Chapter 33

Lois was escorted to the North Palace and brought to its grand library. Her heart was pounding as she opened the large golden doors and saw Jacinta seated and reading softly to the children. The sextuplets’ heads were bent forward as they listened.

The moment they saw her, they rose immediately.

Lois dropped to her knees, gathering them into her arms, her lips covering their faces with kisses. Her heart thundered in her chest, and her hands trembled. She began to sob.

Jacinta understood her heartbreak and, for once, didn’t stop her. For the first time in three weeks, she allowed Lois a long and emotional reunion.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Jacinta said softly, her own voice shaking with emotion.

Lois finally let go. Her eyes fell on the children’s outfits—beautiful, costly silk embroidered with the royal crest. Their hair had been styled into curls, their feet slipped into leather slippers, and their postures were upright.

Conall reached for her face and touched her cheek gently. “Where have you been, Mother?”

She didn’t know what to say. She couldn't risk them hating her again. She tried to speak but her voice broke. She swallowed hard.

“I was in a neighboring kingdom,” she whispered. “I had to handle some business.” She hugged Conall again and allowed herself to cry.

“Will you leave us again?” Cera asked, her eyes wide and scared.

“No,” Lois said, hugging her. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be staying in this palace.”

“But—aren’t we supposed to go home?” Conan asked, confused. “Will we live here?”

“This is home,” Lois said gently. “You are royalty.”

The children looked at one another with puzzled expressions.

“Mother, if we’re royalty… does that mean our strong uncle is our father?” Conall asked.

“The one whose power is effortless, like Father's?” Conan added.

All six turned to her, waiting.

“You are the royal sextuplets of the Great Hale Kingdom. Alpha King Karl is your father,” Lois said, eyes welling again. “I know you have many questions, and I’ll answer them.”

Jacinta stepped forward. “Children, go to your rooms. Your mother and I have a lot to talk about.”

Once they were gone, Lois collapsed into the nearest chair.

“So he abducted them,” she said with trembling fury.

“I didn’t question the order,” Jacinta replied calmly. “When I went back to get Cera, Cirila, and Conan, a black carriage was waiting. The guards said the house had to be emptied for the royal sextuplets. Everything moved fast. We were escorted to the capital and brought here.”

Lois stared at her. Then she began to recount her side—how Karl had taken her from Bienville Palace, how he kept her locked up in the West Palace like a prisoner.

“He said he would only let me care for them if I agreed to his conditions. I begged him. I threatened him. I was desperate to be near them. I had to accept,” Lois said, nearly choking on the words.

“What conditions?” Jacinta asked.

“That I no longer be their mother. That I be treated like a slave, and only serve as their nanny.” Her voice broke again. “He gave me no choice.”

Jacinta inhaled slowly. “So, what are you going to do?”

“I will do whatever he asks—as long as I can be with my children.”

ꁞ ꁞ ꁞ ꁞ

In Lady Vetta’s study, Sandra paced while her mother stared coldly ahead.

“If the King doesn’t act soon, I’ll act myself,” Sandra hissed.

Her mother’s lips twisted. “We must erase her. And the children.”

Sandra’s face lit up. “What should we do?”

Lady Vetta was silent for a moment. “I don’t know yet. But we will find a way.”

Sandra groaned. “She’ll use those children against me. If he ever names her as their real mother…”

“That cannot happen,” her mother snapped. “That would crown her as Luna Queen. The ministers will grumble, but they’ll fall in line. Just like last time.”

Sandra scowled. “I won’t let that happen.”

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

At night, the children were asleep. Lois quietly visited each room. Coen was alone—he had refused to share a room.

His room was huge, big enough for ten. His personal attendant stood nearby as Lois entered.

“He just fell asleep,” the attendant said, bowing.

Lois kissed Coen’s forehead softly. “Take care of him. Do you understand your role?”

“We all do. Each child has a personal attendant now,” he replied respectfully.

Lois walked to Cirila’s room next. Jacinta slept beside her. She stirred when Lois entered and smiled faintly.

“You should sleep,” Jacinta whispered.

“I’m fine. You go back to sleep,” Lois replied, brushing Cirila’s hair back.

Jacinta opened her eyes. “What happened with your stepsister?”

“She was shocked to see me.”

Jacinta’s voice turned serious. “Be careful. You’re not alone here anymore.”

“I know. If she ever lays a hand on my children, I will kill her.”

ꁞ ꁞ ꁞ ꁞ

The next morning…

“Your Majesty, the hunting team is ready,” Wolfe said, helping Alpha Karl into his cloak.

“Do the court members know?” Karl asked.

“Rumors, nothing more. The staff doesn’t speak openly.”

Karl nodded. Outside his chamber, Sandra waited. She curtsied.

“May the gods guide you, Your Majesty.”

Before he could reply, the guards handed him a small wrapped gift.

“Prince Conall says this is for luck,” they said.

Karl was surprised but said nothing. He opened it: a carved wolf made of bone.

Sandra’s lips thinned.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

In the main hall, the children were having breakfast.

“This is how they treat us now,” Cirila whispered to Lois. “Please don’t leave us again.”

“We’ll stay together,” Lois replied gently. “Now eat.”

Their plates were sampled by tasters before they could eat—a precaution for royals.

“Will you follow us to the academy, Mother?” Cera asked.

The servants in the room stiffened at the word Mother.

Lois smiled weakly. “May I have a moment alone with the children?”

The maids bowed and left.

“In public, you must call me Lady Marrok,” she said softly.

“Then call me Lord Cahir Silvermane,” Cahir said with a grin. The kids burst into laughter.

Lois chuckled but her heart ached. Being called “Mother” openly could cost her everything. Karl hadn’t officially granted her the title.

Suddenly, a maid burst in. “Lady Marrok, you are summoned to the South Palace.”

Lois frowned. “The South Palace?”

Berra nodded. “Lady Sandra wants to see you.”

Lois turned pale. “I won’t go.”

“You must,” Berra whispered. “She insists.”

Lois sighed and looked at Jacinta. “Watch them until I return.”

She was led through the marble corridors to Sandra’s chamber.

Sandra was seated on a plush chair, a fruit basket in hand.

“I was wondering when you’d show,” she said coldly.

“What is this about?” Lois asked, stepping inside.

“You’ve changed. From a lowly slave to this,” Sandra said with disgust.

“Don’t speak my father’s name with that mouth,” Lois snapped.

“You should be grateful I let you live,” Sandra sneered.

Lois’s eyes narrowed. “Are you done?”

“I just wanted to say hello.”

“I’ll go back to my children.”

“Do you remember that you’re the reason I can’t bear children?” Sandra hissed.

Lois turned back, eyes flashing. “I didn’t touch your womb. You made your choices. Don’t blame me.”

“I’ll make more choices,” Sandra said darkly.

“You go near my children, and I’ll make a choice too,” Lois said. “And you’ll regret it.”

“Oh, is that how you speak to your sister?”

“Don’t ever call yourself that again.”

Lady Vetta appeared suddenly. “How are you, Lois?”

Lois stiffened. She remembered her days of torment—hunger, cold, pain.

“You look well,” Vetta said sweetly. “Still brave. Still bold.”

“Why am I here?” Lois asked.

“We just wanted to know what trick you used. You must have done something unnatural. How do we know those children are even the King’s?”

Lois froze.

“How dare you?” she whispered.

“Respect your stepmother,” Vetta snapped.

“I am Lady Marrok, governess of the royal sextuplets. Your place in my father’s estate remains unrecognized. You are nothing.”

The two women stared in shock as Lois turned and walked away, head high.

“That was her,” Vetta whispered.

“She’s changed,” Sandra said. “Stronger.”

“Why would Karl make her governess?”

“Because he’s hiding something.”

“This is war,” Lady Vetta said.

“And I will destroy her,” Sandra whispered.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Later that nightfall, Alpha Karl returned from the hunt. His arrival alone sent a chill through Lois’s bones. Six years ago, whenever he came back at dusk, it always meant one thing—her body would be used, punished, and broken beneath him. And now that she had been reduced to nothing more than his sex slave, she knew not to expect anything less.

Just as she had feared, a summons came for her. The maids bathed her, brushed and perfumed her hair until it gleamed like dark silk. They painted her lashes, oiled her skin until it glowed, and finally slipped a flimsy gown over her body—a garment so sheer it could hardly be called clothing. It was made to expose, to invite, to make her his plaything.

After ensuring the sextuplets were sound asleep, she was escorted in silence through shadowed halls, smuggled into a carriage, and taken across the palace grounds. Her heart twisted painfully when the wheels rolled into the West Palace. When the carriage stopped, Lois was led to the steps—those same dreadful steps she had climbed six years ago, when she was still helpless, branded a sinner, and first delivered into his hands.

Inside, the familiar chamber swallowed her whole. Heavy velvet curtains in royal purple draped from ebony walls, the air thick with the faint burn of candlewax. A massive mahogany four-poster bed dominated the room, carved with wicked precision and veiled with dark curtains. The room stank of power, lust, and danger. This was where her nightmares had always begun.

“Lay down. On the bed.”

His voice rumbled from the shadows, deep and commanding. She could hardly see his face, only the sheer breadth of his body—his sculpted chest, ridged abs, and a frame that radiated both raw strength and menace.

Her throat went dry. Her heart thundered. And despite the terror, butterflies stirred low in her stomach. She hated it. She hated the way her body still reacted to him, even when she knew torment awaited her.

Lois stepped hesitantly toward the bed.

“Halt.”

The single word cracked like a whip. She froze instantly. He stalked up behind her, his presence suffocating. His rough hand clamped around the nape of her neck, sending a violent shiver down her spine. Goosebumps erupted across her skin as though her body betrayed her.

Then he dragged her back against him. Her ass pressed against the solid length of his arousal, thick and unyielding, pushing against the thin fabric of her gown. Heat surged through her traitorous body, an ache twisting in her belly.

She wanted to touch him. She wanted to feel him. But hatred surged just as strong. She loathed him. She reminded herself she was nothing more than his slave—his property, never his mate.

With a vicious rip, Karl tore the gown from her body, leaving her bare and trembling. Candlelight kissed the curves of her frame—her flawless skin, her cinched waist, the perfect hourglass lines that even she wished he would not notice. But he did.

His hands seized her breasts from behind, kneading roughly, dragging a helpless moan from her throat. She choked it back, horrified at the sound, but it was too late. His touch had already ignited her nerves.

“Ahh—”

The moan broke again when his palms slid lower, cupping her ass, squeezing hard. Then he shoved her forward, forcing her onto the bed. His palm cracked against her ass, sharp pain burning into her skin.

Lois whimpered.

“Do you like that? Do you want this so bad you had to stab my mate?” His voice was a snarl, venom dripping from every word. He struck her again, and she swallowed down the sob rising in her throat.

Before she could catch her breath, he forced her legs apart. She gasped in pain as his hand invaded her, three thick fingers plunging mercilessly into her. The intrusion was brutal, relentless, yet her body betrayed her, soaking wet, her legs quivering uncontrollably.

Her cries filled the chamber, sharp and broken, until a sudden stretch made her jolt. His cock—thick, hard, and monstrous—pressed into her. Slowly, agonizingly, he pushed in. Lois yelped, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood.

Six years of deprivation made her unbearably tight. The invasion was fire, pain, and unbearable fullness. But beneath it, insidiously, was the pulse of pleasure that clawed at her sanity.

With a guttural growl, Karl slammed forward, burying himself deep. Lois cried out, the sound torn from her lungs.

He didn’t stop. He drove into her over and over, each thrust harder, deeper, faster. Her body shook violently, tears streaming as her voice broke into ragged moans.

“Ahh—” she screamed, but his hand clamped over her mouth, gagging her. His other hand wrapped around her throat, choking, controlling her completely. Her eyes blurred with tears, her lungs burning for air.

Still he thrust, his cock pounding into her slick heat, stretching her, filling her, veins throbbing against her inner walls. Her sheath clenched desperately around him, her body betraying her as his heavy sack slapped against her with every brutal stroke.

The pain was sharp, raw, but twisted with unbearable pleasure. She hated herself for the way she moaned into his palm.

“I will break you, Lois,” he growled into her ear, his voice thick with lust and wrath.

And as his thrusts grew faster, harsher, her tears fell freely—because she believed him.