The Lycan King's Hybrid Bitch Queen

Chapter OneAshlyn’s POVMy head was completely still.My mind, utterly silent, as angry roars rent the air.This close, their fury was palpable.Hands dragged me roughly across the palace courtyard. Not caring that the sharp cobblestones were scraping my raw skin open. Or that the heat from the sun-baked stones was searing my bleeding wounds.And most definitely, not caring that the pregnant woman they condemned for murder was their very own High Luna.“Husband Killer!” Someone in the crowd screamed as something wet hit my face.Rotten fruit. The putrid smell filled my nose, mixing with the metallic smell of my blood.I was soaked in it.I swallowed, fighting nausea as my eyes lifted to the front of the lines, where the attack had come from.Shouting faces blurred together in the mob. Some foreign to me; others were pack members I had personally helped.The mother whose child I saved from the pox last winter. The guard whose arm I stitched back together after a rogue attack. The yo

Chapter THREEHunter’s POVI slammed my glass on the table forcefully. My jaw tightened as the liquor spilled over the rim.It stained my papers, but I didn’t bother to wipe them.Instead, my eyes stayed on the numbers as I growled.“How bad?” “Bad enough.” Across the desk, my beta, Alex, didn’t hesitate as he shifted more reports to me. “Already, five infirmaries are at full capacity. We started trying to redirect some patients, but… “ He trailed. “The lower districts were hit the worst, and they can’t afford treatment.”My wolf hammered beneath my skin.There was still no cure.I had pulled the best healers to the capital city, poured in as much money and resources as we could spare. Still nothing.The strange sickness ate at my people, ravaging the weaker wolves and moving into the pack.“How fast is it spreading?”“Faster than we can contain,” Alex admitted, dragging a hand through his hair. His eyes held dark bags. “It started in the river district, but now, it’s moving inward.”

CHAPTER 6Ashlyn’s POVThe rest of the night, I couldn’t sleep.I lay frozen in bed. Trembling and trying to control my sobs while Hunt was passed out beside me.Was this punishment? To be reborn in a world where my husband hated me? Death would be more merciful. My suppressed sobs choked me all night, and sometime near dawn, I finally passed out.The next morning, shouting dragged me awake. I rolled over with a groan, pulling the covers over my ears to muffle out the noise.But it got louder and closer.What was—“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY! NOW!”A woman’s loud voice pulled me from my sleep. And I barely had a second to open my eyes before my bedroom door burst open.“HUNTER!”I scrambled back, clutching the covers to my chest, and froze as the woman’s voice rippled through the room.Lucinda?Her dark curls came into view, and my body shuddered with relief.One more familiar face from my past life. Lucinda was Hunt’s childhood best friend, but after my wedding, she had become m

CHAPTER 7Ashlyn’s POVThe heavy silk of the skirts hissed, dragging against the stone floors.Like a cymbal, each jingle of my gold bracelets made my pulse race faster. The corset dug into my skin with every breath and the red gown clung to my body like a second skin.It was all too much. The servants walking ahead didn’t speak. Neither did I.I had one goal tonight.Hunt.Whatever had gone wrong between us in this world, I would fix it. I had to.We turned the final corner and as I caught sight of myself in the long gilded mirror lining the wall, my steps faltered.Who was the woman staring back at me?Blonde curls pinned high. Gold dripping from my wrists and throat.I barely recognized the woman staring back at me.And the dress…The gown was beautiful; there was no denying that.But the deep plunging neckline and deep red fabric that hugged every curve of my body made me feel uneasy.The material cascaded down in a shimmer of blood and jewels. And the back… was almost completely

CHAPTER 9Ashlyn’s POV“Kneel. Apologize to my dead mate.”Hunt’s words sent another ripple through the breathless court. While I just stood there, half laughing, half losing my mind.A queen never bows her head. A queen never kneels before her subjects.Unless the moment she is crowned. Never before. Never after.“Do you understand what you’re asking me?” My voice was a foreign whisper, even to my own ears.To kneel before the entire court and apologize to a dead woman would be to acknowledge her as the true Luna Queen and me as— “Kneel,” Hunt ordered again. His face, an unmoving mask of hatred.Cold laughter clawed my throat as I shook my head in disbelief. This didn’t make sense. To punish me was one thing. But to publicly strip me of my respect— “No.” My words tasted like ash as my tears blurred my vision. “You can’t do this.” My curled nails dug into my palm as I stood my ground. “I am the high Luna. Even if I wanted to, I cannot kneel before the court.”Sharp inhales went up