All Chapters of The 200-Year Bride Swap: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

(Rocco)Tahlia pulls herself up and gives me a polite nod. She ignores Alicia, and the act doesn’t go unnoticed by me. She leaves the office.Silence settles in, thick but not uncomfortable. To my surprise, Alicia just grins at me, leaning back with an almost lazy confidence. “You wolves really do know how to make a girl feel welcome.”I run a hand through my hair, trying to keep from smiling. “Alicia, I had no idea they were keeping you like that. If I had known—”She cuts me off, holding up a hand. “I know. It’s not your fault. But next time you’re gone, maybe leave a better set of instructions?”***The true depth of Tahlia’s deceit only really hits me as I walk around with Alicia later that day. She was chomping at the bit to go outside, understandably so, as she couldn’t leave this house in three days.My wolf relishes the opportunity to spend time with his mate. I’m almost dizzy with her presence too. It’s the first time I get to spend time with her, and as dangerous as my ratio

(Alicia)Rocco clears his throat. “Thank you, Tahlia,” he says in a voice that brooks no argument. “And now, I would like to formally introduce your Luna and Queen, Alicia.” He pauses, and for a moment, the room is dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. Or, you know, a lone elf’s heart pounding in terror. “She is here by my side to serve you all, to be part of this pack. I expect you all to welcome her as such.”The silence stretches, and I’m acutely aware that everyone is waiting. Waiting to see if I stumble, if I falter, if I burst into flames on the spot.“Well,” I say, “I guess that makes me the new kid in school.” I laugh, a nervous little chuckle that’s almost drowned out by the continued silence. “I don’t bite, by the way. Unless provoked.”A few wolves snort. Whether in amusement or derision, I can’t tell.“Look,” I continue, “I know I’m an elf, and that’s not exactly on the list of ‘Things You Expected in a Luna.’ I get it. It’s weird. You’re used to something… different. Ma

(Rocco)I’ve seen Elven markings here and there, but never one quite like this. It was magnificent. There, etched into her skin, was a living tapestry of intricate lines that weaved and curled like ancient, whispered secrets of her people. The design flowed with the natural contours of her body, spiraling out like roots of a sacred tree, but it was the sword traveling down the entire length of her spine that held my gaze. It glowed with an ethereal blue light that pulsed faintly, as if it has a heartbeat of its own.It wasn’t just a marking; it was a proclamation of her connection to the Goddess Athena. A divine blessing made flesh, strength made visible. I was awed by the sheer beauty of it, but more so by the weight of what it represents: wisdom, courage, a warrior’s spirit.“My turn,” she said with an impish smile as she turned around again and took the shirt I still held in my hands. Her gaze was on my upper body, now left naked without a shirt, and the sexual tension between us o

(Alicia)A heavy thud knocks me right between my shoulder blades. The treadmill belt drags my stumbling feet back, nearly pitching me off, but somehow I manage to stay upright. My heart races for reasons entirely different from a moment ago.My hand shoots to my back. The cool, metal shaft of an axe juts from my skin, lodged right in the middle of my spine between my shoulders. There’s no pain, just a strange, vibrating hum coursing through my spine, as if the sword on my back is singing a warning.The world snaps into sharp focus. I yank the earpods out, the music abruptly cutting off. The gym is deathly quiet except for the whirring treadmill, still moving beneath me, my feet planted either side of the belt. I hit the stop button. The weapon, an actual, honest-to-goddess axe, is sticking out of me like I’m some kind of target dummy, and I’m very much not dead.My heart slams in my chest as I turn, ripping the axe free without a second thought, and I scan the room. It’s deserted, or

(Rocco)I’m in my office, going over some paperwork that requires my attention, when the buzz of the pack link crackles in my mind. The voices are frantic, overlapping, and there’s one phrase that stands out: Luna’s got an axe.What the hell?A low growl escapes my throat. I abandon the papers and rise, striding towards the office door just as it flies open. Alicia storms in, dragging a woman I vaguely recognize from the lower ranks - Elaine, or Elara? - by the wrist. My mate’s eyes blaze with a mix of fury and satisfaction, and in her other hand, she clutches an axe. My gaze darts between Alicia and the weapon.“Rocco,” Alicia says, her voice steady but crackling with restrained anger. “We need to talk.”The woman at her side looks terrified but defiant, lips pressed into a thin line. She refuses to make eye contact, staring fixedly at the floor like it might open up and swallow her. There’s an undeniable tension in the room, thick enough to cut through with that axe Alicia’s holding