All Chapters of Alpha King's Luna: The Chosen Mate vs The Contenders: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

"You're going to die."Seraphina's words sat in Aria's chest like stones. Three days had passed since the old witch said them, and they still hadn't moved. Not even an inch.Aria stood at the window of her room, watching the competitors train below. Her body had healed from the fight with Vivian. The bruises were gone. The cuts had closed. But something inside her felt cracked open and raw, like a wound no healer could reach."The next blood moon is in six months, child. The question is: are you willing to die to save the men you love?"She pressed her forehead against the cold glass."I don't even know if I love them yet," she whispered to no one.But that was a lie, wasn't it? She felt the bond pulling at her every second of the day. Two threads tied to her ribs, one warm and one cold, both tugging her toward men she barely knew but somehow couldn't live without.A knock at the door pulled her back."Aria?" Luna's voice came through, soft and careful. "They're posting the results fr

"Good morning, competitor Blackwood. I trust you slept well?"King Darius's voice was cold as winter steel. He stood on the raised platform overlooking the training grounds, arms behind his back, his face completely blank. Not a flicker of warmth. Not a hint of the man who'd held her through the night.Aria kept her expression neutral. "Very well, Your Majesty. Thank you."King Orion didn't even look at her. He was speaking with one of the judges, his posture stiff, his jaw set. When Aria walked past, he moved slightly—just enough to put more distance between them.It stung. Even knowing it was an act, it stung."Don't let it get to you," Blake said, falling into step beside her. "The kings treat every competitor the same. It's protocol.""I know.""You don't look like you know. You look like someone kicked your puppy."Aria forced a laugh. "I don't have a puppy.""You have a wolf. Close enough." Blake handed her a training schedule. "We've got two weeks before the next trial. The Tri

"You're distracted."Luna threw a training pad at Aria's face. It bounced off her forehead."Ow! What was that for?""You've been staring into space for ten minutes. We're supposed to be preparing for the wisdom trial, and you're off in dreamland." Luna dropped onto the grass beside her. "Talk to me."They were in the gardens, far enough from the training grounds that no one could overhear. The afternoon sun was warm, and the air smelled like roses and cut grass."I'm just thinking.""About your two secret mates who happen to be the kings?"Aria winced. "Keep your voice down.""There's nobody here." Luna scooted closer. "Aria, you've barely talked to me in a week. Every night you disappear. Every morning you come back looking like you've been—well, you know. And don't tell me it's training because training doesn't leave that kind of mark behind your ear."Aria slapped her hand to her neck. "I thought I covered that.""You did. It shifted when you bent over."Aria groaned. If Luna coul

"Disqualification is off the table."Darius said it like the words tasted rotten. He stood behind his desk, his hands flat on the surface, his jaw tight enough to crack stone.Aria sat in Blake's office, listening through the thin wall. She shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but Blake had left the connecting door open—on purpose, she suspected."How is that possible?" Orion's voice came through, hot with disbelief. "We have evidence. Crystal-clear evidence. She tampered with proposals.""And Knox has political cover that runs deeper than we thought." That was Blake, speaking from somewhere in Darius's study. "He called in favors from three council elders before the investigation even started. They're pushing for a reduced punishment—point deduction, not removal.""A point deduction." Orion laughed, but it was bitter. "She cheated. She sabotaged another competitor. And she gets a slap on the wrist because her father has friends?""Welcome to politics," Darius said.Silence. Then Orion

"You've been watching me."Aria's voice was steady, but her pulse wasn't. She stood face to face with Knox in the herb garden, a place she'd chosen specifically because it was open and visible from a dozen castle windows.Knox raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?""Your daughter follows me. You ask questions about my bloodline. You show up wherever I am." She crossed her arms. "I'm not stupid, Beta Knox. What do you want?"For a moment, something sharp flickered behind his polished smile. Then it was gone, replaced by the warm, fatherly expression he wore like a mask."My dear girl, you're mistaken. I take an interest in all the competitors. As Royal Beta, it's my duty—""Your duty is to serve the kings. Not interrogate their competitors about dead mothers and white wolves."His smile thinned. Just barely. "You're bold. I respect that.""I don't need your respect. I need you to stop."She turned and walked away. Her back was straight. Her hands were shaking. She shoved them in her p