All Chapters of Rejected By The Beta, Claimed By The Alpha King: Chapter 21 - Chapter 23

Victoria entered the throne room like a feral animal, dragged between two guards whose expressions remained professionally blank despite her struggles. Her perfect blonde hair hung in tangled clumps, her face blotchy and tearstained. The ice-blue dress she'd worn to the ball had been replaced by plain prison garb that hung loosely on her frame. One night in the cells had accomplished what years of my suffering never could – it had broken her carefully constructed image of perfection. Athena stirred within me, her satisfaction curling through our shared consciousness like smoke.'Look at her now,' she purred, her presence pressing closer to the surface of my mind. 'Not so perfect anymore.'I kept my expression neutral as the guards forced Victoria to her knees before the thrones. She resisted briefly, earning a sharp jerk that sent her sprawling forward onto her hands. When she looked up, her eyes widened at the sight of me seated beside Lukas, wearing formal attire and a crown that ha

I left Amelia on the balcony, the taste of victory still fresh in my mouth. Victoria's execution had sealed what the claiming bite had started – my mate had witnessed wolf justice delivered in her name and hadn't flinched. When I returned to our chambers at ten, the scent of bath oils and warm water greeted me, drawing me to the bathroom door. She sat submerged to her shoulders, copper hair darkened by water, piled atop her head in a messy knot. Her eyes closed, throat exposed, vulnerable in a way she'd never allowed before. Ares stirred immediately, his hunger a constant pressure beneath my skin.'Tonight,' he growled, the word reverberating through our shared consciousness. 'No more waiting.'For once, we were in perfect agreement. I'd been patient – far more patient than my reputation would suggest possible. I'd given her time to heal, to adjust, to accept her new reality. But the execution had changed something in her. I'd seen it in her eyes as Victoria's blood st