All Chapters of FAKE BRIDE OF THE ALPHA KING : Chapter 111 - Chapter 119

Azrael's POVBriar had persuaded me. That was the simplest way to put it. She had looked at me with those steady eyes of hers and told me Bella meant no harm, that I was letting my past dictate my reactions. I did not agree entirely, but I agreed to something else. I would be civil. I would mask the instinctive distrust and give her no reason to feel unwelcome. If I could not silence the unease, I could at least contain it.I was adjusting the cuff of my shirt when I caught my reflection in the mirror. Nothing on my face betrayed what was underneath. That was how it needed to be.I finished dressing, slipped my watch on, and headed downstairs.Briar was already there in the foyer. There was a quiet glow about her, not from the lights above but from the excitement she wasn’t even trying to hide. Her eyes were bright, her lips curved in a small, eager smile.And beside her stood who lowered her head slightly as she saw me.“Good morning, Your Majesty.”Her voice was soft and respectful

Briar's POV I opened my eyes and felt a deep, splitting ache at the side of my skull. For a few seconds, I did not know where I was. I only felt the cold surface beneath me and the tightness around my wrists.My hands were tied together behind my back, the skin of my wrists stinging under the bite of the tight, coarse rope. When I tried to shift my legs, I felt the same rough friction around my ankles.The air smelled damp and unfamiliar. This wasn't the palace or the garden.I forced my eyes open.My vision swam in a dizzying blur, struggling to make sense of the dim, flickering light overhead. A single, naked bulb hung from a frayed wire, casting long, sickly shadows against bare, unfinished concrete walls.As the room stopped spinning, I realized I wasn't alone.A silhouette sat directly across from me, perfectly still, watching me with an intensity that made the hair on my arms stand up. I blinked, squinting against the harsh glare of the bulb, waiting for the shadow to resolve i

113Briar's POVXylevia.The name hung in the air like something ancient and cursed.She smiled slowly at him, and there was nothing soft left in her face. “Of course you thought you killed me,” she said calmly. “You’ve always been so arrogant in your destruction, Azrael. But I had to survive. I had to. How else would I give you a dose of your own medicine?”Azrael’s body was still locked in place, muscles straining visibly against the invisible hold. His jaw was clenched so tightly a thin bead of blood escaped the corner of his mouth, yet his gaze remained a weapon of pure, unadulterated hate.“Don’t do anything stupid. Because this time, I will kill you for real.” he warned, his voice shaking with restrained fury. “She threw her head back and laughed.It was not the quiet, polite laugh I had grown used to. It was sharp and ringing, almost musical, but cruel underneath. “You think you can?” she asked lightly, stepping closer to him until she could feel the heat radiating from his

115 Azrael's POV The room smelled faintly of antiseptic. I hadn’t moved from the side of the bed since Briar had been brought in, my fingers gripping the edge of the stairs rail so tightly I could feel the strain in my knuckles. Every minute stretched longer than the last. Each sound, the soft beeping of machines, the shuffle of footsteps, felt like it was echoing directly into my chest. My heart wouldn’t stop racing, and yet, somehow, time slowed to a crawl. I tried to focus on my breathing, tried to anchor myself in the fact that Briar was alive, that she was in there, but my mind refused to stay still. Every scenario, every possibility, every potential outcome I had imagined over the past hour replayed in endless loops. Soon, one of the doctors stepped out. “Your Majesty, we’ve managed to stabilize her. She’s going to be okay.” I exhaled so forcefully it almost hurt. Relief crashed over me, and for a moment, I thought I might collapse onto the floor. My hands, which had

Epilogue The palace had never felt so restless.Servants moved quickly but quietly through the halls, guards stood straighter than usual outside Briar's room and an unspoken tension lingered in the air. Inside her room that had been temporarily converted for the birth, Briar gripped the sheets as another contraction tore through her.Azrael was pacing.He had been pacing for the last hour, then sitting, then standing again, then running a hand through his hair before returning to pacing. His composure, the calm dominance he carried in every other situation, had completely unraveled.“Breathe, your Majesty,” the doctor instructed gently from beside the bed.“I am breathing,” she managed through clenched teeth before another wave hit her.Azrael stopped pacing immediately and rushed to her side. “Why does it look like she’s in more pain than necessary?” he demanded, his voice tight.“It is necessary,” the doctor replied calmly. “This is labor, Your Majesty.”He looked like he wanted t