Chapter 6: Shadows of Regret

The heavy bronze doors of the Great Hall slammed shut with a deafening thud, cutting off the warmth of the Citadel and dumping Julian onto the snow-covered cobblestones. Cold mountain wind whipped against his face, but he barely felt it.

His hands shook in his lap.

She’s carrying my child.

The realization hit him like a physical blow. That faint, fluttering heartbeat he felt right before the guards hauled him away was no trick. Audrey was pregnant. He had kicked his own flesh and blood into the freezing night for a stack of financial ledgers and a political alliance that was now completely worthless.

"Get up, Julian!" Seraphina shrieked, yanking violently at his coat. Her dress was soaked through with dirty slush, her face twisted in absolute rage. "Do you have any idea what you just did? My father canceled our engagement on the spot! My family's name is ruined!"

Julian didn't look at her. He couldn't.

"Shut up, Seraphina," he muttered, his voice hollow.

"What did you say to me?!"

"I said shut up!" Julian snapped, pushing himself off the frozen ground. His hazel eyes burned red with unhinged fury. "You lied to me. Your father lied to me. You promised five hundred elite warriors and a secure trade line. Instead, you brought me ruin!"

"You're blaming me?!" Seraphina took a step back, her jaw dropping. "You're the fool who threw away the Royal Queen! You treated her like trash for five years! Don't you dare put this on my family!"

She turned on her heel and stormed toward her father’s luxury transport, leaving Julian completely alone in the freezing courtyard.

Inside the warmth of the Citadel’s inner sanctum, Audrey stood by the hearth, sipping warm herbal tea. The heavy midnight-blue mantle was gone, replaced by a simple silk gown.

A soft knock sounded before Commander Eric stepped inside, bowing his head.

"Alpha Julian has been escorted off the imperial grounds, Your Majesty," Eric reported. "Lady Seraphina's family publicly dissolved their alliance with the Vance Pack. They left him stranded at the lower gates."

Audrey took a slow sip, watching the flames crackle in the fireplace. Five years. She had given him five years of total devotion, and he had thrown it away in five minutes.

"And the pack territory?" she asked.

"Collapsing," Eric replied plainly. "Without your personal funds covering their trade debts, the southern banks called in their loans today. Their border patrol units haven't been paid in weeks. Rumors are spreading that rival Alpha factions are already gathering near Vance territory."

Audrey lowered her cup. She felt no thrill in his destruction, only a cold, quiet detachment.

"Let them gather," she said softly. "Julian made his bed. Now he gets to lie in it."

Eric paused, his silver eyes softening slightly. "And the child, my Queen? Julian felt the resonance during court. He knows."

Audrey rested her hand over her abdomen, feeling the tiny pulse beneath her palm.

"He might know," Audrey whispered, her voice tightening with iron resolve. "But he will never touch this child. My baby will grow up as an heir to an empire—not a bargaining chip for a desperate Alpha."

Before Eric could answer, a messenger burst into the chamber, dropping to one knee out of breath.

"Your Majesty! Emergency report from the lower pass!" the runner gasped. "Alpha Julian did not return to his packhouse. He’s marching alone toward the High Ridge... directly into the territory of the rogue Shadow Wolves.