《HE REJECTED ME, SO I TOOK HIS CROWN》全部章節：第 21 章 - 第 30 章

VALERIA.The anemic morning sun clawed its way over the jagged peaks of the western mountains, casting a weak, bruised-orange glow across the Vanguard fortress.After the suffocating tension and high-stakes political theater of last night's grand banquet, my skin was practically crawling.I needed to cleanse my senses.I desperately needed to wash the cloying stench of high-society wolves, cheap perfume, and fake smiles from my lungs.I retreated to my newly constructed private greenhouse, slipping out of my quarters like a ghost before the rest of the fortress had even finished recovering from their drunken, celebratory slumbers.The soaring dome of bulletproof glass and dark wrought iron was perfectly, beautifully quiet.It was filled only with the rich scent of damp earth, crushed leaves, and the sharp bite of the freezing mountain air filtering through the climate-controlled vents.Here, completely surrounded by empty soil beds and pristine glass shelves, I could rely on the quiet

VALERIA.The air in the grand basalt chamber tasted like dust and old parchment.Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Vespera lounging against the back wall. She wasn't even trying to mask her predatory gaze anymore.She stood with her arms crossed tightly over her dark leather corset, her steel-gray eyes glowing with sick, eager anticipation.I could practically read her mind.She was literally counting down the seconds, waiting for the highly illegal aphrodisiac to melt my brain.She was waiting for me to drop to my knees, panting and clawing at my own skin in front of the Vanguard high command.She wanted to watch me completely, humiliatingly unravel. She wanted to see me ruined.I would absolutely not give her that fucking satisfaction."Tear her throat out," my inner wolf snarled, pacing furiously against my ribs, riding high on the weaponized chemical rushing through our veins. "Show her the monster."At the massive mahogany table, some ancient, decorated lord was droning on

KAELEN.The heavy oak door of our private chambers slammed shut with a deafening BOOM that rattled the iron sconces on the stone walls.In the corridor behind us, I could hear the terrified gasps of the estate maids scattering like mice, completely oblivious to the lethal, suffocating tension practically choking the air between the Luna and their Supreme Alpha.The march down the vaulted corridors had been a violently silent war.But the exact second the heavy iron locks clicked into place, the room ignited.The atmosphere was a toxic, highly volatile cocktail of mutual hatred, deep-seated resentment, fierce territorial aggression, and a sudden, undeniable, primal attraction that made the air feel too thick to breathe.Valeria didn't waste a single second.She violently snatched her arm out of my bruising grip, stumbling back a half-step to put physical distance between our bodies."You didn't have to hold me so fucking tight," she snapped, her chest heaving. She locked her eyes onto

VALERIA.In the suffocating, explosive heat of our violent clash, the entire world outside the four stone walls of our private chambers simply ceased to exist.Alpha Kaelen Blackwood had me pinned completely flat against the dark wood paneling, his massive, hard body physically crushing mine.Every single muscle in my arms burned, screaming in protest as I fought a desperate, losing battle to break free from his iron hold.My wrists were trapped bruisingly tight above my head, pinned to the wall by hands that felt like absolute steel.But the physical struggle wasn't the worst part.The real, terrifying battle was happening deep inside my own body.I was fighting a violent, losing war against the sudden, apocalyptic wave of attraction pulsing through my veins.The air in the room was so incredibly thick with sexual tension that I was practically choking on it.My chest heaved against his, the friction of our clothes generating a heat that threatened to melt the icy, political armor I

VALERIA."I am going to show you exactly why a pretty little woman shouldn't get involved in the brutal business of men, Princess," Thorne roared, the heavy silver broadsword humming through the air, aimed directly at my exposed throat.He expected me to scream. He probably expected me to throw my hands up and cower like the fragile, sheltered political pawn he thought I was.But as the silver steel flashed blindingly in the courtyard torchlight, my suppressed Blood Moon combat training violently overrode my conscious thought.My mind went entirely, beautifully quiet.The chaotic noise of the courtyard faded into a dull roar.I tracked the clumsy, arrogant, anger-fueled trajectory of his strike. He was telegraphing his movement, entirely reliant on brute strength rather than lethal precision.Moving with fluid, apex-predator lethality, I dropped low, slipping completely beneath his guard.My hand shot upward like a striking viper, wrapping around his thick wrist with a grip like an ir