All Chapters of Traded to the Lycan King After Rejection: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Veya POVI stood before the mirror in the palace chamber and realized one bitter truth: today wasn’t about looking beautiful. It was about surviving among predators who wore crowns and titles.The gown I wore wasn’t designed to entice. Its cut followed the lines of my body without clinging, dark silver swallowing the light, a simple neckline that exposed my throat without turning me into cheap spectacle. My hair was pinned into a neat chignon, a few deliberate strands left loose to frame my face.Rael’s words from last night echoed in my head. “The real challenge starts tomorrow.”I let out a slow breath. That challenge wasn’t about meetings. It was about proving I wasn’t broken.The corridor leading to the council hall assaulted my senses. The scent of lycans pressed against my chest like an invisible grip. Several nobles turned to look. Their gazes stripped me bare without ever touching.I kept my back straight. At the far end of the corridor, Queen Nerissa stood as if the hallway i

Veya POV“Wait for me in the bedroom. What you achieved today deserves to be celebrated with me.”Those words still echo in my head long after the meeting room doors close behind King Rael.I remain standing in the hall as it empties, my heart pounding like a foolish girl who has just been given a promise and dared to believe in it.For the first time since I came here, I felt seen. Not as a body meant to warm his bed, but as someone whose thoughts carried weight.The king listened to me. And when the meeting ended, his promise fell so easily from his lips.That certainty made me brave enough to hope.After returning from the council, I prepare myself with more care than usual. I sink into warm water mixed with milk and rose petals, scrubbing every inch of my skin until it turns slick beneath my hands.I choose a soft pink gown with a dangerously low neckline—the one Rael once praised without smiling, only with a long, silent stare that made my knees tremble.I leave my brown hair loo

Veya POVMy steps halt right before the school gates.Two soldiers stand in my path. Their posture is rigid, expressions neutral, and their tone far too polished for a casual request.“Lady Veya,” one of them says. “The Council Elders are summoning you. Now.”My schoolbag still hangs from my shoulder. My books haven’t even been touched. I look at them for a moment, briefly weighing the idea of refusal, then realize there is no choice.“What is this about? Have I made a mistake?” I ask.“We were only ordered to escort you.”I nod slowly and follow them.The palace corridors feel longer today. The marble floors are cold beneath my shoes. Each step echoes like a warning that came too late.I pass statues of former kings, then heavy curtains and armed guards, until I finally stop before a massive wooden door carved with intricate patterns.“Isn’t this the council chamber?” I ask one of the soldiers as he opens the door.He nods. “You may enter.”A long table trimmed in gold stretches acro

Nerissa POVI was still trembling when he spoke my name.“Nerissa.”Just one word, carried on a gentle tone beneath the weight of his deep voice, as if my name were something fragile that must never be dropped to the ground.“Nerissa, I’m home.”I walked away from him quickly, spine straight, chin lifted. I wrapped my dignity as a queen around myself like a shield, protecting a heart that had long since cracked because of him.My tears slid down my cheeks. I didn’t wipe them away. My mind was too focused on running from the truth that the man I had waited for had finally returned.“Nerissa, wait. Give me one chance to speak,” he said behind me. “I beg you, Nerissa.”I didn’t turn when my name was called again. There was no warmth left in my chest. No sweet longing. Only an old anger I had kept neatly folded away, like a blade hidden beneath a corset.I was angry because he left without a word. He abandoned me at the very moment my life was forced into a marriage I never chose.And the

Veya POVI try to stand on my own, but his grip tightens, as if I’m made of fragile glass that could shatter at any moment.“I was helping Irine,” I whisper.His gaze drops to my face. I feel it like a blade, peeling back the layers of secrets I’ve buried beneath my skin.“Lying has never been your habit,” he mocks.I want to snap back, but the pain claws through my abdomen again, stealing my breath and forcing a silent grimace from my lips.“Tell me what’s wrong. Where does it hurt?” His hand leaves my waist, his rough palm pressing firmly against my stomach. “Take a slow breath, then release it. Do it a few times until you calm down.”I blink rapidly, obeying his instructions like a fool. Or maybe I’ve been a fool from the very beginning, because the rejection plan I carefully built dissolves the moment his fingers graze my skin.Warm energy spreads from his touch, seeping through my body like sunlight melting ice.My eyes widen. My hand moves on instinct, clutching Rael’s hand wher