All Chapters of The Alpha Kings And Their Stripper Mate: Chapter 191 - Chapter 200

Margaret's hospital room was on the fourth floor...a private room that the brothers had upgraded from the standard ward two weeks ago, without telling Eve until she'd arrived one day to find her mother in a room with actual sunlight and comfortable chairs and a view of a small garden courtyard.When Eve had demanded to know why, Damon had shrugged and said: She's important to you, which makes her important to us. And that had been the end of the conversation.The room was quiet when they arrived, the morning nurse just finishing her checks. Margaret was propped up against pillows, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling with that careful, measured rhythm that Eve had learned meant she was conserving energy.She looked smaller than she had even last week. The cancer had been relentless in its progression, taking more from her each day. Her skin was paper-thin, her hands folded on the blanket like fragile birds.But when the door opened and Eve stepped inside, Margaret's eyes open

"Good friends are rare," Margaret continued. "Don't let this one go," she said to Eve, who nodded wordlessly. "Whatever changes come, whatever new world she's living in now....don't let distance or circumstances or different lives pull you apart. Promise me.""I promise," both women said simultaneously, then looked at each other and managed watery smiles.Margaret nodded with satisfaction. Then she turned to Damian, who straightened slightly under her gaze. Despite being an alpha werewolf with decades of pack authority, he looked, Eve thought, slightly like a man being assessed by a strict teacher."You," Margaret said to him. "I've met you before. You came to the hospital with Eve.""I did," Damian confirmed."You love her," Margaret said, and it wasn't a question.Damian met her gaze steadily. "More than anything.""All three of you do," Margaret continued, and only someone who knew her well would have caught the slight wonder in her voice. "She told me it was a contract. A business

The other two pack members straightened when they saw Eve, their expressions respectful. Elena turned at their reaction and went still when she saw who had entered."Luna," she said, and the word came out slightly breathless. Her hands stilled over the herb bundles, and Eve could feel the nervousness spike in her energy. "I...good afternoon. Can I get you something? Are you hungry? We have...""I'm not hungry, thank you," Eve said, keeping her voice easy and non-threatening. She could see Elena's anxiety clearly....the slight tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes cut briefly to the other women in the kitchen like she was calculating whether to make this a witnessed conversation or a private one.Eve made the decision for her. She looked at the other two pack members with a smile. "Would you mind giving us a few minutes?"They didn't mind. They left with a speed that suggested they were either very obedient or very aware of what Elena's recent duties had been and wanted no part of

"So," Eve agreed faintly.They looked at each other across the kitchen island."He's your uncle," Elena said, and it wasn't quite a question."He is," Eve confirmed."Is this conversation very strange for you?""Extraordinarily," Eve said.Elena nodded. "I imagine so. I'm sorry.""Don't be," Eve said, and meant it. "I asked. I wanted to know. The succubus part of me genuinely needed to know, for completely legitimate developmental reasons...." She heard herself and laughed. "And also I was just curious.""Understandable," Elena said, and the smile she gave Eve was warm and genuine and oddly conspiratorial. "For what it's worth, he talks about you. During the....during our time together. Not constantly, and not inappropriately, but—he's proud of you. Talks about your training with real pride. Says you remind him of your father."Eve felt a warmth bloom in her chest that had nothing to do with her succubus nature. "He says that?""Frequently," Elena confirmed. "And he worries. About the

"Did I hurt you?" Eve asked, dropping her hands."No. But that reaction was...." He shook his head slowly. "Your instinctive defense mechanism is significantly stronger than I anticipated. Most newly awakened succubi at your stage of development would have felt the intrusion and been unable to prevent access for the first several attempts. You expelled me before I'd gotten past the surface layer.""Is that good?""It's extraordinary," Raphael said, and the pride in his voice was clear. "Your mother had similar instincts. Lilith's mind was essentially impenetrable once she knew someone was attempting access....her barriers were legendary in the Court."Eve felt the glow in her eyes recede, her heartbeat steadying. "So I did it right?""You did it instinctively," Raphael corrected. "Which is better than right. But instinct isn't enough...you need conscious, deliberate control. The ability to choose when to open your mind and when to close it. To allow surface-level reading while protect