All Chapters of Rejected By The Beta, Claimed By The Alpha King: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

The hallway to the royal archives stretched before us like a throat leading into the belly of truth, a truth I both craved and dreaded. Lukas’s hand rested at the small of my back, his palm radiating warmth through the thin fabric of my shirt, but even his touch couldn’t quiet the storm brewing inside me. Athena paced restlessly beneath my skin, her copper presence agitated by the possibility that lay ahead. A name. A history. An identity that had been stolen from me before I was old enough to claim it as my own.“Are you ready for this?” Lukas asked, his voice low enough that it wouldn’t carry to the guards stationed at intervals along the corridor.“I’ve been ready for eighteen years,” I replied, the words scraping against my throat. “I just didn’t know what I was waiting for.”We approached the heavy oak doors that marked the entrance to the private reading

We trudged back to our bedroom in silence, our fingers loosely intertwined but our minds separated by the weight of unanswered questions. Hours of searching through dusty archives had yielded nothing beyond that single birth certificate with its cryptic inscription. Lukas’s thumb stroked absently over my knuckles as we walked, the gesture so familiar it almost hurt; a reminder of normalcy when nothing felt normal anymore. Athena had grown quiet within me, her copper presence contemplative rather than restless, as if she were piecing together fragments of a memory just beyond reach.The palace corridors felt longer tonight, each step heavier than the last. Guards bowed as we passed, their eyes carefully averted, whether from respect or because rumors of my mysterious origins had already begun to spread, I couldn’t tell. It hardly mattered. Whatever I was or wasn’t, whatever name I’d been born with, I was still their Queen.

 I watched Amelia push her eggs around her plate, the fork scraping against fine china with a sound that set my teeth on edge. She hadn’t slept well—I’d felt her jerk awake in the night, her heart racing against my chest, though she’d insisted it was nothing when I asked. Now, morning light streamed through my office windows, casting her copper hair in flame, but her eyes remained shadowed, distant. Whatever demons had chased her through the night still had their claws in her, despite her attempts to hide it from me.“You should eat,” I said, keeping my voice gentle. “You need your strength.”Her emerald eyes flicked up to mine, a smile that didn’t reach them curving her lips. “I’m fine. Just not very hungry this morning.”Ares stirred within me, his golden presence nudging against my consciousness. ‘Mate troubled,’ he obse

I left Amelia in the library surrounded by ancient texts, her copper hair falling forward as she bent over pages of Lupine Primordial she shouldn’t have been able to read. Her guards stood at attention by the door, and I nodded to them as I passed, trying to ignore the tightness in my chest at leaving her, even for an hour. Three decades as Alpha King had taught me to trust no one completely, but the recent revelations about my mate’s mysterious origins had me second-guessing even my most loyal staff. Ares bristled beneath my skin, his golden presence restless and protective as I strode toward my office where Nico and Dominic awaited.The corridors of the palace seemed longer tonight, shadows pooling in corners despite the warm glow of the ornate sconces. Guards straightened as I passed, eyes carefully averted, a sign of respect, yes, but also a reminder of the growing unease spreading through my court like poison. Rumors about the Queen’s past, about mysterious letters and anci

I settled into my desk chair, pulling Amelia onto my lap in a gesture that was as much for my comfort as for hers. The weight of her against my chest, the familiar cinnamon scent of her hair, these things anchored me when everything else seemed to be spiraling beyond my control. Her hands trembled slightly as she held the envelope, that innocent-looking rectangle of cream paper that might contain our doom. Ares pushed against my control, golden fur rippling beneath my skin as he sought to protect what was ours. ‘Lock her in,’ he insisted within my mind. ‘Keep mate safe until danger passes.’ I pushed back against his primitive solution, though a treacherous part of me couldn’t help but consider it. What if confinement was the only way to prevent whatever the Voice had planned?“Do you want me to open it?” I offered, sliding my hand over hers.She shook her head, copper strands brushing against my cheek with the movement. “No. I should do it.” Her voice was steadier than her h