Home / Werewolf / Alpha's Secret Mate / Chained By Duty

Share

Chained By Duty

Author: Hikari
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-22 17:40:28

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm orange glow over the grand castle grounds. Lucien stood in the heart of the royal garden, his hand resting lightly on the stone railing of the balcony that overlooked the vast expanse of carefully manicured lawns below. The serene beauty of the garden did nothing to calm the turmoil boiling in his chest.

He should be content. He should be at peace, fulfilling the duties of his title, serving the pack, ensuring the future of his people. Yet, the weight of his responsibilities felt like a suffocating burden as he gazed across the horizon. He couldn’t shake the memory of Aria’s terrified face, her eyes wide with disbelief, her body trembling under the weight of the bond that had snapped into place between them.

Mate.

He cursed silently, his fingers tightening on the stone. The bond was there, thrumming beneath his skin, like a constant reminder of everything he couldn’t have. He had a duty. His pack needed him. His people depended on him to lead them into a future of prosperity, to marry the princess of the rival pack and solidify their alliance. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by some lowly omega servant, no matter how beautiful, no matter how powerful the pull between them was.

His wolf growled inside his mind, frustrated and furious with the constraints of his human responsibilities. Lucien could feel the heat of the bond, the primal need to claim Aria, to mark her, to make her his. It clawed at him from the inside, a maddening itch that he couldn’t scratch.

But he would. He would ignore it. He had no choice.

“Lucien.”

The soft voice pulled him from his spiraling thoughts, and he turned sharply to find Princess Celine standing a few feet away, her eyes narrowed as she studied him.

She was beautiful, her long golden hair cascading in waves down her back, her gown of rich violet and gold shimmering in the fading light. A princess in every sense of the word, poised and perfect. She was everything his pack had ever hoped for in a mate, everything his people expected.

She was the future of the pack.

But even as she stood there, regal and composed, Lucien’s heart did not beat faster for her. He could feel the bond to Celine, a soft tug that was nothing compared to the raging pull he felt toward Aria. The princess had been promised to him since birth, their marriage a political maneuver to unite two powerful packs, but even the thought of it now left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Lucien,” Celine repeated, her voice more insistent. “You’ve been distant tonight.”

He forced a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He had to keep up appearances. He had to maintain the image of the perfect Alpha King—strong, unmoved, unshaken.

“I’m fine,” he said, his voice low and calm. “Just lost in thought.”

She didn’t seem convinced, her lips pressing into a thin line. “You’ve been distant ever since we arrived. Is something wrong?”

Lucien felt the familiar tug of guilt coil in his chest. He couldn’t explain to her why he was so unsettled. She wouldn’t understand. How could she? How could anyone?

He wasn’t supposed to be this torn. This confused.

There was no place for weakness in the Alpha King, no room for distractions or doubts. He had made his choice long ago—Celine was his mate, and together, they would lead the pack to greatness.

“Nothing is wrong,” he said, his voice colder this time, more distant. “I’ve simply been… preoccupied.”

Celine’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she stepped closer to him, the faintest smile curving her lips. “Then I have good news for you, Lucien.”

His attention snapped back to her. “Good news?”

She nodded, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of excitement and anticipation. “Yes. I spoke with my father earlier today. We’ve decided on a date for the wedding.”

Lucien’s heart clenched in his chest, and he forced himself to hide the tension that shot through his body. He had known this moment would come—the moment when their engagement would turn into something real. He had known Celine would push for it, that the time for wedding plans would arrive, whether he was ready for it or not.

He nodded stiffly. “When?”

Celine’s smile widened. “In three months. The wedding will take place at the beginning of the harvest festival, when both our packs will be gathered here to celebrate the union.”

Three months.

It felt like an eternity.

Lucien stared at her, but the words felt distant, as though they were spoken in a different world entirely. The bond with Aria had turned everything upside down. How could he marry Celine when every fiber of his being screamed for something else? How could he go through with a wedding to the princess of a rival pack when all he could think about was a servant girl, an omega, one who wasn’t even supposed to be in his world?

“I see,” he said, his voice tight. “Three months.”

Celine’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction. “You don’t seem happy,” she said, her tone playful but with an edge of uncertainty. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

Lucien opened his mouth to reply, but the words didn’t come. He couldn’t tell her the truth—not when the truth would destroy everything.

Instead, he turned away, walking toward the railing again. “I’ve always wanted to do what’s best for our people, Celine. You know that.”

She didn’t respond right away, and when Lucien glanced back at her, he saw her standing a few feet away, watching him with a strange expression on her face. It was a look of understanding—or perhaps it was suspicion.

Lucien didn’t want to acknowledge it, but a small part of him wondered if Celine knew more than she let on. If she had sensed the tension, the distance between them.

“I’m sure it will be a beautiful wedding,” she said finally, her voice softer now. “We’ll make it everything we’ve dreamed of.”

Lucien nodded, but his thoughts were far away, lost in the chaos of the bond he couldn’t control.

Princess Celine may have been his promised mate, but it didn’t matter anymore. Not when the pull of the omega servant’s bond was so much stronger.

His wolf stirred restlessly inside him.

He wanted Aria. He wanted her with a desperation he couldn’t suppress. And he couldn’t stop it.

But duty came first. It always had. His pack, his people, Celine—they were the ones who needed him. Not a servant.

Not the woman he couldn’t have.

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • Alpha's Secret Mate   The Alpha’s Choice

    Lucien stood at the edge of the eastern balcony, his hands gripping the cold stone railing hard enough to crack it. The wind whipped through his dark hair, but he barely felt it. His wolf was restless—snarling, pacing beneath his skin, demanding one thing: Go to her. He could still feel Aria’s fear. It lingered on her scent like smoke. It had been wrong—so wrong—to leave her alone after what Celine had done. But if he had stayed, he might’ve ripped someone’s throat out. Maybe even Celine’s.He was the Alpha King—chosen by blood, bound by destiny, revered as the protector of all. But when the moment came, he hesitated. He faltered. And in that silence, everything burned. He had failed—not just as a king, but as a mate, a leader, a legend. “Lucien.”He didn’t need to turn to know who it was—Celine’s voice slithered across the balcony like frost, elegant and controlled, each word laced with the quiet venom of a polished threat. “You're not sleeping,” she said, stepping into view. H

  • Alpha's Secret Mate   Blood On The Blossom

    The dawn was bleeding over the kingdom like spilled wine, painting the castle walls in fiery streaks of red and gold that promised a new day but whispered of inevitable endings, as if the light itself carried the weight of all the secrets, betrayals, and heartaches hidden behind those ancient stones. Each ray seemed to burn with bittersweet hope, illuminating a world on the edge—caught between the fragile beauty of beginnings and the harsh certainty of what must come to pass.But inside, beneath the polished marble floors and silk-draped windows, a far darker storm was brewing—one that no sunlight could chase away, swirling quietly yet relentlessly, threatening to unravel everything that had been carefully built.Celine stood in the shadowed recesses of the royal gallery, her eyes locked on the fragile blossom of the cherry tree outside—its pale petals trembling softly in the morning breeze, delicate and fleeting, like a whispered promise that might be broken with the slightest touch.

  • Alpha's Secret Mate   Beneath The Moonlight

    The castle was quiet at midnight.Too quiet.The kind of quiet that presses against your skin like a threat, curling into your ears and settling in your bones. The kind of quiet where secrets bloom in the shadows, whispering through stone halls, waiting to be found—or to find you first. It was the stillness before a scream, the breath before a storm. Every candle flicker felt like a warning, every echo like a ghost. The silence wasn't peace. It was a predator holding its breath.Aria couldn’t sleep—not that she really had, not since the announcement. The Royal Decree had sealed her fate. There was no escaping it now. The wedding would happen in two days. Lucien would belong to Celine. The kingdom would celebrate.And she would break.Alone.She crept out of her tiny servant’s chamber and wandered the outer gardens barefoot, letting the cold stone numb her feet and the moonlight paint her skin silver. The wind whispered through the trees, tugging at her long brown hair, and she tilted

  • Alpha's Secret Mate   The Royal Decree

    Morning came wrapped in fog and judgment.The sun barely cut through the gray skies hanging over the castle, but the inner courtyard was already filled with murmurs, nobles, and soldiers standing at attention as Princess Celine stepped forward to address the court. Her gown shimmered with white gold thread, and her expression was regal, cruel, and victorious.Lucien stood beside her—silent, armored, and cold—like a statue carved from frost and steel, his expression unreadable, eyes fixed on the horizon as if trying to will her return. The air between them was heavy with unsaid words and tense anticipation. Aria was nowhere in sight, and the longer her absence stretched, the more it gnawed at the edge of hope. Not that she could be. She was hidden beneath the kitchens, tucked behind the stone ovens, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried not to cry. Magda had ordered her to stay hidden, and this time, Aria didn’t argue. Because this time, the court wasn’t just whispering about w

  • Alpha's Secret Mate   The Princess Game

    The palace buzzed with anticipation. Silks were being tailored, wine barrels were uncorked, and the royal gardens had been stripped bare to decorate the grand ballroom with pale white roses—Princess Celine’s favorite. Because in two days’ time, the kingdom would witness the event of the decade: the binding ceremony of Alpha King Lucien and Princess Celine of the Eastern Moons. The alliance was meant to strengthen both territories and ensure peace across the bordering lands. But behind the scenes? Peace was a carefully constructed illusion—fragile, trembling at the edges, ready to collapse with the slightest push. Whispers filled the halls like smoke, and secrets passed between clenched hands and silent glances. Beneath the polished smiles and empty treaties, tension brewed. Peace wasn’t real. It was just the pause before the storm. Lucien stood before the tall windows of his war chamber, the dark velvet curtains billowing as storm winds howled outside. He hadn’t slept sinc

  • Alpha's Secret Mate   His Mark, Her Shame

    The night air was cool against Aria’s skin as she slipped out into the back courtyard, her breath forming faint clouds in the dark. It was well past midnight, but the kitchens had run out of fresh bread for the morning rounds, and someone needed to run to the lower cellars to fetch more grain. Of course, that someone was her. She didn’t complain. She never did. Complaining would only bring attention. And right now, the last thing she wanted was attention—especially his. Aria’s steps were quiet against the stone path, her fingers clutched around the edge of her shawl. The stars above were blindingly bright, like a sky full of eyes watching her every move. She hadn’t seen Lucien in two days. Not really. Just brief flashes of him walking past in his ceremonial armor, his voice echoing down the hall during council meetings. But each glimpse was like a dagger sliding between her ribs. And every time she caught his scent—deep forest and smoke—it coiled around her throat like a noos

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status