All Chapters of Rejected By The Alpha King, Claimed By The Lycan King: Chapter 201 - Chapter 210

Scarlet’s POVThe vault was dead quiet except for Damien’s muffled sobs into Kaeler’s blanket.I stood right behind him, my hand hovering over his broad, shaking back. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck, pull him against my chest, and tell him the nightmare was over. But every time I moved, the silver mark on my collarbone pulsed hot, reminding me that the nightmare hadn't ended—it had just changed shape.Damien slowly lifted his head from the crib. He gently pulled his finger free from Kaeler’s tiny grip, tucking the wool blanket tight around the boy's chest before glancing over at Kaelor and Kaelia. His dark eyes were red-rimmed, wet with tears, but the wild, crazed look he had carried since walking through the courtyard gates was gone.He pushed himself up to his feet, groaning as his ribs protested. He wiped his face with the back of his dirty forearm, smearing soot into his beard, and turned around to face me."Scarlet," he said, his voice quiet, thick with emotion."Damien

Scarlet’s POVThe courtyard went deathly quiet.The clinking of tools at the armory stopped. The healers froze with their bandages halfway wrapped. Every single set of eyes turned away from the maps and locked straight onto Joel.Joel stood frozen on the steps of the healing porch. His face had lost every scrap of color, his dark eyes wide and fixed on the kneeling scout like he had just heard a ghost speak his name."Theandor," Damien whispered, his voice low and dangerous.He didn't look at the scout. His head turned slowly toward Joel, his jaw tightened."They were wiped out," Joel said, his voice coming out rough and uneven as he walked down the steps toward our table. "Morgathis tore through the high citadels before she ever marched on this valley. I watched the silver halls burn with my own eyes. My father, my kin—none of them survived.""Apparently, someone did," Damien replied, his tone devoid of warmth. "And they followed your scent straight to my gates."The heavy iron doors

Scarlet’s POV"Which one of us are you going to kill, Scarlet?" he asked again.I couldn't breathe. My hands shook so hard I had to tuck them into the sleeves of my coat."I don't know, Damien," I choked out, tears running hot down my face. "You think I wanted this? You think I planned to tie a noose around my own neck while you were gone?"Damien didn't yell. That was what made it worse. If he had screamed, thrown a punch, or shifted into his wolf and roared at the sky, I could have fought back. But he just stood there, looking hollow, like a statue."You took his mark," Damien said, his voice flat. "You gave him your bed, your body, and your soul. And now the elves come to collect the bill.""Damien, leave her out of it," Joel rasped, stepping up from the side. He held his bruised shoulder with his good hand, his knuckles white. "She didn't know about the royal curse. I didn't know my aunt's coven was even breathing. Punish me if you want, but don't look at her like she committed a

Scarlet’s POVThe stairs up to the nursery felt five times longer than before.My thighs ached with every step, the raw muscle pulling deep where childbirth had torn me open. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the cold lead sitting in my belly.Three days.I pushed through the heavy oak door. Sasha jumped to her feet, clutching a silver basin of warm water. The room was warm, heated by two bronze braziers full of sweet-smelling pine embers. In the center of the chamber, lined up on a thick bear pelt, were the three wooden cots.Kaeler was awake. His little fists were waving at the ceiling beams, kicking his swaddling cloths loose, his round cheeks flushed red. Beside him, Kaelor slept soundly with his thumb tucked against his nose, while little Kaelia let out a soft, hungry whimper.My chest tightened so hard it hurt. Milk leaked through the front of my tunic, soaking hot against the linen."Leave us, Sasha," I said, my voice barely holding together. "Wait outside the corri

Scarlet’s POVThe silence here was wrong. In our northern woods, life made noise. You heard owls calling in the pines, branches cracking under a buck's weight, the wind rustling dry leaves, or the distant howl of a border patrol. Here, there was only the soft, muffled thud of hooves on thick moss. Even the glowing birch leaves hung completely still, like thin painted glass.Joel rode half a length ahead, his good hand tight on the reins. His jaw clenched hard, his eyes darting between the pale trunks. Out here, a silver ring circled his dark pupils—his elven blood waking up. He didn't look like a prince coming home. He looked like a wild wolf led into an iron trap."Joel," I whispered, nudging my mare closer.He didn't turn his head. "Don't speak unless you must, Scarlet. The trees in Theandor have ears. Maeve’s whisper-weavers listen to every breath.""They're forcing a blood rite at dawn," I pressed, keeping my voice low. "If that priest cuts our wrists on their stone altar, the bon