All Chapters of No Crown for the Illegitimate Heir: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Just then, Alexander Gowling arrived, dew still clinging to his black cloak. He had just finished his morning training.He said, "I told you not to make any mistakes before the heir is officially named. No matter what, Ivy raised him for nine years. She will still be his mother in name and the Luna of the Graystone pack in front of everyone tomorrow."A chill ran through me when I heard Alexander call me a mother in name."I'm just worried about our pup, Alexander." Sophia Crow stepped forward, looping her arm through his, grievance wet in her eyes. "The real Child of Prophecy died the night he was born. If it weren't to secure your position, our Lucas wouldn't have to call another she-wolf his mother."I stood frozen in place.Suddenly, I recalled how Alexander used to stroke my pregnant belly, saying we would name the pup Lucas Gowling. He wanted to personally teach him how to hunt and vowed to raise him into the finest wolf of all.It turned out the pup we had longed for was a

Late that night, I summoned the old healer who had delivered my pup and the maid who had attended me all these years to the secondary living room under the pretense of checking on the ceremony preparations.They quickly broke under my half-smile questioning and the faint pressure of my white wolf bloodline's energy.Already guilty, they started stammering, drenched in cold sweat. "L-Luna Ivy… We… We were only following Alpha Alexander's orders—"The old healer dropped to his knees, trembling. "Alpha Alexander made it clear that your medicine had to include wolfsbane, along with the calming herbs. Over time, it would dull your senses and weaken your bloodline instinct."I closed my eyes, my nails digging deep into my palms.At last, every piece fell into place.Alexander had switched the pups to secure his position as Alpha and the authority the prophecy gave him. He drugged me to suppress the White Wolf royalty's bloodline instinct.And Sophia's easy return only meant their rela

An uproar broke across the square.Alexander's voice was sharp with anger. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?""I do." I met his gaze and continued, "Because he's not my pup. My real pup died nine years ago."Lucas went pale, instinctively shrinking back behind Alexander.Sophia reacted first, stepping forward as tears sprung out instantly. "Alpha Alexander, Luna Ivy hasn't been stable since she gave birth. Over the years, she's been claiming that the pup isn't hers. Please don't blame her. She's just been too fixated on the prophecy—""Enough," Father spoke in a soft voice, yet it silenced the entire square in an instant.Then, a royal guard stepped forward, presenting a tray with the old, bloodstained scrap of swaddling cloth on it.Father looked at Alexander, his voice cold. "My daughter found this among her old belongings. Last night, the royal traced the bloodline through the lingering scent. "The result shows that this cloth carries the scent of her true pup. That

The once untouchable Alpha of the Graystone pack now looked like a hollowed-out beast, barely staying on his feet."Leave." Father's royal guard blocked him coldly."I just need a word with Ivy." Alexander's voice was hoarse when he spoke. "Just a quick word."I hadn't planned to see him. But I wanted to see how he'd react now that he knew the mate bond was gone.So, I stepped out of the tent.Something akin to pitiful hope lit up in Alexander's eyes the moment he saw me."Ivy." He stepped forward, then seemed to remember himself and stopped short. "That blood-bound contract last night… You did that on purpose, didn't you?""I did," I replied without hesitation.Alexander's throat worked hard as he swallowed."Take it back," he said. "The trial, the testimonies, and the royal inquiry—I'll accept all of it. You can strip me of my Alpha title, too. But not the mate bond." I almost laughed. "Why not?""Because we're mates." Alexander stared at me, his voice growing urgent. "Th

I didn't have to go, but I went anyway. That was because I knew Alexander wouldn't last much longer.For an Alpha who had relied heavily on the white wolf's blessing to hold his power together, the backlash from breaking a mate bond would hit far harder than it would for an ordinary wolf.Sure enough, when I pushed the door open, Alexander was sitting on the cold stone bed. Every breath he took was strained and uneven.He'd lost weight, and the veins in his wrists stood out sharply. Gone was his usual suffocating presence."You came." Alexander looked up, his eyes bloodshot.I stayed by the door, not planning to step inside. "Say what you need to say."Alexander stared at me for a long time. Then, his voice dropped into a quiet plea. "I'm begging you. Please don't let them exile me. You know what the northern salt plains are like. It's no different from a death sentence if I go there in my current condition."I looked down at his hand gripping the hem of my dress, my gaze turnin