All Chapters of The alpha king's slave mate: Chapter 21 - Chapter 26

Lyra’s povI couldn’t move.My heart was a violent drum in my chest, pounding so hard I thought it might break free. The king stood just inches from me, the heat of his presence crawling over my skin like a second cloak. And his words—those words—kept echoing in my skull:“I saw what touched you.”He knew. Somehow, he knew about the dream. The vision. The silver light that had reached for me like a mother’s hand.I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but no sound came. He stared at me in silence, and for a moment, I thought he was going to yell again, accuse me of something, push me away like he had before.But instead… his voice was quiet.“I don’t want you to avoid me.”I blinked.“I know I…” He ran a hand down his face, pausing like the words were heavy. “I know I’ve been—difficult. But I’m not a cruel king, Lyra. I just—” He sighed. “I don’t know what came over me.”It wasn’t an apology. Not really. But there was something in the way he said it. A hesitation. A shameful ed

Lyra’s pov Three days.Three whole days passed without seeing him.Not his icy blue eyes, not the gold glint of his wolf, not the way his voice could command a room—or cut through me like glass.At first, it had been a relief. I needed space. Needed air. After everything that had come crashing down on me—finding out Ronan was my mate, the memories of Kael rising like poison again—I felt like I’d been underwater, choking on emotions too heavy to process.But by the second day… the silence turned into noise. The kind that whispered questions. Loud ones.Did he regret claiming me?Was he angry?Would he reject me now?No. I shook the thoughts off again and again. But by the third day, I couldn't stop myself from flinching every time someone approached, hoping—fearing—it would be him.So when a guard found me in the gardens and told me the king summoned me to the throne room, my heart nearly stopped.I walked the hall slowly, palms sweaty, steps echoing off the cold stone floors. My refl

Lyra’s povI don’t remember opening the door. I don’t remember falling to my knees. I only remember the moment the sob broke free from my chest and everything spilled.My chest ached like someone had reached in and squeezed my heart until it shattered. I tried to stop the tears, truly, but they wouldn’t stop. They fell in heavy, angry streaks, soaking my cheeks, burning down my neck.The room was dark and cold. A few cots lined the walls, and thankfully, no one else had returned from their duties yet. Just me and my broken, bruised dignity.“I was a fool,” I whispered into the silence, voice hoarse. “Why did I believe him? Why did I believe… them?”I clutched the thin blanket from my cot, pressing it to my chest, like that would stop the way my world felt like it was unraveling. I should’ve known better. Kings didn’t choose girls like me. Wolves didn’t stay for girls like me.They left.They always left.I curled in on myself, pressing my face to my knees, trying to muffle the raw sou