All Chapters of The Royal Alphas’ Captive Maid: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

"That's good, Mom.""And you? Are you eating enough? Sleeping?"Melina thought about Aiden making her breakfast every morning. About falling asleep in Alaric's arms. About the way all three of them watched her like they were cataloging every moment she wasn't taking care of herself."Yes," she said. "I'm eating. I'm sleeping.""Good." Clara's hand squeezed hers. "You have to take care of yourself, baby. Promise me.""I promise."They sat together in comfortable silence. Clara turned on the small TV mounted on the wall. Some daytime talk show neither of them really watched.Melina held her mother's hand. Felt the fragile bones under papery skin. Traced the silver veining with her thumb.She had seven weeks to get the Lunasol.Seven weeks to save the only family she had left.Seven weeks before this hospital room became a memory instead of a present reality.She could do it. She had to do it."Stay for lunch?" Clara asked hopefully. "The food here is terrible but the company would be go

Edmund's POVEdmund Howlington stood in the greenhouse at dawn with his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the Lunasol.Silver leaves. Delicate stems. The faint luminescence that marked it as something not quite of this world. Beautiful. Rare. Powerful enough to cure fey contamination in its advanced stages.Powerful enough to save Clara Voss's life.He'd known this moment was coming. Since his grandsons had sat in that room and listened to the story of Cain Voss and looked at each other with expressions that told Edmund everything he needed to know about how deep the mate bond had already taken root.The girl had no idea.Melina Voss thought she was alone. Thought she was infiltrating a household of strangers. Thought she was stealing from people who didn't know her name or her face or the desperation driving her.She was wrong on every count.But she didn't need to know that yet.***The greenhouse door opened behind him.He didn't turn. He knew those footsteps. Heavy. Measured. M

The Next MorningEdmund arrived at the stables at dawn.He'd dressed carefully. Old work clothes. Worn boots. A jacket that had seen better days. Nothing that screamed former king or patriarch of the most powerful werewolf family in the region.Just an old man who worked with horses.The stables were quiet this early. The horses were awake...they were always awake at dawn...but the stable staff wouldn't arrive for another hour. Edmund moved through the familiar space with the ease of someone who'd spent years here.He'd always liked the stables. Liked the smell of hay and leather. Liked the quiet intelligence of the horses. Liked the simplicity of the work.He'd spent a lot of time here after he'd stepped down as king. After Harold had taken over. After the weight of the crown had passed to the next generation and Edmund had been left with time and space to remember what it felt like to just be a man instead of a title.He pulled a brush from the tack room. Approached the nearest stal

Edmund stopped brushing. Looked at her properly."Is that how you feel?""Sometimes." She looked at her hands. "I came here with a plan. I knew exactly who I was and what I needed to do. And now I don't know anything anymore.""That's not always a bad thing.""It feels bad.""Change usually does. Doesn't mean it's wrong." He set the brush down. Came to sit beside her on the bench. "What are you afraid of losing?""My focus. My purpose. The reason I came here in the first place.""And what was that reason?"She couldn't tell him. Couldn't say the words."Something important," she said finally. "Something I can't afford to forget."Edmund was quiet for a long moment. Then: "In my experience, the things that are truly important don't get forgotten. They just get... put in context. Alongside other things that turn out to be important too.""What if I don't want other things to be important? What if I just want to focus on the one thing?""Then you'll burn yourself out trying. And you won'

It wasn't a request.He walked. She followed because his hand was on her wrist and her bag was still on her shoulder and she didn't know what else to do.He led her through corridors she recognized. Up one floor. Down another. To a door she'd never been through before.His room.He opened it. Pulled her inside. Closed the door behind them.Locked it.The sound of the lock clicking was too loud in the quiet room."Aiden....""Take off the bag."She hesitated."Sera." His voice was gentle now. Patient. "Take off the bag and put it down."She did. Set it on the chair by the door. Her hands were shaking.He noticed. Of course he noticed."Come here," he said quietly.She didn't move.He crossed the room in three strides. Stood in front of her. His hands came up to frame her face. Tilted it up so she had to look at him."You can't keep doing this," he said. His voice was soft. Serious. "You can't keep running yourself into the ground. You can't keep trying to do everything alone. You're go