All Chapters of His Regret, The Crown's Claim : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

As I approached the door, I could hear their murmurings about how I was taking so much time but as I stepped through the arched doorway, the room fell into a practiced silence as they stared at me with hard eyes.Lady Elara sat at the center of the velvet sofa, flanked by Mirabel and three other daughters of the High Council."Lady Risa," Elara chirped, rising in a fluid motion that was less of a greeting and more of a theatrical display. "We were beginning to fear you had succumbed to a bout of... bridal nerves to come see us dear. It is, after all, quite a daunting transition from a borderland pack house to the High King’s bed."I didn't rush to join them. I stood my ground, the sapphire necklace Kael had given me catching the morning light. "Nerves are for those who are unsure of their standing, Elara. I was simply finishing my morning correspondence. But do sit. I’m fascinated to hear what brings the Council’s busiest gossip-mongers to the Queen’s Wing so early."Mirabel’s smile f

The bells continued to chime, the sound echoing through the stone walls of the palace, signaling the beginning of the end. Or perhaps, the beginning of a beginning.Martha hurried to come find me and I was ushered back into my dressing room, where the air was now thick with the scent of white lilies and expensive oils. Martha and three other maids moved quickly, their hands fluttering like wings around me as they tried to get me out of my current dress and start getting me ready for the ceremony.Through it all, I felt like an initiate being prepared for a sacrifice, or a warrior being armored for a battle she wasn't entirely sure she could win."The silk, Lady Risa," Martha whispered, her voice uncharacteristically soft.They lifted the moon-spun gown, with silver and translucent white, heavy with hand-stitched pearls and tiny sapphires that caught the light like morning dew on a spider’s web. As they lowered it over my head, the fabric felt heavy against my skin, a second flesh tha

The sky over the Grayson estate was the color of a fresh bruise, heavy with the coming storm. I stood on the gravel driveway, my jaw tight and my vision swimming in the surreal clarity of the three vials I had downed minutes before. The medicine had stilled the shaking, replacing the agonizing itch with a cold numbness that made me feel like I was made of iron.The sound of engines vibrated through the soles of my boots as three black armored SUVs tore through the mist of the estate gates, skidding to a halt in a perfect, intimidating line. There was no pack crest on the doors, only a faint, embossed sigil on the lead hood of the weeping eye of the Fallen Empire. This was a mark of the True Bloods."Alpha Cade, get back!" Elias’s voice cracked through the air, full of defence. My Beta stepped into the light, his chest heaving, his eyes wide with a horror I hadn't seen in him since we were boys. He saw the sigil, and his hand flew to the hilt of his blade. "Those are True Blood marking

~ Risa’s POV ~The moment my hand touched Kael’s, the roar of the crowd seemed to vanish, replaced by a singular, electric pulse that traveled from his skin to mine. I looked up at him, and for a heartbeat, I could only see a man…a man whose oceanic eyes were filled with a longing so deep it felt like it could swallow me whole and drown me in those beautiful orbs."You are more beautiful than anything I could ever imagine." he whispered. His voice was low, meant only for me, but it carried the weight of a thousand unspoken vows.I leaned in slightly, my eyes searching his. That was when I felt it, the slight, almost imperceptible tremor in his fingers as they tightened around mine. Kael, the Shadow King who had faced down armies and executed traitors without a blink, was vibrating with tension that made my own nerves jump. I knew then that the danger he had talked about earlier was closer than he wanted me to know. He was shielding me, standing like a wall between me and a storm I cou

~ Risa’s POV ~The atmosphere in the Conservatory had shifted from expectant silence to a series of loud whispers and I could feel every eye in the room on me. The air was thick with the scent of smoke and something far more ancient, the harsh scent of blood and the sulfurous rot of black sorcery. For some reason, my wolf could pick up the scent and she was pacing restlessly.I stood at the threshold of the silver vortex, my bare foot hovering over the marble. My body and mind was screaming loudly but I tried to ignore it because I had to be brave, at least for now. Every instinct I possessed as a wolf shouted at me to run, to flee back to the safety of the shadows. But the woman I had become…the one who had survived the cold neglect of the North and the viperous tongues of the court, forced my weight forward."I am Risa," I whispered, a mantra against the creeping dread. "And I am free." I said to encourage myself to move forward.I took the first step.The moment my skin broke the