บททั้งหมดของ The Alpha's Wife, The Lycan King's Obsession : บทที่ 231 - บทที่ 240

The council members exchanged uneasy glances, but no one dared challenge her decree a second time. The elder who had spoken first bowed his head slowly.“As the Luna commands,” he said. “It will be carried out.”Nolan reached for Gianna’s hand beneath the table, his thumb brushing gently across her knuckles, a silent acknowledgment of everything she’d just carried on her own shoulders before the entire council. She squeezed back, some of the fury still simmering in her chest even as exhaustion crept in behind it.The meeting dissolved shortly after, the council filing out in subdued silence, and Nolan wasted no time issuing the necessary orders. The execution would take place within three days, enough time to prepare properly, enough time for word to spread among the newly emerging Fae communities so they might witness, if they chose, the justice finally being delivered on their behalf.Gianna didn’t sleep easily that night, her mind turning over everything that had transpired, the we

Two and a half weeks after Fenna’s prediction, Gianna woke in the middle of the night to a tightening ache low in her belly, sharp enough to pull her instantly from sleep. She lay still for a moment, breathing through it, until it passed and released her.She’d barely settled back against the pillows when another one came, closer this time.“Nolan,” she said, shaking his shoulder gently.He was awake instantly, some part of him always attuned to her even in sleep, and when she told him what was happening, he was out of bed and calling for servants before she’d even finished the sentence.“Fenna,” he said urgently to the first maid who appeared at the door. “Get Fenna now. And send word to Alexander.”The next hours blurred together in a haze of pain and effort, Fenna moving with calm, practiced authority around her, guiding her through breathing, through positioning, her hands steady and reassuring even as the contractions grew closer and more intense. Nolan remained at her side the e

Nolan stood before the gathered pack the following morning, his voice carrying clearly across the courtyard as he delivered the formal decree. The healer and her brother would be executed at the pack square in exactly seven days, their crimes laid bare for all to hear one final time before judgment was carried out publicly. The reaction rippled through the crowd in waves. Faes who had only recently emerged from hiding exchanged relieved glances, some openly weeping with the release of decades of accumulated fear. Several werewolves who had apparently suffered their own quiet grievances at the healer’s hands over the years, poor treatment, dismissed complaints, favoritism shown to those who could pay handsomely for her services, nodded with visible satisfaction at the news. But not everyone reacted with approval. Nolan caught the tight expressions of a handful of council members and older pack members near the back, their disapproval evident in the set of their jaws, the way their e

Gianna was the first to rise that morning, dressing carefully in a black gown with a long, sheer veil draped over her shoulders and face. When Nolan emerged from the bathing chamber to find her already prepared, standing before the mirror adjusting the veil, he paused in the doorway."You're wearing mourning colors," he said."I am," Gianna said, her reflection meeting his eyes in the glass. "I'm glad I get to mourn the people who spent so long wanting me dead. It seems only fitting."Nolan finished dressing in silence, though as he fastened the last clasp of his formal attire, he approached her again, his expression carrying that same careful concern he'd shown all week."Are you certain about this?" he asked, not for the first time. "You're heavily pregnant, still recovering from Iris's birth. The stress of witnessing something like this, it can't be good for you.""I'm certain," Gianna said, meeting his gaze steadily through the veil.He studied her a moment longer, clearly recogni

Later that night, back in their chambers, Nolan noticed Gianna reaching for another glass of wine. She hadn't drunk much, but he could tell she was planning on more, and something about that worried him."You've had enough," he said gently, taking the glass from her hand before she could lift it to her lips."It's just wine," Gianna said, frowning at him."It's not good for the baby," Nolan said. "And you've been missing your check-ups because of everything happening this past week. I already sent for the doctor. He should be here soon."Gianna sighed but didn't argue, too tired from the day's chaos to put up much of a fight. The doctor arrived shortly after, greeting them both with a warm smile before setting his bag down and beginning his examination.He checked her pulse, pressed gently against her belly, listened carefully, and asked several questions about how she'd been feeling."The baby is healthy," he said finally, straightening up. "And you're doing well too, my lady. But yo