FAZER LOGINCHAPTER 60The tavern near the lower market square was thick with the heavy scent of spilled ale, roasting meat, and woodsmoke, buzzing with the post-dusk chatter of off-duty guards, merchants, and low ranking pack members.In a shadowed booth near the back corner, tucked far away from the bright oil lanterns, Matriarch Malia sat across from two young handmaids who served in the outer guest quarters of the capital city. She kept her hood pulled low over her grey hair, her posture rigid as she surveyed the noisy room with unmitigated disgust.Malia casually slid a heavy velvet pouch across the sticky wooden table. The muffled clink of silver coins echoed softly beneath the ambient noise of the room."All you have to do," Malia whispered, her voice dropping into a smooth, poisonous purr, "is speak when you pour the wine for the visiting lords. Mention it casually while you tend the wash basins. Make sure the guards stationed near the outer court gates hear every word you say."The young
CHAPTER 59She swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to my mouth for a brief, breathless second before snapping back up to my eyes. The sheer vulnerability in her gaze made my heart thump wildly against my ribs."I need to get up," she murmured, her voice softening as she tried to sound serious, even as her fingers sub-consciously toyed with the collar of my tunic. "The state ledgers... the timber reports from yesterday. The council elders are going to expect my assessment on the southern trade by noon.""The council elders can wait," I said flatly."Malakor, I am the Chief Advisor," she protested, her eyebrows drawing together. "If I miss a morning session without a valid reason, Lord Vane and the rest of them will start whispering that I'm taking the position lightly.""Let them whisper," I replied, shifting my weight so I was hovering over her, trapping her beneath the cool silk of the sheets and the heavy heat of my body. "If any elder on that council has a problem with my Chief Advis
CHAPTER 58: Malakor I woke up with her soft, steady breathing against my collarbone and my wolf purring so hard deep in my chest that the feeling vibrated straight through my ribs.For the first time since taking the throne, my mind was completely quiet. There was no lingering edge in my blood, no restless itch to fight or conquer. Consummating our bond had sealed us—body, soul, and wolf. She was mine, fully and entirely, and having her wrapped in my arms made the rest of the world feel completely irrelevant.I looked down at her. Her dark hair was sprawled wildly across my chest, and one of her legs was hooked over mine under the heavy velvet duvet.I leaned down and pressed a slow, lazy kiss into the crown of her head, inhaling the rich scent of pine and warm skin that belonged only to her.Vaelira stirred. Her breath hitched against my skin, her long eyelashes fluttering open. For a split second, she looked slightly dazed and then the exact memory of last night seemed to hit her a
CHAPTER 57: Malakor The scratch of Vaelira’s quill was the only sound left in the study. She had been bent over the same stack of trade tariffs for the last hour, her brow furrowed, her lips pressed into a faint, stubborn line of concentration.I sat across the low table from her, my arms crossed over my chest, watching her ignore me completely. Deep in my chest, my Lycan beast paced back and forth, low rumbles of impatience stirring against my ribs. My inner wolf had zero interest in grain counts or border taxes—he wanted our mate, and he was furious at being made to wait.Since taking up her position as Chief Advisor, Vaelira had developed a habit of treating state documents with far more attention than she showed her King. Every time I tried to speak to her, she would offer a distracted nod, her dark eyes darting right back to parchment.I stood up, the legs of my heavy chair scraping quietly against the polished floor. I didn't say a word. I simply walked around the table, stopp
CHAPTER 56The news traveled through the high-born circles of the capital with the speed of a winter gale, and it hit the private quarters of the Vespera household like a physical blow.Elodia paced the length of the withdrawing room, her chest heaving beneath a gown of embroidered silk, her nails digging hard into her palms. The servants had been whispering in the corridors, and the words had grated against her skin until she felt sick with fury."She refused it?" Elodia snapped, spinning around to face her mother, her voice pitching up into a shrill, trembling note. "Seraphine—the Luna of the Voss Pack, the leader of the most exclusive circle of noblewomen in the entire realm, walked into the palace, paid courtly respects, and invited that kitchen rat to join their ranks? And the wretched girl had the audacity to turn her down?!"Mother sat stiffly on the pink settee, her face pinched into a bitter, disapproving frown, though her eyes betrayed a nervous flicker of panic."Keep your
CHAPTER 55: Vaelira's POV The rest of the week was quiet, court meetings, elders' pride... no one dared say a word against me. They were too embarrassed to even raise their heads.The morning sun filtered through the tall stained-glass windows of the Queen’s receiving chamber, casting long, geometric patterns of amber and gold across the polished marble floor. I stood near the high arched windows, reviewing a ledger of grain distribution for the border villages, my mind quiet and focused.Standing attentively behind my right shoulder was Leandra. Her hand rested on the hilt of her ceremonial blade, her sharp gaze scanning the entryways as she fulfilled her duty as my sworn guard. She had congratulated me multiple times just this week, proud that I showed those obnoxious people who was Queen.I chuckled at how it felt like she was the one who got the position not me.A sharp, formal knock echoed through the chamber, followed by the head steward announcing, "Lady Seraphine of the Voss







