Semua Bab Rejected By The Beta, Claimed By The Alpha King: Bab 41 - Bab 50

I sat upon my throne, back straight and chin high as the guards dragged Julian and his two co-conspirators into the throne room. The previous day's trials, Marcus, Elena, Alexander, had prepared me somewhat for this moment, but seeing Julian again sent ice through my veins. His lean face wore the same cold expression I remembered from countless beatings, from years of casual cruelty. Beside me, Lukas radiated controlled rage, his presence a steady anchor as Athena clawed at my consciousness, desperate for blood, for vengeance, for justice long denied. The three men were forced to their knees before the dais, chains rattling against the stone floor. Julian's eyes found mine, his gaze flat and unrepentant. The two guards flanking him, the same men who had helped pin Lily down, kept their heads bowed, already trembling with fear. I watched their faces, thought of their hands on my best friend, and felt Athena surge forward with such violence that my vision briefly edged

I descended the worn stone steps to the dungeon level, satisfied that Amelia would be occupied with Lily for at least the next few hours. Their drinks in the garden had become animated, with Lily's health improving enough that she matched my mate glass for glass. Good. This was not something Amelia needed to witness, not the first session, at least. Time enough later for her to participate if she wished, but this initial punishment was something Ares and I needed to deliver personally. I had changed from my formal attire into simple black trousers and a white shirt—clothes that wouldn't show blood as obviously, clothes I didn't mind destroying. ‘He deserves worse than we can give him in one session,’ Ares growled in my mind, prowling restlessly as we approached the heavy iron door that separated the upper levels from the dungeons proper. ‘We should take his eyes first.’ "Patience," I murmured aloud, nodding to the guards who snapped to attention at my a

I washed Julian's blood from my skin, watching crimson swirl down the drain until the water ran clear. Ares still prowled restlessly beneath my consciousness, satisfied yet hungry for more. We had made progress with Julian, the first step in his hundred and thirty-two days of reckoning. The former Gamma had broken faster than expected, weeping names and details of his victims with only minimal encouragement. Such weakness disappointed me. I had planned a more gradual approach, but perhaps tomorrow would require more creative methods to properly balance his punishment with his crimes. I dried off and left the bathroom, expecting to find Amelia asleep given the lateness of the hour. Instead, her scent led me to the balcony, where she stood silhouetted against the night sky, her posture rigid with tension.I approached her bare-chested, not bothering with a shirt. We were beyond such pretenses now that she had seen me in the dungeons, covered in another wolf's blood. The night

The private dining room felt too small this morning, though nothing had changed since yesterday—same polished wood table, same silver candelabras, same view of the gardens through tall windows. I stirred my coffee without tasting it, watching the cream swirl into patterns that reminded me of blood splattered across stone floors. Lily sat across from me, her amber eyes missing nothing as she methodically worked through a plate of pastries, her health improving visibly with each passing day. Neither of us had spoken for several minutes. The weight of yesterday's executions hung between us, but it was what I'd witnessed last night that truly haunted me—Lukas, bare-chested and blood-splattered, smiling as he tortured Julian in the dungeons below."You're going to stir that coffee into another dimension if you keep at it," Lily said, breaking the silence. She reached across the table to still my hand, her fingers warm against mine. "What's going on in that royal head of yours?"

I swept into Lukas's office, my heart still hammering from the confrontation in the dungeons. Athena prowled beneath my skin, rattled by how close she'd come to fully emerging. Her golden gaze had receded, but I could still feel her watchfulness, her readiness to surge forward at the first hint of threat. Nico shadowed me as always, his scarred face revealing nothing as I paused before the massive ironwood desk that dominated the room. "Wait outside, please," I said, turning to face my head of security. Nico's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "My Queen, after what just transpired—" "That wasn't a request," I interrupted, keeping my voice gentle but firm. "I need to speak with my mate privately." He looked like he wanted to argue, his jaw tightening as he weighed his duty against my command. Finally, he inclined his head in a shallow bow. "I'll be right outside the door," he said, the promise carrying a hint of warning. "