All Chapters of I Woke Up Engaged To An Alpha: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

To understand why the word magic spits like poison from the mouths of the Northern High Council, one must first dismantle the polite lies written in the realm's histories.The realm's history preaches that magic was outlawed out of simple fear. In the South, where human kingdoms rule beneath golden banners, magic is viewed as a corrupting, unnatural perversion. Human scholars teach that magic carries no honorable history—that those born with spellcraft in their blood are inherently manipulative, driven by an erratic instinct to bend the minds and wills of ordinary men. To the South, magic is an evil disease that ruins empires from within.But in the frozen expanse of the North, magic was not feared for what it could build or destroy. It was despised for what it attempted to collar.Centuries ago, before the borders were sealed with iron and blood, and long before the bitter blood-feud between humans and werewolves ever began, the realm was infested by those history remembers simply as

SIGRUN"Big fu.cking idiots," Varul muttered as the door slammed shut behind the last person.I hid my smile in my hand as I watched him angrily stalk back to the mirror and clean up his shaving with a small towel. He yanked on a fresh pair of dark trousers, stepping into it with smooth, practiced efficiency.I sat up straighter, resting a hand on the furs as my brow furrowed, remembering what his Beta had said. "What was Darren talking about? Time for what? The feast of the Moonlight Festival doesn't begin until tomorrow."Varul pulled a dark, heavy tunic over his head, his tone dropping into a flat, business-like rumble. "The feast begins tomorrow, princess. The High Hunt begins tonight."A cold knot tightened in the pit of my stomach. "The High Hunt? You mentioned it last week, but you said it was just the opening ritual."I hadn't thought much of it when he mentioned it. I'd just thought it'd be some routine medieval ritual involving dances and mild debauchery under the moon. In al

SIGRUNI lay there for a second, breathless, staring up at the vaulted stone ceiling as my heart gradually hammered down from a panic sprint.I sat up, coughing softly into my elbow, and wiped a streak of dried lye soap and gray lint from my cheek.My arms were bruised, my palms were scraped, and my clothes smelled like a medicine shop, but I was out.I scrambled off the pile of blankets and surveyed my surroundings. The subterranean wash-house was a vast, cavernous basement built into the foundations of the castle.Massive copper cauldrons sat suspended over dying iron hearths, thick steam still rising from the surface of hot water heavy with the scent of boiled herbs and laundry detergent. Huge wooden drying racks hung from the ceiling, draped with damp linens that created a maze of shadow and fog.It was completely deserted. The palace servants had all cleared out hours ago, drawn to the upper courtyards to witness the grand departure of the King and his Alpha lords at the main gat

SIGRUN “Varul…” I sobbed out, my voice trembling against the freezing air. “Varul, you came—” I reached out a shaking, mud-stained hand toward him. The moment my fingers drifted toward his muzzle, Siren’s upper lip curled back, exposing massive, bone-white fangs, and he let out a low, terrifying snarl that vibrated straight through my ribs and down into my bones. I froze, the breath catching hard in my throat. Siren stepped closer, looming over me like a towering shadow of death. His amber eyes were burning with feral rage. Under the crimson glare of the blood moon, there was no man behind those eyes. The moon had stripped away Varul’s human mind, leaving only the wild, apex predator—just like he had warned me. God, I’d been so stupid. I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my back flat against the rough, freezing bark of the pine tree, prepared for the absolute worst... for my head to be snapped clean off my body. I deserved it. Then I felt a cold, wet snout brushing agai

SIGRUNElara dropped into the wooden chair beside my settee, her cheeks slightly flushed, though she hastily smoothed her silk skirts with suspicious intensity."That is Darren, Elara. The Alpha's Beta," I said, my invisible whiskers twitching with curiosity as I watched them both.Given the...tension, I felt some sort of introduction was necessary. I just realized that although Elara had visited the castle many times, she'd never seen Darren—come to think of it, I don't think she'd ever actually met Varul either.Darren said nothing to acknowledge my attempt at introduction, even though I was quite sure that he'd heard it."Right," Elara whispered frantically, taking a seat on the chair and grabbing my cup of chamomile tea to take a huge sip that I could only identify as an attempt at fortification."Ooh, this tastes nice," she added as an afterthought, peering into the cup like one would examine the nutritional content on the packet of a tasty snack. I found Elara's distracted, easy