Semua Bab Surrogate Bride To The Alpha Stand-in: Bab 141 - Bab 150

"You cannot mean this, Your Grace," Scarlet said, her hand tightening around the scroll. "If Your Highness bears no heir... who then shall inherit the throne once I have signed this?"There was a pause, heavy and deliberate."That decision shall rest with His Majesty and myself, Scarlet," the queen replied at length.And then, Lena stilled.She sensed him. The king was approaching. She could feel it in the stillness of the air, and smell the faint trace of cedar and steel that always accompanied him.The queen reached out to reclaim the scroll, her hand extended with quiet grace. "Worry not, if you are unwilling—"But Scarlet withdrew the scroll swiftly, just out of her reach. She turned to Isadora and took the feathered quill from her hands. With a firm breath, she signed her name.She placed the scroll on the table, her expression tight, her displeasure unmistakable as she rose to her feet.“See that the goods are delivered to her,” the queen said softly to Isadora, quickly tucking

"Why?" the king inquired, his voice low and strained."I asked if anything troubled you, and you lied," he continued. "Why would you lie to me, Aimee? Do you think I am so useless to you that I cannot help carry your burdens?"She faltered, her steps soft as she moved closer to him."My king... I did not wish to trouble you with such weight.""You could not lay your burden upon me?" he asked, his voice rising just slightly. "Then what am I to you? If my role as your husband matters so little, if you cannot lean on me, why call me your mate at all? Why do you keep lying to me and making me look the fool?"Tears welled in her eyes. Magdalena lowered her head, guilt pressing upon her chest."I am sorry," she whispered, and the words came again, broken and quiet. "I am so sorry."He was moved by her sorrow. He wanted to draw her into his arms, to offer comfort. But he did not. If he held her now, she would not understand the gravity of her actions."Did anyone force your hand?" he asked a

The people lined the road in great number as the royal chariots passed, bearing Queen Magdalena, Varkoness Milicent, Princess Emelia, and Lady Lilith. Their wheels rolled solemnly through the heart of the werewolf kingdom, greeted by both praise and scorn.Cries rang out among the crowd, a swelling tide of voices. Some hailed the Queen as the Red Beast, throwing leaves in reverence, while others spat upon the disgraced pack leaders as they were paraded through the streets.The three former leaders of the werewolf packs were bound in chains, dragged behind by soldiers of their own kind, their dignity stripped and their heads bowed low. Among the retinue were warriors and emissaries from the Lycan kingdom, bearing the emblems of peace hard-won and justice delivered.Though the old enmity between Lycans and werewolves still simmered beneath the surface, on this day, the people found common cause. The ones who had kindled the war, who had shattered kinship and peace, now hung their heads

Two Weeks Later"Where is she?" inquired the Prophetess of the Lycan Kingdom as she entered the royal chamber.Queen Magdalena had been tormented by strange visions for days unending. Her strength waned with each passing dawn. Oftentimes she would faint following her sightings, and worse still, any soul she laid hands upon would reveal to her the moment of their ruin. Whether by death, despair, or fleeting joy, she saw it all. Yet, no glimpse was ever granted of her own fate, nor that of her beloved. Her future remained cloaked in silence, as though the gods themselves withheld it.At her side stood the young priestess, Akila, known throughout the kingdom as the Eye of the Gods. Though youthful in appearance, her countenance bore the weight of celestial knowledge.A vision had been revealed to Akila the night before.She had seen the heavens stir. A single star and a moon had appeared in unison, and from their meeting, a third star was born. This child of the heavens shone with a bril

Present day"You shall have nothing to do with any wolf, Emelia," Queen Catherine called after her daughter, her voice sharp as steel, echoing through the stone corridor like the bark of a wild beast."Say that to those you still control, Mother," Emelia replied coldly, never once turning."How dare you defy me? All that I have done has been for your future, yet you turn your back as if it were filth." Her voice quivered with fury.Emelia halted in the courtyard, the air thick with silence between them. She turned slowly, her eyes calm yet resolute. "Then cease, Mother. Cease doing such things in my name, for I want none of it. You have failed me grievously. I am not the firstborn child of this kingdom. I was never destined to be queen.""You were born a princess and my daughter. That alone binds your path. Your life is not your own to shape. To take a wolf as mate is an abomination. It cannot stand. I shall choose a worthy Lycan beast for you."Emelia let out a bitter laugh, one fill