Claimed and Sold at the Lycan King's Ball のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

CHAPTER 2 AVA'S POV He sunk his fang deep down my neck and the mark was set. A wave of pain crashed through me as the bond took hold, and my knees felt weak. When he finally pulled back, the weight of the situation settled in. "I don’t want this," I gasped, tears slipping down my cheeks. "I don’t want you." His jaw locked. "The bond doesn’t care what you want. You belong to the crown now." He took my hand and pulled me through the crowd. I looked around for help, but all I saw were the cold, judging glares of the people watching. I saw Selene amongst them, and her expression was one of pure disdain. The King led me to a private study that smelled of old leather and books. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. Then the scent of jasmine and wine hit the air—Lydia was there, her smile too wide and entirely false. “Your Majesty,” she said sweetly, bowing low that her forehead almost touched the floor. “What a blessing. My stepdaughter is yours. Of course, such a transition requires compen

CHAPTER 4The court of vultures. AVA'S POV.Two days had passed since I almost stabbed him with that silver letter opener. The King’s suite felt like a cage. Draken hadn’t touched me since that night. He slept in the armchair by the window, eyes open every time I woke up, gone by the time I pretended to be asleep again. He didn’t force anything. He actually respected my “no.”That should have made me feel safer. It didn’t.Ash kept pacing inside me, restless and whimpering. I could feel his wolf too that heavy, frustrated pull through the bond that made my skin itch and my chest tight. It was exhausting fighting both of them. But today, the silence was over.“Hold still, My Queen,” Maya, the youngest lady from that night on which I was scrubbed, whispered, her fingers trembling as she tightened the corset of a navy blue gown. It was heavy, adorned with gold chains reminding me that I was bought. “I am not a queen, Maya.”I muttered, looking at my reflection. The mark on my neck had

CHAPTER 6 AVA'S POVI stirred awake to gentle sunlight drifting through heavy curtains. Cold sea air poured through the balcony, filling the room with a calm, serene atmosphere. My shoulder still throbbed. My fingers ached from climbing the stone wall last night. My eyes drifted around the intimidating space of the royal suite expecting him to have gone back to his throne. But he hadn't.Draken was still sitting exactly where he had been when I fell asleep. My breath hitched at the sight of his injured arm. It was still stained with a damp circle of dried blood. My blood. The wound the mate bond had transferred into his arm hadn't healed. The ruthless mask of the Lycan King had slipped off revealing an exhausted man.“You didn't sleep.” I whispered, my voice sounding small in the quiet room. “Neither did you.” he rumbled. His voice was lower than usual. I took a gentle breath pulling the heavy silk blanket tighter around my chest, but the fabric shifted against my skin.I froze.

CHAPTER 8AVA’S POVThe walk to the Great Council Hall felt like walking into a trap. I wasn't wearing Draken’s oversized black cloth anymore. It barely covered my thighs, making it impossible to wear into a public court. Instead, Maya had rushed to find a heavy, high-collared sky-blue gown. Beside me, Kael walked. His loose navy robe shifting as he moved forward, He looked completely different from the armor of the wolves following us.Every hallway we passed was a centre of whisper. Servants scrubbing the marble floors went silent the second I passed. Guards stood at attention, but their eyes followed every turn I took. Noblewomen women murmured.“The Southern stray.”“They say she brought blood to the gates on her first week.”A suffocating wave of humiliation washed over me. It was happening again. It was the same feeling as the morning Jax had stood in front of the entire Southern Pack, holding another girl’s hand, letting everyone watch me break. It was the same feeling the fi

CHAPTER 10AVA'S POVI stared at the bleeding symbol on the paper, my lungs refusing to take in air. Madame Lira’s words from the Council Hall echoed in my head 'The darkness has already entered the palace, and it is watching us all.' A cold shiver ran down my spine as a memory from my nightmare flashed in my mind. The moving shadows. The shattered crown. The faceless hand reaching out promising me freedom in the garden. My dream hadn't just been a product of my heartbreak over Jax or my fear of Draken. It had been a warning. The elder seer was right. The threat wasn't lurking outside the eastern gates. It was moving through the corridors, slipping into my room while I slept, and using my identity to frame me for murder. Heat rushed up my neck as I took a glance around the room. No one had been here except for me and Maya. Ash was pacing back and forth scraping her fingers against my chest. The two silver crescent on my neck flared with a sudden heat. I stood up from the bed and rushe