wasn't cheerful.The Falcon Thunderstrike key was warm in my pocket. I kept my fingers wrapped around it under the table. A talisman. A reminder that I had something of my own in this Godforsaken place.Across from me sat Benita.She was new too; transferred in last semester, she said. Mousy. Nervous. Her hands always moved constantly, twisting her napkin, adjusting her fork, pushing her hair behind her ears. She had attached herself to me after the Welcome Assembly, claiming she "knew what it was like to be the odd one out."I didn't believe her. But I didn't have the energy to push her away."...and the library," Benita was saying, her voice a little too fast, "h

Cressida's pov I couldn't get a good night rest.Niko's words echoed in my head. "Stay away from me." I had thought he was different. Warm. Safe. Someone who saw me and didn't flinch.I was wrong.I sat in the greenhouse until dawn, my back against the tree, my hands pressed to the soil.Raven found me there."You look terrible," she said."Thanks."She sat beside me. Her shoulder pressed against mine. Warm."Niko's leaving because his father is sick," she said. "Not because of you.""How do you know?""I asked him." She paused. "He's scared, Cressida. Not of you. For you. His father is connected to the council. He heard things.""What kind of things?"Raven's face was pale. "They know about you. Not what you are...they're not sure. But they know something is wrong. And they're sending someone to investigate.""Marcus Voss.""Damon's father." Raven nodded. "He's an enforcer. He's killed witches before."I closed my eyes."Then I have to leave.""No." Raven grabbed my arm. "If you run

Lucian's povI woke up with a start.And with Vivienne's face in my mind.Not Cressida's. Not Sha's. Vivienne's.I sat up in bed, breathing hard. My wolf was silent; not sleeping, just... absent. Like it had been drugged.Something is wrong. I could feel it in my blood.I pressed my hand to my chest. The curse pulsed beneath my skin, slow and steady, eating at me like it had for years. But something else pulsed too. Something I couldn't name.Cressida. She was the one thing I thought about that somehow made me so calm and at peace.Her face surfaced in my mind. Just the way she looks at me makes me feel so good about myself.What are you doing to me?I threw off the blankets. The cold stone floor bit at my bare feet. Dawn hadn't broken yet, but I couldn't stay here. Couldn't lie in bed and think about her.I dressed quickly. Skipped breakfast and went to the archives. It was almost my most visited place now. I could easily ask elders but then....The Blackfrost library was cold and da

Lucian's povAfter all the chaos, I stayed by Cressida and checked on Raven. Then figured I had to attend to other oreddung matters. Like the Fae.I gave both Cressida and Raven strict rules not to come out and then I confronted Vivienne that night.She was in her quarters; a suite in the east tower, overlooking the frozen gardens. The room was warm, too warm, filled with candles and silk and the smell of something rotting beneath perfume.I didn't knock. I pushed the door open and walked in.Vivienne stood by the window, her back to me. Her copper hair caught the candlelight. Her reflection in the glass showed someone beautiful...but I had seen what was underneath."You're dying," I said.She turned. Her glamour was intact; golden eyes, glowing skin, a smile like honey. But I noticed the way her fingers gripped the windowsill. Too tight. Too desperate."We're all dying," she said. "Some of us just faster than others.""You've been killing. Witches. Wolves. Anyone with power."Vivienn

Lucian's pov I had been expecting then and they arrived at dawn.Three wolves, their black coats embroidered with the silver crest of the Lunar Council. They didn't announce themselves. Didn't knock. They simply appeared in the courtyard, standing like statues and waited.The snow fell around them but never touched them.I watched from my window. My wolf stirred...not with recognition, but with warning. These were not allies. These were judges.Marcus Voss stood at the front.Damon's father. Built like his son; broad, thick, brutal...but his eyes were colder. Older. He had killed more witches than I had heard of. He had killed more wolves, too. The council didn't send him for conversation.I dressed in my formal blacks. Pinned the Alpha's crest to my chest then walked down to meet them.The courtyard was empty. The students had been warned to stay inside. Even Sha was nowhere to be seen.Marcus didn't offer his hand."Alpha Thorneval," he said. His voice was gravel. "We're here for t