Home / MM Romance / Biting the King: A Rogue’s Second Sunrise / Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

All Chapters of Biting the King: A Rogue’s Second Sunrise: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

63 Chapters

42

Azel Whitmore POV“Who authorized this low-born pack to broadcast my sigil-crafting?” I demand, my claws lengthening as I slam the heavy silver goblet onto the stone table of Frostclaw Hollow.Ronan Nightcrest leans against the arched entryway, his massive shoulders blocking the moonlight, a lethal smirk playing on his full lips. “Relax, alpha. The Moon Seer Vaelor shared the vision-link in the mid-tier sorcery circle. The old wolves are going wild over how you merged the banishing runes with the protection seals.”“Is that the forbidden blood-talisman?” a cracked voice echoes from the glowing scrying stone on my table, streaming live reactions from elders across the territory.“His claw-work is flawless. He does not even use a channeling focus.”“Does a modified binding seal even hold under a full moon?”The pack elder running the network chimes in, his voice booming through the crystal. “It holds. The pup’s demonic taint vanished the moment Azel knotted the leather strap around his

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Azel Whitmore POV“Touch me like you mean it, Ronan,” I growl, my bare back pressing hard against the rough stone of the western storage den as his massive hands grip my hips, pulling my heat flush against his thick thighs.Ronan Nightcrest chuckles softly, a deep, rumbling vibration in his chest that sends a wave of liquid fire straight down between my legs. “The whole territory is watching the mirror-feeds outside, Azel. But right here, in the dark, your wet heat belongs to me.”He slams his mouth over mine, his sharp fangs scraping my lower lip until the taste of blood fills our mouths, making our inner beasts howl with pure, unadulterated lust.But while Ronan and I are matching each other's alpha dominance in the shadows, the secondary mirror-feed suddenly flickers to life on the MoonNet Circle, catching Darius Whitmore and Nyra Vale under the heavy branches of the blood-fruit tree in the training courtyard.Nyra looks up at Darius, her fingers trembling as she claws at his leath

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NARRATOR NAME POV: AZEL WHITMORE"You really think those two wolves were locking jaws too deep for a couple of pack-mates?" Elder Alaric Nightcrest growls, his thick gray fur bristling as he glares at his sons across the heavy oak table inside Whitmore Moonkeep. "Why are all three of you defending Darius? Look at him.""Not at all, Father," Cassiel responds smoothly, his golden eyes flashing under the dim candlelight of the den. "He’s just comforting Nyra. When her omega instincts feel threatened or wronged, we all scent her and hold her like that. It’s pack comfort."Alaric rubs his temples, his heavy boots shifting against the stone floor. He spends most of his moons handling the high-stakes territory expansion for the Lunar Veil Dominion, leaving the pack house early and returning long after the moon hits its peak. He barely knows how his blood sons interact with their adopted omega."Do you slide your hands down her waist and lick her scent glands like Darius did on the feed?" Ala

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NARRATOR NAME POV: AZEL WHITMORE"He only bared his fangs at you because your scent was choking the pack house, Darius," I drawl, leaning against the cold stone of the training cave. "A Moon Seer operates under ancient vows. You can beg the High Council for mercy when this trial ends, but right now, you look desperate."Darius flinches, his shoulders dropping as my words bite into his pride. "As long as you didn't trigger the blood curse on purpose, Azel."We sink into a suffocating silence, the heavy air in Frostclaw Hollow thick with the scent of unspoken hostility.Across the territory, inside the obsidian walls of the Lunar Veil Dominion, Malachi Whitmore is already clawing his way through a comm-link to Ezekiel Thornhart’s beta handler, a bitter female named Amirah Kingsley."I'm not asking for your permission to claim the bond, Amirah," Malachi growls, his throat vibrating with an alpha command. "Ezekiel already agreed to stitch his heat-scent to Azel’s. The pack public needs to

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AZEL WHITMORE"Don't waste the game-meat, you idiots," I growl, tossing a slab of salted stag-venison toward the pack fire. We’re deep in the Shadowfang wilderness, far from the polished, fake walls of the Whitmore Moonkeep."The elders want a show?" I snap, my voice low and vibrating with a primal, rhythmic growl. "Then we give them a hunt."The rehearsals for the Bloodmoon Trials aren't just games. They are blood-rites. While Darius Whitmore and his pampered omega, Nyra Vale, prance around the village square trying to impress the elders with shallow, hollow grace, my group is training in the dark. We’re practicing the old ways—shadow puppetry, weaving spirits of smoke and moonlight to mimic the ancient shift-dances of our ancestors.I don’t care about Nyra’s traditional dance. I care about the scent of fear coming off the villagers."They won't clap for those city-born fakes," I mutter to Ronan Nightcrest. He’s standing close to me, his scent a mix of cedar and wet earth, grounding

47

AZEL WHITMOREI sit in the back of the transport-van, the rhythmic hum of the engine doing nothing to settle the wolf pacing under my skin. My MoonNet feed is a blur of blue light, the screen reflecting in my pupils as I stare at my own post. The audio file I leaked—the one of Ezekiel Thornhart, the Warlord of the northern packs, literally telling me to swallow my pride and bow to a foster-brat just to save her from public ridicule—is playing on a loop across the entire territory.He really thought I was still his pathetic, submissive toy. He thought I’d just roll over and take the humiliation because he’s a powerful Warlord and I’m just an "exiled" Whitmore. The realization hits me like a silver bullet to the chest, leaving me breathless and cold.How did we go from sharing heat-cycles in the academy to this?My phone vibrates against my thigh, cutting through my thoughts. It’s Amirah Kingsley, his beta-handler. I answer, my voice low and dangerous. "Speak, Amirah.""Have you lost yo

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AZEL WHITMORE"He really thinks a pathetic lie on the MoonNet Circle is going to save his reputation?" I scoff, glaring at the glowing display of my comm-device as the latest defensive post from Ezekiel Thornhart lights up the screen.Ronan Nightcrest leans across the console of our transport-skiff, his dark eyes locked on mine with a fierce, possessive intensity. "Let him scramble, Azel. Every word he posts just digs his grave deeper."Miles away in a matching convoy, Nyra Vale is hyperventilating into Darius Whitmore’s leather jacket, her face blotchy and stained with angry tears. "Why is everyone blaming me?" she gasps, her voice a shrill, manipulative whine. "I only wanted to be a good pack-sister! Azel is just weaponizing the pack against us because he wants to ruin my life!"Darius strokes her hair with clumsy, frantic strokes, his alpha pride bruised by the relentless digital onslaught. "Don't listen to the curs, Jo. Malachi is handling the public relations nodes right now. Onc

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“Move over,” I said, my voice dropping like a stone as I stared straight at Tavian.My breath caught in my throat, hot and sharp, and my wolf thrashed beneath my skin, scratching at my ribs because I had to look at him after everything.“You’re sitting in the wrong row, Ezekiel,” Tavian growled back, his jaw locking so hard a muscle twitched right beside his mouth.The air inside the cramped aisle of the pack transport felt heavy, smelling faintly of ozone and pine, thick enough to choke on. Everyone on board was staring, their eyes wide like trapped prey.“Let me say it one more time,” Ezekiel snapped, his voice shaking with a dangerous, ugly edge as his dark gaze swept over the pack members around us. “I did not betray Azel.”“Stop talking nonsense,” Darius barked from the row ahead, his fingers curling into tight fists against the armrest.Ezekiel felt a cold spike of panic flare in his chest. Even Darius had fallen for the garbage spreading all over MoonNet Circle, swallowing the

50

“Move over,” I growled, my voice dropping like a stone as I stared straight at Tavian.My breath caught in my throat, hot and sharp, and my wolf thrashed beneath my skin, scratching at my ribs because I had to look at him after everything.“You’re sitting in the wrong row, Ezekiel,” Tavian snapped back, his jaw locking so hard a muscle twitched right beside his mouth.The air inside the cramped aisle of the pack transport felt heavy, smelling faintly of ozone and pine, thick enough to choke on. Everyone on board was staring, their eyes wide like trapped prey.“Let me say it one more time,” Ezekiel growled, his voice shaking with a dangerous, ugly edge as his dark gaze swept over the pack members around us. “I did not betray Azel.”“Stop talking nonsense,” Darius barked from the row ahead, his fingers curling into tight fists against the armrest.Ezekiel felt a cold spike of panic flare in his chest. Even Darius had fallen for the garbage spreading all over MoonNet Circle, swallowing t

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“You’ve lost your damn mind, Amirah,” I growled, my grip tightening around her wrist until the bones clicked.My pulse hammered against my ribs, hot and furious, as I stared down at my sister after she landed a stinging blow right across my cheek.Amirah pouted, her eyes flashing with stubborn defiance as she tried to wrench her arm away. “I wanted to smack you harder than that, Ezekiel.”I shoved her back a fraction, my teeth baring in a low snarl. “Watch your damn mouth, Amirah. And remember who birthed us.”With half the pack transport watching us from their seats, a public brawl with my own blood would give Lady Evelyne more ammunition to tear me apart later.Amirah rolled her eyes so hard I thought they’d get stuck. “That’s Skyler’s birth-giver, not mine. You’re the only pathetic pup crawling back to her for scraps.”The insult hit too close to home, turning my stomach into a knot of hot lead. “Shut your trap,” I hissed, yanking her closer so our noses almost touched. “Keep that

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