Todos os capítulos de THE PRINCESS THE ALPHA REJECTED: Capítulo 71 - Capítulo 80

Damien's POVThree weeks of obscurity had taught me more about patience than my entire life before it. Silvercrest's council had settled my cousin Marcus into the role of heir apparent with an efficiency that stung considerably more than I'd expected, the pack shifting around his ascension as though I'd simply been a placeholder all along, easily replaced once circumstance demanded it.I kept to the estate's outer quarters mostly, avoiding the council chambers, avoiding my father's increasingly distant civility, avoiding the pitying glances from pack members who'd once deferred to me without question. I told myself the isolation served a purpose, that I needed the quiet to think clearly, to plan rather than react.The plan had taken shape slowly, sharpened by every small humiliation the past three weeks had delivered. Riverline's standing had only grown since the training concluded, their alliance with the royal pack strengthening by the week, A

Damien's POVRenwick was already waiting when Garrick led me into the eastern wing, a fresh set of notes spread across the table beside the map we'd spent the previous evening refining. Bastian and Corin arrived shortly after, both looking as though sleep had claimed them even less thoroughly than it had claimed me."What did you find?" I asked, settling across from Renwick."A gathering," he said. "Riverline's hosting a small delegation from two neighboring packs at the end of next week. A diplomatic visit, from what I could gather, meant to formalize trade agreements strengthened since the training concluded.""Why does that matter to us?" Bastian asked."Because it means Riverline's border patrols will be stretched considerably thinner that week," Renwick said. "Focused on securing the gathering itself, welcoming delegates, managing the kind of political theater that comes with hosting neighboring packs. Their northern border, the one I've already scouted twice, will carry even lig

Adrian's POVI found Ariana on the balcony overlooking the Riverline's eastern grounds later that evening, the twins finally worn out and put to bed. My parents retired to their own quarters after an evening that had gone considerably better than my earlier nerves had allowed me to hope for."You survived my sisters," I said, settling beside her at the railing."Barely," she said, though the smile tugging at her mouth suggested otherwise. "I think Hazel's already planning our wedding, based on the questions she asked me during dinner.""I apologize in advance for whatever elaborate vision she's constructed," I said. "She's been planning weddings since she was old enough to understand the concept. Mostly for her stuffed animals, until tonight."Ariana laughed, the sound easing something in my chest that had stayed tight with nervous anticipation since the moment we'd crossed Riverline's border that morning. "I love them already," she said. "Both of them and your parents were wonderful,

Adrian's POVThe alarm horn tore through the diplomatic gathering's final formal dinner with a suddenness that silenced the entire hall mid-conversation, every head turning toward the sound with the particular alertness bred into every wolf raised near a border territory."Fire," someone called from the doorway, breathless. "Northern storage. It's spreading fast."I was moving before I'd fully processed the words, my father close behind me, the visiting delegates left in the capable hands of my mother and the household staff as every able-bodied wolf within the hall surged toward the northern grazing lands.The scene that greeted us upon arrival was considerably worse than the initial report had suggested. Three of our four storage structures were fully engulfed, flames climbing high enough to cast the surrounding fields in flickering orange light, our winter provisions burning faster than any bucket line could hope to contain."Water from the eastern well," my father shouted, directi

Alpha King Lucian's POVWord reached me at the palace two days after the attack on Riverline's northern stores, carried by a messenger whose grim expression told me plainly that whatever news he'd brought would not be simple."Riverline's patrol captured one of the attackers during their retreat," the messenger said. "A young wolf named Corin, from Silvercrest. He's confirmed, under questioning, that the attack was planned and led by Damien Walkers."I felt something cold settle into my chest, fury and grim vindication tangling together in equal measure. "Confirmed how thoroughly?" I asked."Completely," the messenger said. "Corin named four others involved, including two who managed to evade capture during the retreat. Damien himself has not been located. Silvercrest's own search parties report no sign of him since the night of the attack."I sat with the information a long moment, the full weight of what this meant settling heavi