LOGINEsmeralda's POVMarried.The word kept repeating in my head, and I still couldn't believe it was real.Hell, everything had happened so fast that I barely had time to process it. Only two hours after Caspian announced he was going to marry me, my father had arranged a small ceremony at the pack's private shrine.There were no flowers, no music, and no soft words of celebration. I had simply stood before the pack elders in my faded dress, my chest tight with panic.And now, it was done.I was officially the wife of the Beast King, a man rumored to have killed every woman he claimed. Worse still, he was the one person who could destroy me if he discovered the truth about the child growing inside me."Pack your things."My father's sharp voice broke through my thoughts.We stood in the hallway outside the shrine, and I turned to him, foolishly hoping for something. A hug, a word of comfort, or even the slightest sign that sending his daughter away bothered him.But Father merely stared at
Esmeralda POVUnpresentable.That was the only word that came to mind when I looked at myself in the mirror.Hell, after spending several minutes thinking about what I could possibly do to make the Beast King reject me, I'd finally come up with a plan. If I couldn't escape this marriage, then I'd make sure he was the one who refused it.And as I stared at my reflection, I couldn't stop the small smile that touched my lips. For the first time since learning about my fate, I felt like I had some control over what happened next.My hair was clean, but instead of allowing the maids to style it, I'd deliberately left it in a messy knot. I'd also rejected the beautiful dress Sofia and my father had chosen for me and picked an old, worn-out one instead. It wasn't exactly ugly, but it was far from the elegant appearance they wanted me to present.The fabric clung to my body, revealing the curves I'd spent years trying to hide because Sofia and Clara constantly reminded me that those same c
Esmeralda POVPregnant?!The healer's words struck me like a blade, and for a moment, everything around me stopped.The room became so quiet that all I could hear was the frantic pounding of my heart.Like for real, pregnant?I stared at the healer, waiting for her to shake her head and admit she'd made a mistake, but she didn't. Instead she simply returned my gaze with the same calm expression she'd worn since arriving.My lips parted, but no words came out.No...That couldn't be right.Hell, I'd been feeling strangely ill ever since that night with the stranger. Morning sickness, nausea, constant fatigue, and sleeping far more than usual. I'd noticed all of it, but it had never crossed my mind that pregnancy could be the reason. My family had assumed I'd caught some terrible disease, which was why they'd hurriedly called for the healer.But this?Nothing could have prepared me for this.Slowly, almost without thinking, I placed a trembling hand over my stomach. It still felt the
Caspian POV Dead bodies.That was the first thing I checked for the moment I opened my eyes.It was usually the first thing I looked for whenever I woke up after sleeping with a woman because that was my reality. No woman who climbed into my bed ever survived the night.That was who I was.The man everyone believed was cursed.However, that morning, when I opened my eyes and found the space beside me empty, I experienced something I hadn't felt in a long time.Confusion.I remained still, staring at the empty side of the bed. The sheets were disheveled, still carrying the faint scent of another person, but there was no lifeless body lying beside me.How?I slowly sat up, rubbing a tired hand over my face before removing the silver mask I'd worn to conceal my identity. Then I closed my eyes, trying to piece together what had happened the previous night.I remembered drinking a bottle of wine during the feast my people had organized for me. Then, without warning, everything had gone w
Valentina POV Pain.Hell, that was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes.A sharp ache throbbed in my head, my body felt unusually heavy, and a strange soreness made me freeze for a moment before I even understood where I was.For a few seconds, I simply stared into the darkness above me.What the hell happened to me ? Where the hell was I ?A soft groan escaped my lips as I slowly pushed myself upright. My muscles protested, forcing me to pause before looking around.I was in a dark room, almost completely covered in shadows. The only indication that morning had arrived was a thin stream of sunlight slipping through a small opening in the wall.I rubbed my throbbing temple and squeezed my eyes shut, desperately trying to remember how I'd ended up there.Then everything came rushing back.My father telling me I was going to marry the Beast King. Me running out of the house in tears. Stumbling into a celebration where someone offered me free wine.I remembered drinking... a lot
Valentina POV "No! I won't accept this! I didn't spend twenty years raising my daughter just to give her to that monster!"In all my twenty years, I had never heard my stepmother sound so frightened. Sofia rarely raised her voice, especially at my father, so hearing her shout loud enough for me to hear from my tiny room immediately caught my attention.I froze, my heart skipping a beat. I couldn't make out everything they were saying, but something in their voices told me something was terribly wrong.Before I could stop myself, I found myself outside my father's bedroom with my ear pressed against the cold wooden door, fully aware that eavesdropping was wrong and that I'd be punished if Father caught me.Still, I couldn't help it.Monster.The word kept echoing in my head.What monster? And which daughter were they talking about?"C'mon, Sofia, calm down," my father said tiredly. "You know there's nothing we can do. The order came directly from the council. We have to present one of







