Semua Bab THE LYCAN KING’S CLAIM: Bab 91 - Bab 100

Elara POVThe room was quiet.I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the faint reflection of myself in the window, my thoughts circling endlessly now.Elton’s voice still echoed in my head, his words playing there over and over and over. So much so that if felt like a broken record in my brain.Aldric isn’t who you think he is.He's the version of himself he wants you to see. I pressed my palms against my thighs, trying to steady the restless energy buzzing under my skin.I hated myself for even letting the words linger within me, especially words of a stranger.Aldric had saved me, protected me, chosen me, again and again, without hesitation.And yet…He felt everything too deeply and maybe loved too much.Was that passion…or obsession?I shook my head hard, as if I could physically dislodge the thought. Elton had wanted this. He had planted the seed deliberately. I knewthat.But seeds only grew where there was soil.The door pushed open suddenly.I flinched, my heart jumping int

Aldric’s POVI couldn't look any of them in the eye, not when my hands were covered with the blood of my half brother.Most of all, I couldn't look her in the eye…I saw her expression, even if it was just a flash. I saw the fear in her eyes.I dashed out of there as fast as I could and charged to my room.And when, the door closed behind me, the sound felt final in my ears.My mom followed me here for moral guidance, not that I needed it. I knew I was a monster and her talk wasn't going to change that.When she left again to answer the door, the silence returned.I stood there for a moment, staring at nothing, my chest rising and falling too fast.My hands were still shaking and my knuckles throbbed with dried blood over them as proof of the monster I am.I could still feel it.The feel of Elton’s face under my fists and the sick sound of his bone against mine.I dragged a hand through my hair and paced the length of the room, then turned and paced it again.The air around me felt th

Elara POVThe room felt too small for my thoughts.I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands clasped so tightly together my knuckles began to ache.I stared blankly at nothing while everything replayed in my head all at once.The council chamber and then the echo of my own voice as I spoke the truth.The look on Aldric’s face, that small iota of disappointment that he tried to hide.And then the verdict.Suspended.Aldric was suspended from being King because of me?Anita sat quietly across from me in my room, her back against the wall and her knees drawn up.She didn't rush me. She never did.She just waited for me to find the words myself.“I ruined everything,” I finally said, my voice hoarse.Anita’s brows drew together. “You didn’t.”“I did,” I insisted, lifting my gaze to hers. “I stood there and told them everything. Every ugly detail. I watched him lose his throne right in front of me.”“You told the truth,” she said firmly.I shook my head, a hollow laugh escaping me. “The trut

Elara’s POVI didn’t remember how I got back to my room.One moment I was on the cold stone floor of the corridor, my tears soaking into the fabric of my dress and my chest aching like something vital had been torn loose.And then, the next, I was inside my room, the door shut behind me.The silence hit immediately I entered.It pressed in on me from all sides, thick and suffocating.I stood there for several seconds without moving, my back against the door as Aldric’s words replayed again and again in my mind.Leave.Maybe even the kingdom.The worse part was that he didn't even say it in a filth of anger.He said it like a decision already made.My hands curled into fists at my sides, my nails biting into my palms as I pushed away from the door slowlyMy gaze drifted around the room.I swallowed hard.“No,” I whispered into the empty space. “I’m not doing this.”I walked toward the wardrobe.I reached for the first dress and pulled it free.Fold.Place it on the bed.Another.Fold.

Elara’s POVThe water ran hotter than it needed to, as I let it run through my soft skin hoping maybe it'd wash away more than just the dirt.I stood there longer than I should have, my forehead pressed against the cool tile and my eyes shut tight.I just let myself take a breath, but the thoughts all came rushing right back in.Leave the palace.Maybe even the kingdom.Aldric’s words still echoed relentlessly in my mind.He wanted me gone. He wanted me to leave and even when a small and shameful part of me hoped he'd come back to try to stop me… He didn't.My fingers dug into the wall as if anchoring myself there could keep me from falling apart. When I finally turned the water off, the silence that followed felt unbearable.I stepped out and reached for a towel, wrapping it around myself, the stepping out into the dim light of the cabin.The mirror above the sink was fogged over, my reflection distorted and unfamiliar.I wiped a clear patch with my palm and stared at the girl look