Chapter 1 Alpha King is choosing a wife

EVELYN

I would never forget that day—the day of my trial, the day my world collapsed.

The man I had once loved sat high upon the throne, his expression carved from stone. A guard snarled behind me before shoving my shoulder. My knees slammed against the marble floor. Pain shot through me like lightning.

“Evelyn Caddel,” he said, his voice like thunder, his dark eyes filled with venom.

“As the Alpha King of Hescor, I declare you and your family guilty of treason. Your noble titles are revoked, your lands forfeit, and your honor erased. You will suffer the harshest punishments the laws of this kingdom allow.”

Then he descended the steps of the throne.

He stopped before me, his hand reaching out. Those once-gentle fingers now felt as cold as iron. He tilted my chin up until I had no choice but to meet his gaze.

He leaned in close. His voice dropped to a whisper.

“I told you, Evelyn. You’d regret choosing the wrong man.”

***

The sun had already slipped beyond the horizon by the time I stirred. Morning had long since passed, and with it, the wake-up bell for maids. A jolt of panic shot through me as I realized it. I scrambled from his bed quickly and rushed into the washroom.

The dress I had worn last night was a ruin of silk and lace, but I clutched what remained and threw on the usable pieces. Taking a quick glance at the man sprawled comfortably on the bed, I gritted my teeth and shut the door before hurrying into the hallway.

My steps faltered from the soreness in my legs, and the skin on my shoulders prickled from his bite, but I didn’t dare slow down.

I didn’t need to imagine how furious the head maid, Mrs. Porter, would be if I was late for roll call. And of course, she wouldn’t care that the Alpha King was the reason. Mrs. Porter never listened to excuses. She had always told us that no one cared about our little grievances in this palace.

I rushed through the quiet corridors, slipping into the changing room just as the other maids had finished dressing. Stripping off the ruined garment, I quickly throw on a clean uniform.

As I toss the shredded fabric into a hamper, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

Red marks spread across my neck and shoulders. The skin burned as I lifted a finger to touch it.

The Alpha King had been savage last night. He always was when he returned from a long journey. There would be no foreplay, no flirtation. He would toss me onto the bed like a beast and take me like one.

But last night, he’d been crueler than usual. I remembered how hard he bit into my shoulder when I refused to let out a shameful sound as he commanded. He was angry—I could tell—but I didn’t know why. Maybe something had vexed him during his travels. Or maybe he simply enjoyed tormenting me further, as he’d done ever since he seized the crown and killed Jack—his half-brother, the crown prince, and my husband.

Two years ago, King Theodore died during a hunting expedition. After weeks of mourning and a kingdom in limbo, my father – Lord Steven Caddel, Theodore’s most trusted Beta – secured my marriage to the Jack. Our wedding was held on my eighteen birthday. It was supposed to be beautiful and blessed, except Cole then stormed in and shattered everything.

The War of Princes began that day.

It was a merciless, bloody affair. Brother against brother. Kingdom against itself.

In the end, Jack fell, killed and burned by Cole’s loyalists. My family – along with every noble who had pledged fealty to Jack – was dragged to court and subjected to a brutal trial.

It had been an entire year since that trial – a year since he stripped me of my nobility and reduced me to a maid. A year since I had been separated from my parents and little sister and confined to this suffocating palace.

My job was like the other maids’, except for the extra “night service.”

He had made it painfully clear that it was my duty to satisfy him whenever he wanted—and to endure whatever he wished to vent upon me. And if I dared to fight back, he’d threaten me with my family, who had been exiled to a barren island for lifelong labor.

“You do understand I can order them all to death with a flick of my finger,” he had warned me the first time I snarled at him in defiance—when he ordered me to strip.

So instead of clawing at him or baring my teeth, I had bent. I had obeyed. I had knelt on that vast bed as he tore my dress, yanked my hair, and forced me to forget I had once been anything more than his toy.

That was my punishment. My penance.

The clock in the hall struck, snapping me back to reality.

I didn’t have time to cover the marks as I raced through the halls as fast as I could. But when I reached the assembly room, Mrs. Porter was already there. Her ever-slightly-lifted chin turned toward me as I skidded into place, breathless, and ducked my head.

“You’re two minutes late,” Mrs. Porter said, tapping her pocket watch with a disapproving glare.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Porter,” I murmured.

I braced for more, but she merely inclined her head for me to join the line.

She cleared her throat. “You may have heard that the Alpha King has returned from his grueling inspection journey, during which he quelled riots and fought valiantly for this kingdom. His dedication to Hescor knows no limits. We, too, must work three times as hard to reflect that devotion.”

I stifled a yawn as her voice droned on. Mrs. Porter never spared an opportunity to flatter Cole. Most people didn’t, not after he seized the throne. Even those who had once been close to Jack now sang praises for the new king. They either wanted favor or feared meeting a fate like mine.

My exhaustion blurred her words. It wasn’t until Elsa nudged me that I realized Mrs. Porter had stopped speaking. She was staring directly at me.

“I trust I don’t need to remind you all,” she said, voice sharpening, “that regardless of the families you were born into or the lives you once led, you now belong to His Majesty. Your freedom is his. Your attention must be entirely devoted to his comfort and well-being. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Mrs. Porter,” the maids echoed.

“Evelyn Caddel,” she snapped, eyes locking on me. “You will clean my parlor after the morning call. And you are not permitted to eat breakfast. This is your punishment for tardiness.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. My fists clenched at my sides. I had to dig my nails into my palm to swallow the retort burning on my tongue. Mrs. Porter despised me. Everyone here did. They believed it was me who caused the War of Princes and plunged the kingdom into darkness – a shameless seductress who had tangled sheets with both heirs.

Muffled snickers rippled among the maids. Mrs. Porter quickly silenced them and spoke again.

“Now, with the Selection approaching,” she resumed, voice once again formal and clipped, “we must serve with unmatched enthusiasm. The ladies will begin arriving soon. Each will choose her personal maid from among you…”

A hum of excitement spread through the group. I caught Elsa’s eyes light up with hope like many of the others.

“Selection? What selection?” I whispered, nudging her lightly.

“The Luna Selection,” Elsa whispered back, glancing at Mrs. Porter to ensure she wasn’t watching us. “It seems His Majesty is finally choosing a wife.”