All Chapters of The alpha king's slave mate: Chapter 191 - Chapter 200

Celeste's povThe morning sunlight streaming through my study window felt different somehow.Warmer, perhaps. Or maybe it was just that I had finally learned to appreciate it after so much darkness.I set down my quill and stretched, my neck stiff from hours bent over correspondence. Outside my window, Moonstone city bustled with life—merchants calling out their wares, children laughing as they played in the streets, the sound of construction as we continued rebuilding what had been destroyed.Six months since Seraphina's birth. Six months of relative peace.It felt almost too good to be true."Your Grace, you have been working since dawn." Mira appeared in the doorway, carrying a tray with tea and fresh bread. "At least eat something.""I have too much to do—""Which you will do better after eating." She set the tray on my desk with a pointed look. "Besides, you are meeting with the education committee this afternoon. You will need your strength to deal with Councilor Brennan's objec

Lyra's povI watched from the nursery window as Seraphina chased Daemon through the garden below, her laughter bright as silver bells.Two years had passed since Theron's revelation about the binding prophecy. Two years of watching these children grow, wondering if we had made the right choice keeping the truth from them. Wondering if we were protecting them or simply delaying the inevitable."Mama, look!" Seraphina's voice carried up to the window. "Daemon made butterflies!"I leaned closer and saw shadow creatures—tiny, delicate things shaped like butterflies—fluttering around my daughter's head. She clapped her hands in delight, and her own light magic responded, making the shadow butterflies glow with soft silver luminescence.The balance was perfect. Beautiful and terrifying."They are remarkable together," Celeste said from behind me.I had not heard her enter. She had arrived from Moonstone yesterday, making one of her regular visits to coordinate our continued efforts against

Celeste's povI stood in my study in Moonstone castle, reviewing trade agreements, when Maria toddled in with paint smeared across her face."Mama! Look what I made!"She held up a paper covered in colors that might have been a garden or a dragon or abstract chaos. At three years old, my daughter had inherited my determination and her father's creativity. The combination was simultaneously delightful and exhausting."It is beautiful, little one." I pulled her into my lap, not caring about the paint now transferring to my dress. "What is it?""It is you and Papa and me and Aunt lyra and everyone at the festival!" She pointed at various blobs enthusiastically. "See? That is you. And that is Cousin Seraphina. And that is Daemon making shadow puppets."Five years. Five years since we had bound those children together, and sometimes it still took my breath away how right that decision had been."Speaking of the festival," my husband Aldric said, appearing in the doorway, "we need to leave

CELESTE'S POVKing Aldric appeared, looking older but still sharp-eyed and surprisingly spry. Rowan had transferred from Lyra's hip to his great-grandfather's shoulders, and the old king bore the weight with pride."The whole family together," he said with satisfaction. "Come. Dinner is prepared. Tomorrow we celebrate Seraphina's birthday properly, but tonight we feast like family."The dinner was warm and loud and filled with laughter. Seraphina sat between Daemon and Maria, mediating their debate about whether shadow puppets or painted pictures were better. Rowan threw food with toddler precision. Ronan told embarrassing stories about Lyra's pregnancy cravings. Lady Evara and her husband joined us, and she looked happier than I had ever seen her.This was what peace looked like. What healing created. Families rebuilt, children laughing and former enemies now simply friends.The cult had been silent for five years. No attacks, no suspicious activity, no threats. Theron believed we ha

Celeste's povThree years had passed since Zara's warning.Three years of watching Seraphina and Daemon grow from children into perceptive pre-teens who carried wisdom beyond their years in their eyes. They were eleven now—old enough to understand, Lyra had decided. Old enough to know the full truth.We gathered in the private family chambers on a gray afternoon. Not the throne room because that will make it too serious, but the warm sitting room where Seraphina kept her books and Daemon his collection of smooth stones from the river with people who loved these children and would do anything to protect them.Lyra sat beside Seraphina on the sofa, her daughter no longer small enough for her lap. Lady Evara—Daemon's mother—sat close to her son, their shoulders touching. Ronan stood behind his mate, one hand on her shoulder. King Aldric occupied his usual chair, looking every one of his years but with eyes still sharp and clear. And I sat in a chair facing the children, needing to see th