All Chapters of The alpha king's slave mate: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

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

Lyra’s POVThe day had barely begun, and already my chest was tight with nerves.Sleep had done little to calm the storm brewing in my head. My dreams had been plagued with images of cold glares, Chloe’s venomous voice, Ronan’s silence, and Xavier’s unnerving smirk. Every time I closed my eyes, his wink flashed in my mind like a cursed brand, impossible to erase.When I was told I’d be serving breakfast to the royal family in the dining hall, I almost asked to be reassigned. It wasn’t fear of work—no, I’d scrub the entire castle top to bottom if it meant avoiding this—but something about being in their space, surrounded by them, especially with Chloe’s family still within the palace, unsettled me to the bone.I dressed carefully, choosing the simplest maid’s uniform I could find. I tied my hair back tightly, leaving no strands for anyone to glance at or touch. I reminded myself that I was a shadow, a whisper in the walls, meant to be unseen and unheard. But when I entered the dining h

Lyra’s povI threw myself into the day’s work.The familiarity of it helped, even if my body felt like it was moving through a thick forest. Cleaning, fetching, sorting. The tasks gave me a welcomed distraction.I swept through the halls in silence, eyes trained on the ground to avoid stares and whispers. Most of the slaves that spotted me continued with their cruel words.And honestly? I was too tired to care.But then— "Lyra."I froze.It was like hearing my name from inside my own chest. Like it had echoed from somewhere deeper than thought. My breath caught, and I stood still, hand tightening around the tray I held.“Yeah?” I asked aloud, voice low. Hopeful."Yes. I'm here." A soft rush of relief swept over me. Her voice, my wolf—she was back. I hadn’t heard her since the last time in the garden, and it had haunted me in quiet, aching ways I couldn’t describe.“You scared me,” I whispered, a smile tugging at my lips as I moved through one of the side corridors. “I thought I’d lo