เข้าสู่ระบบThe attendants fluttered around me like nervous birds, adjusting my dress, fixing my hair, dabbing more powder on my face until I wanted to sneeze. This morning marked a month since Lukas and I had claimed each other in private, our mutual marks causing scandal throughout the kingdom. Today, we would do it again—publicly, formally—but on our terms. No public mating, no promises to obey, just two equals binding themselves before witnesses. Lily caught my eye in the mirror and rolled her eyes at a particularly fussy attendant, making me bite back a smile. From scrubbing floors to this—sometimes I still couldn't believe it.
"Hold still, My Queen," one attendant murmured, sliding what felt like the hundredth hairpin into my curls. The weight of my hair piled atop my head made my neck ache already, and the ceremony hadn't even begun."I think if you add one more pin, her head might fall off," Lily remarked dryly from where she lounged on a nearby chaise. Her silver gownSunlight crept across my face, warm and insistent, pulling me from dreams I couldn't quite remember. I blinked, orienting myself in the vast expanse of our bed, the silk sheets cool against my skin. Beside me, Lukas was already awake, his bare chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm as he read through what looked like reports. Even in these private moments, the Alpha King never truly rested. I shifted, and his ice-blue eyes immediately found mine, his lips curving into that rare smile reserved only for me. The crown from yesterday sat on the bedside table, catching light in its delicate silver filigree – a tangible reminder that I was no longer just Amelia the servant, but Queen Amelia Volkov, formally claimed before all."Good morning, my Queen," Lukas murmured, setting his papers aside to brush a strand of copper hair from my face. His fingers lingered against my cheek, the touch gentle despite the power I knew those hands contained."Good morning," I replied
I moved through the crowded ballroom on Lukas's arm, a glass of champagne in my free hand that I'd barely sipped. The claiming ball was in full swing—music floating above the hum of conversation, wolves from every pack in the territory moving through elaborate social dances that had nothing to do with the steps played by the orchestra. Each smile, each bow, each carefully worded congratulations carried layers of meaning that I was still learning to decode. A month as Queen had taught me much, but centuries of pack politics couldn't be absorbed so quickly. Still, I kept my spine straight, my smile serene, and my responses measured. Whatever they thought of the servant girl turned Queen, they would find no weakness to exploit tonight."Alpha Queen Amelia," Elder Raphael approached with a bow that managed to be both precise and somehow minimising. "The ceremony was... unique. Your influence on our traditions is already being felt.""Thank you, Elder," I replied, match
I guided Amelia back up the aisle, her hand resting in the crook of my arm as we made our way through the ancient grove. The ceremony had gone exactly as we'd planned—our matched vows, our declaration of equality, the official recognition of her as Alpha Queen rather than Luna. Her crown caught the dappled sunlight as we walked, the delicate metal work appearing to shimmer with its own inner light. I had commissioned it in secret, wanting her to have something uniquely hers rather than a recycled heirloom from queens who had submitted rather than ruled. Her spine was straight, her chin high, and I felt pride surge through me with each step we took together.Music swelled around us, the traditional claiming melody transformed into something more triumphant by the musicians I'd specifically selected for their progressive leanings. The crowd rose as we passed, bowing with varying degrees of sincerity. I noted which faces showed genuine respect and which merely went through the
High Priest Edmundson turned to me first, his weathered face solemn yet kind as he prepared to lead me through the vows. The grove had fallen silent, hundreds of wolves watching as I—a former servant, an orphan, a girl who had been cast aside—prepared to claim the Alpha King as my equal. The sunlight filtering through ancient branches dappled the stone dais beneath our feet, creating patterns that shifted like living things. I felt Athena stir within me, her golden presence warming my blood as the most important moment of our shared existence approached. The mark on my neck—Lukas's claim—tingled in recognition of what we were about to do."Amelia," the priest began, using only my first name as we'd requested, another break from the formal titles tradition demanded. "Will you recite your vows to Lukas?"I turned to face my mate, taking both his hands in mine. His eyes—ice blue with flecks of Ares's gold—held mine with unwavering certainty. A month ago, those eyes ha
I offered Amelia my arm, drinking in the sight of her one final time before we faced the crowd. The delicate crown I'd commissioned sat perfectly atop her copper curls, the diamonds catching light with her slightest movement. She looked every inch a queen—my queen—though I knew the gathered crowd wouldn't all see her that way. Some would never see past the servant girl she had been, their minds too rigid to accept the transformation. Their loss. I had recognized her strength from the moment I found her in that basement room, defiant despite her circumstances. Today, everyone else would be forced to acknowledge what I had known instantly: she was born to rule."Ready?" I asked, feeling her fingers tighten around my forearm."As I'll ever be," she replied, her voice steady despite the flutter of her pulse against my skin.We moved through the palace corridors in perfect synchronisation, something we'd mastered over the past month. Guards and servants bowed a
The attendants fluttered around me like nervous birds, adjusting my dress, fixing my hair, dabbing more powder on my face until I wanted to sneeze. This morning marked a month since Lukas and I had claimed each other in private, our mutual marks causing scandal throughout the kingdom. Today, we would do it again—publicly, formally—but on our terms. No public mating, no promises to obey, just two equals binding themselves before witnesses. Lily caught my eye in the mirror and rolled her eyes at a particularly fussy attendant, making me bite back a smile. From scrubbing floors to this—sometimes I still couldn't believe it."Hold still, My Queen," one attendant murmured, sliding what felt like the hundredth hairpin into my curls. The weight of my hair piled atop my head made my neck ache already, and the ceremony hadn't even begun."I think if you add one more pin, her head might fall off," Lily remarked dryly from where she lounged on a nearby chaise. Her silver gown







