Chapter 9: The Crown Without Comfort

~Aeron

Being Alpha was nothing like I imagined.

They all tell you the crown is made of iron and duty. They don’t mention the weight that crushes you slowly. They don't talk about the rot behind the council chamber doors, or the way your soul starts to erode under the constant weight of decisions that offer no victories — only sacrifices.

There’s no pleasure here. No laughter. No space to bleed.

Just… ruling. Day in. Day out. Meetings. War talk. Pack tensions. The Eastern borders creeping with rogue beasts. Bloodlines to protect. Laws to uphold. Lies to maintain.

I haven't seen the sky without urgency in a while.

I thought power would taste like freedom. Instead, it tastes like ash. Like all the things I couldn't save. Like her name caught on the back of my tongue, never spoken, always burning.

And worst of all, I wake up next to someone who isn't her.

The first thing I felt was light.

The filtered kind — morning sun crawling across cold stone. Then the heaviness of sleep finally loosened its claws from my chest, and I breathe.

I yawned. My muscles ached, My mouth dry.

The door creaked.

“Good morning, my love,” Lyric said as she entered my chambers without knocking, her voice warm and honey-slicked. She carried a tray of food — roasted venison, warm flatbread, mint tea. The perfect queenly gesture. Trying to win me over with food, I guess.

I didn't answer her. I just stared at the ceiling, letting the silence between us stretch.

She paid no mind, as usual.

She glided across the room, placing the tray gently on the table, then sitting beside me on the edge of the bed. Her perfume was thick — roses and snow. Too strong. Too deliberate.

“How did you sleep?” she asked, brushing a strand of her black hair behind her ear.

I still didn’t respond, hoping she’ll catch on and leave me alone but knowing her, I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

She sighs, forcing a soft smile. “Aeron, how did you sleep?”

“Lyric,” I said, my voice flat, eyes still locked on the cupboard across the room, “I’ve gotten the food. You can go. I have things to attend to.”

“What’s wrong? Why are you sending me away?” Lyric asked, her face etched with concern.

“There’s nothing wrong. I’ve gotten the food. You can leave now.” I said, still avoiding her gaze.

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.” Her voice tightened just enough to betray the queenly mask.

“Nothing is wrong,” I reply, still not looking at her. “I just need you to leave.”

Silence.

“Is this because Alpha Marius imposed this marriage on us?” she asked. “You know I didn’t want any of this either, I’m just trying to make it work.”

“Stop trying,” I muttered. “It’s not going to work.”

Her jaw tensed. “It has to. For the sake of our kingdoms. Wasn’t that the whole reason our fathers called for an alliance using our marriage? You should prioritize the kingdom and the welfare of your people over everything else.”

I said nothing, keeping my eyes on the cupboard. Wooden. Silent. Safer than her gaze.

“Or is this because of another reason?” Lyric asked.

I still didn’t reply, praying she’d take the hint.

“Oh, I see. This is because of that girl who was exiled.” She scoffed. “She had it coming though.”

Something snapped in me.

“Don’t you dare talk about her again!” I growled, turning toward her, voice edged with the first real emotion I’ve allowed all morning.

Lyric didn't flinch. Instead, she chuckles — soft, cruel.

“Or what?” she says coolly. “You’ll strike me? You can’t touch me. My father would have your head. Or better yet, he’d have the head of that girl you care so much about. What’s her name again? Oh right. Eira.”

My vision flooded red.

My hand moved before I can think — raised in fury — but she catches it.

Mid-air. My eyes widened in shock as I stared at my hand in her clutches.

Her smile darkened into something else.

“Big mistake,” she said, and suddenly my body is no longer mine.

I ropse, weightless, lifted by an unseen force. My limbs seize, paralyzed by her spell, my body suspended mid-air.

“You practice magic?” I spit through clenched teeth. “Magic is forbidden for werewolves.”

She walks toward me, slow, deliberate.

“Oh but I’m not a full werewolf,” she purred, her voice like smoke curling under a door. “Didn’t you ever wonder about my bloodline, Aeron?”

She closed the distance between us until her breath brushes my lips. The scent of her was overwhelming.

“I want you, Aeron. I do.” Her nose touches mine, her voice hushed. “Even if you don’t want me — even if your heart belongs to someone else — can’t you just… satisfy me? Just this once?”

The air crackled with tension. My pulse hammered against the cage of my chest. She watched me like a lioness waiting for surrender.

She pressed her body against mine again, her lips brushing my jaw like a dare.

“Just once,” she whispered. “Pretend I’m her.”

And in the next moment, the spell lifted. I dropped hard onto my feet, knees bending under the sudden return of gravity.

The words sliced deeper than any blade. I closed my eyes.

I didn’t say yes.

I didn’t say no.

I let it happen.

We fell into bed like two storms colliding—mouths hungry, hands desperate. Her touch was heat without fire. Her voice, silk without warmth.

I didn’t kiss her because I wanted to.

I kissed her because I wanted to forget.

Her breath hitched against my throat, her hands tangling in my hair, her body curling into mine like we were lovers instead of prisoners of duty. I ripped her clothes and stared at the treasure beneath all that fabric.

I ripped my clothes and parted her legs. She stared at me, smiling in anticipation. I held my cock in my hands and stared at her hole for a while before plunging it into her. She gasped when she felt it inside her. I pounded her slowly and steadily before increasing my tempo causing her to moan my name.

I kept pounding her without an expression on my face but her on the other hand was moaning like crazy. She tangled her hands in my hair dragging me closer. She couldn’t get enough of me. I removed my cock momentarily and felt her cum over our sheets. She stared at me, breathing heavily, using her eyes to beg for more. I complied. I inserted my cock into her again pounding her with more vigor than before.

“Don’t… stop… Aeron… Don’t stop.” Lyric said, unable to keep her voice steady.

After a few minutes of continuous pounding, I felt pressure building at the base of my cock. I tired to pull out but Lyric crossed her legs over me, keeping me in place.

“In me.” She pleased.

“As you wish.” I replied as I emptied the content of my testes into her. I collapsed on the bed shortly afterwards lying next to her, staring at the ceiling overcome with a feeling of betrayal towards Eira. I knew I hurt her and doing this now didn’t make matters any better. I just hoped that I’d see her again to ask for forgiveness.