All Chapters of The 200-Year Bride Swap: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

102 Chapters

Chapter 11 - First Words

(Alicia)The ceremony concludes with some or another fanfare and we turn to walk out the way we came, my hand once again resting lightly on his sleeve. We lead the procession behind the official swinging the smoking globe, straight into a hallway where more officials show each couple to a door that leads to a private room just for them.This is where we are supposed to get properly acquainted for the first time.I enter the private room first, moving towards the settee in the middle. There is no other seat. The door clicks closed behind me and I sense him standing there, brooding. When I turn and take a seat, I congratulate myself on my acumen. Yep, there he is, all god-like, near seven feet of him, muscled arms crossed defensively over his broad chest, back against the door, eyes on mine like a predator's.I stare back, not saying anything.After a minute or so he seems to make up his mind and breaks the eye contact, standing up straight and placing his hands in his trouser pockets.

Chapter 12 - Goodbye

(Alicia)Tahlia looks like someone had poked her favorite teddy bear with a fork, but after a moment of staring at the empty space Rocco left behind, she turns to me again. This time she wasn’t so smiley, yet still polite."The family room is this way," she says and leaves, expecting me to follow. If it wasn't for the fact that I genuinely need to see Luka, I would stay right where I am just to spite her.I follow. Because this part, this particular goodbye, is the only one today that actually matters to me.The corridor outside the private room smells of expensive candles and old ceremony. Tahlia walks two paces ahead of me, which tells me everything about how she views the pecking order. I let her have it. I have bigger things to manage today than a she-wolf's ego.I'm still trying to process the last twenty minutes. Rocco. His voice. That jaw. The way he couldn't breathe near me without looking like he was fighting some private war. I don't know what that's about and I'm not sure I

Chapter 13 - Very, very Elven

(Rocco)I slam the door of an empty room behind me and lean against it, fighting to keep myself from shifting and tearing the room apart. My chest heaves, each breath dragging through me like I've run a marathon, but it’s the only thing that keeps me from losing it completely. My wolf is a frenzy of claws and teeth in my head, howling to get out. I clutch the back of a chair, knuckles white, forcing myself to stay grounded.But fuck, how can I? How am I supposed to deal with this?That ceremony. It was a wretched tightrope walk over a pit of flames. The most excruciating, exhilarating hour of my life, and I’m surprised I didn’t grab her and fuck her right then and there. Every cursed second we stood there, my heart was pounding, my wolf was on edge, and every nerve in my body was screaming at me to go to her, claim her, make it known to the entire world that she's mine.But I couldn't. Not in front of all those people. Not when I was barely holding it together. Not when she has no ide

Chapter 14 - The Cost of a Mate

(Rocco)An elf. My fated mate is an elf.I can barely wrap my head around it. Of all the possibilities, of all the women in all the realms, it has to be her. One of them. The very idea feels like a cosmic joke, some twisted game the gods are playing at my expense. Elves and wolves — we've been at each other's throats for centuries. And now I'm expected to bond with one?I toss the thoughts of what this might mean around in my mind. It could be the best thing to happen to me and my kingdom, or the very worst thing ever. Most likely the latter.My people would riot if they knew. They'd see it as a betrayal, an abomination. The blood feud between our races runs deep, tangled in history and hatred. How can I, their king, stand before them and claim an elf as my mate? They'd sooner tear me apart than accept her.And yet. I can't deny what I feel.Instinctively I know that I should keep this under wraps for now, at least until I have a much clearer idea of exactly who all the players are in

Chapter 15 - The Flight

(Alicia)The flight in the sixteen-seater twin prop aircraft takes around four hours in a north-westerly direction. Apart from me, there are eight others on board, including two pilots, one air hostess, four guards, and Tahlia. All wolves.To say it is a tense flight would be an understatement. Inwardly I marvel at the wolves' ability to both ignore me and be hyper-aware of me at the same time. It likely has to do with their enhanced senses. At least none of them seem to find my scent offensive, or they just hide it better than their king.Tahlia is engrossed in her laptop for the entire journey. The four guards are playing bridge. That leaves me with myself and my thoughts, which is not necessarily a great thing right now.In the lead-up to this wedding I focused so heavily on harnessing my gifts, all in the hope that it would keep me alive long enough to come up with some masterplan, that I paid almost no attention to exactly who I'd be marrying or where I'd be living.I’m the first

Chapter 16 - Wolfsreach

(Alicia)The landscape on this side of the border divide is markedly different from Siannodel. Wolfsreach's forests are dense but the hills are steeper, the valleys deeper, the growth sparser in a way that feels deliberate. Wilder, less tended, as though nature here is left to its own conclusions. It is also a few degrees cooler. I notice it the moment we step off the plane.We flew deep into the werewolf kingdom. The airport seems to be used primarily for cargo as there is very little passenger travel between kingdoms from here. Given their reclusive nature, I’m not surprised. It's remote, and it reinforces my impression that the wolves don't play nice with others, despite their apparently social nature within their own ranks. I find myself wondering what their relationship with the vampires to the north-east looks like.I'm politely nudged towards a large black SUV, one of three awaiting our arrival. It whisks us off through the forest on a well-maintained road for around forty mile

Chapter 17 - His Scent

(Alicia)A guard ambles past, clutching two of my suitcases in each ham-like hand, and disappears down a corridor."This is Rocco's house. You'll be staying here. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. Your luggage is in a room down that corridor."Tahlia points toward a phone on a small table near the hallway. “If there’s anything in particular you’d like to request or need help with, please call using the blue button on that phone. It’s connected to housekeeping at the packhouse. The red button is for if you’re in distress and will have the guards come running. They're stationed front and back. You can wander the grounds during daylight, but please stay indoors after sunset and don't leave before sunrise."I lift a brow at that last part. She ignores it."Thank you, Tahlia."She clasps her hands behind her back and pivots toward the door, mumbling something that sounds very much like "you're not welcome" as she exits. I don't think she intended me to hear that. But at least she's h

Chapter 18 - Enemy Territory

(Alicia)I scrub away the day's stresses in the bath until the water cools to the point where I'm questioning my life choices. By the time I leave the bathroom, I am a new woman. Or at least a cleaner version of the wrecked one who arrived here.I make my way to the kitchen, only to screech to a halt as I turn the corner and come face to face with a middle-aged woman perched on one of the barstools like she owns the place. She gets up when she sees me, slowly, insolently, as if standing for me is an enormous personal sacrifice. Her eyes make a full sweep: bare toes to damp hair.I’m almost impressed with her impression of ‘don’t give a damn who you are’. Almost."Food, your highness," she announces, adding a mock bow for emphasis. Her arm sweeps toward the kitchen counter where an absurd spread covers every available inch of surface. Her eyes never leave my face, as if she’s waiting for me to do something worth gossiping about.Choosing to ignore her attitude, because really, who has

Chapter 19 - House Arrest

(Alicia)On day three, Rocco still isn't back and I am slowly going out of my mind from a lack of exercise and boredom.I've tried venturing outside during daylight hours, as requested, but the growling of the guards when my toes crossed the threshold was a fairly effective deterrent. It's not that I'm scared of them. It's that their behavior is that of jailers, and they are clearly under instruction not to let me leave.Is it Rocco who gave that order, or Tahlia? Is this a 'for your own safety' situation, or are they worried I'll discover something I shouldn't? Am I a shameful secret to be kept hidden on the edge of the village, or do they think I'll attack their children if left to wander?Whatever the reason, I've had a belly-full of being cooped up.I’ve systematically worked my way through the leftovers of that first night’s dinner, having instructed someone on the other side of the green-buttoned phone that they needn’t send more until I send word of a need.I've done every conc

Chapter 20 - Treason

(Alicia)I'm flanked by the guards now, with Tahlia blocking my way forward. It is very clear she is desperate to stop me.I cock an eyebrow. "Didn't you say I could explore the grounds as I like, during daylight? Well, it's daylight. And, come to think of it… who exactly are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?"She pulls herself up to her full height, still shorter than me, and puffs out that perky chest like a cockerel ready to fight."I am the Beta of the Stormclaw pack. The right hand to the King of Wolfsreach." she says proudly, the scowl now so deep that I worry it will permanently scar her.I give her my most patronizing smile, knowing it will infuriate her and not giving a damn. I keep my voice sweet and calm, like I'm talking to a toddler."That's nice, dear. Now please fuck off and let me walk."For a moment she simply stares at me. And then things change very quickly.I see the color of her eyes shift from light brown to pitch black. Her canines extend. Her fingertips

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