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Todos os capítulos de Alpha's Impostor Bride: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

100 Capítulos

1

Leanna AveryThe sounds of screams and howls from outside the palace make me grip the heavy silk dress even tighter. Fear has frozen me in place, sitting in a room that was never mine, pretending to be the owner of this dress, this room, this palace. The smell of blood is thick in the air.The war has raged on for days, the Northern Wolf Kingdom showing off its fighting prowess while the Eastern Wolf Kingdom falls. The royals have fled, as have their maids. My eyes dart toward the fireplace, the only exit that can guarantee my safety. But Princess Vivian’s warning is still ringing in my ears. The whole purpose of my existence now is to buy her time to escape.My head jerks when I hear the shrieks of the servants down the corridor. Trembling, I get to my feet. I’m frightened. I don’t want to die. Not like this. Not right now.My head turns to the left, and I stare at my reflection in the beautiful mirror where the princess has spent hours admiring herself, hours holding up my bloodied

2

I stare ahead, unsure of the horrors that face me. King Cedric said I belong to him. Is he going to amuse himself with me like Vivian did?My claws dig anxiously into my palms.Will I have to take my clothes off in front of the soldiers like Vivian made me do?Bile rises to my throat, and I stagger.“Careful there, Miss.” Harriet steadies me, her hands on my upper arms.I nod mutely before whispering a hoarse, “Sorry.”The room we enter is dimly lit, and there are maids waiting there. When they see me, their eyes widen. Unlike Harriet, they don’t do a good job of hiding their feelings.Disdain, disgust, hatred.I look down at the floor, far too familiar with such emotions being aimed at me.“Brina, fill the tub. We have to give her a bath.”One of the maids starts, and she scowls at me. She opens her mouth, but Harriet glares at her, and she scurries toward the tub.“You two. Help me undress her.”Two of the maids approach me, and one of them sighs loudly. “How can we take off her clo

3

Chapter 2Cedric Raine“You’ve lost your mind, Cedric!”I lean back against my desk, arms crossed over my chest, as I watch the three men gape at me. If anybody else spoke to me in this manner, I would rip their heads off for disrespect, but these men are different. I trust them with my life.Even a king needs people he can trust.Derrick Fenrin, Edgar Lee, and Rothan Bader. I grew up with Derrick. Edgar saved my life during a battle. And Rothan? He’s the youngest of us all, the son of the head maid in my castle, Harriet. I trained him myself at her request. Their opinions matter to me but not about everything.“She’s the enemy,” Edgar points out, his demeanor unruffled. “You can’t be serious about this.”“We proved to the East that the North is not to be taken lightly. Their kingdom fell, and we captured their prized jewel. The girl is not the enemy. She’s a foolish female who can be used as a tool to control the remaining royal family of the Eastern Kingdom.”“But mating her?” Derri

4

Before I can react, I smell something else, a soft, earthy scent that’s quite familiar to me. It’s buried under that rich aroma, and once my wolf recognizes it, it rumbles in approval.Did Harriet bring the woman here?I told her to—No, I didn’t tell her what to do with the princess. She must have assumed I wanted her in my chambers. I ring the rope for the bell attached to Harriet’s quarters before closing the door behind me and searching the room for the woman. She’s not on the bed. She’s not on the chair…I pause.There’s a small figure curled up in front of the fire.Frowning, I walk over and look down at her.Her hair is spread out behind her—a beautiful, ebony black, with long, glistening strands fanning out from her head. The girl is curled into a tiny ball, and even after having cleaned up and put on some fresh clothes, she still looks gaunt. I saw Princess Vivian once at a gathering for royals and nobles. She was an exquisite creature, but her eyes made my skin crawl. Still,

5

Chapter 3Leanna AveryMy body aches as awareness flickers through me.I’m pressed against something hard, and I feel warm and comfortable. I don’t want to wake up. I snuggle deeper, not willing to relinquish this source of heat. My wolf is comfortably curled inside the recesses of my mind, content for a change.It’s the quiet growl that makes my eyes fly open. I am instantly looking into a pair of mildly annoyed, amber eyes set in a face that has been chiseled by the gods themselves. A startled “eek” slips from my mouth as I scramble backward, get tangled in the sheets, and fall off the side of the bed onto the hard floor.Groaning, I try to sit up but fail, my lower back hurting.The bed creaks, and the owner of the face, the king of the Northern Kingdom, walks around the foot of the bed toward me.“I’m sorry!” Petrified, I try to move away from him, but he just ignores me, lifting me—sheets and all—and dumping me back on the bed.“You sleep like the dead.” His voice is cool and una

6

Asking a queen or a princess to lower her head in front of anybody, even an officiant, is an insult. I’m very aware of that. But I’m also aware of the fact that I may now be the queen, but I am also a political prisoner. So, when King Cedric does not intervene, I lower my head. Aside from a handful of people, there is no one in attendance; the few that are, I hear them snicker at my action.I stare blindly at the floor. They consider this humiliation? They should ask me what humiliation truly is. It’s to have your clothes stripped off in front of soldiers, to be whipped in front of them in your private areas. It’s being asked to perform degrading acts for the spectators. It is to be forced to eat off the floor after the food has been tainted. It is to thank your tormentor for being allowed to live.It is to have your dignity stripped from you in every way.Asking me to lower my head? That’s nothing.I feel the crown placed upon me, and just as it is, Cedric says abruptly, “Alright. Th

7

Why does he looks so irritated? Maybe he doesn’t like seeing my face.“I just came to tell you not to kick up a fuss over this.”I blink slowly, trying to follow what he’s saying. “Over what?”“The separate bedrooms.” He sounds impatient.“I have no problem with it,” I murmur. When he looks angry, I wonder what I did now.“And I don’t want to hear any complaining about the mating ceremony.”“I understand.”Why does he look even more irked now?“You are a stand-in for the real princess,” he says harshly. “Don’t expect the same treatment that Vivian would have received. And don’t think you will get the same privileges. You are simply a substitute, so know your place. Don’t let your position go to your head. This room was designed for the real princess. You are not her.”My wolf flinches, the harsh and vicious rejection making it whimper in bewilderment. How do I explain to an animal who only understands instincts that our mate doesn’t want us? This isn’t a fairytale where the king rescu

8

I study her. The possessive way she’s talking about my mate makes me wonder if there’s more between them than just loyalty. Not that I’m going to voice my concerns.When I don’t react, she frowns. “What, you’re not going to say anything?”“You’ve made your position clear. Would you like me to say something?” I ask politely.She walks over to me, grabs my chin, and lifts my head. “I’ve met the real Princess Vivian, you know. You don’t do her justice.”This makes me smile, amusement a flitting emotion. I gently remove her hand. “There were several occasions when I stood in front of the king of the East and he was not able to distinguish between his daughter and me. You don’t like me, and I understand that. You don’t need to say anything further. I understand my position in this kingdom quite well, Miss Asher. I’m not here to make enemies. I am simply trying to survive.”Bella gives me a mocking smile. “Sure.”I meet her gaze and realize that I’m tired. I’m just so tired of it all. Of th

9

I look up at him. “She’s my problem. I know how to deal with her.”“Step one would be to stop referring to her as a problem,” Edgar points out.I growl at him. “Don’t you all have something better to do?”Derrick starts to reply, but a knock on the door has him snapping his mouth shut and looking over his shoulder. Rothan opens the door, and Bella enters. I see Derrick’s expression change into that of a love-struck wolf pup.“What brings you here, Bella?”Bella narrows her eyes at him. “Nothing that’s any of your business. Don’t you have to go piss on a tree or something?”Edgar snorts, and I press my lips together. My childhood friend has been pursuing Bella for two years now. One thing about wolves is that we are relentless once we know what we want. Despite all the rejection he’s faced, my friend still thinks he has a chance. He’s also doing everything in his power to drive off Bella’s other suitors, including marking his territory outside her bedroom window.“Why?” Derrick winks a

10

I raise my brows. “You got all this in a week?”“All she does is work.” Harriet gives me a long look. “She is constantly trying to make herself useful.”I nod. “Fine. I’ll have a word with Bella. If she refuses to cooperate, find somebody else to assist Leanna.” I fall silent for a moment. “What about her clothes? She was outside a little while ago and looked cold. Why haven’t you gotten her a thicker jacket or a warm coat?”Harriet looks uncomfortable. “The budget you gave for the queen’s clothes, she wanted to use to purchase the seeds.”I frown. “Why is she using her personal budget? She should have another account for outside use.”“Bella isn’t giving it to her,” Harriet replies, looking reluctant. “I did talk to her, but she says she’ll get to it when she gets to it. She only just recently gave Leanna the books to go over. Bella doesn’t think she has the ability to understand them and is constantly criticizing her. I believe she is trying to make things difficult for your mate.”

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