Semua Bab The Alpha King’s Tattered Shirt: Bab 41 - Bab 50

Seline scanned the clearing on the edge of the Whispering Moon Woods, her nostrils flaring as she looked for my scent. Failing to spot me, she turned to her handmaiden and hissed, "Find Selene. After spending the entire night shivering in the freezing wilderness, her wolf must be completely broken and she probably looks pathetic. Use your scrying stone to capture a vision of her face the moment you spot her!""Right away, Lady Seline," the handmaiden whispered, scurrying off toward the edge of the ancient stone ruins.A short while later, she hurried back to Seline's side, her ears pinned back in confusion. "I checked every single pavilion, Lady Seline. The stray is nowhere to be found. Do you think her wolf dragged herself back to the lodge on foot? It is only a three-league run through the mountains. She wouldn't be foolish enough to freeze out there all night, right?"Before Seline could reply, Erika Nightfang and Anna marched into the pavilion, their scents radiating pure hostilit

I stood in the corner of the changing room within the Mooncrest Artisan Guild, my heart heavy. I had searched every inch of the territory for the small, white furred creature that had become my only comfort in this cold place. Finally, I spotted him. He was curled up on a piece of hide.He whimpered, his ears flattening as he looked up at me with wide, fearful eyes.I knelt down, my hand trembling as I stroked his soft head. "Were you trying to protect me from her? You can't do that. You can't afford to cross Seline Bloodmoon."Before I could say more, the pack artisan rushed in, her breath coming in short bursts. "Selene, the High Elder wants the ceremonial robes shifted immediately. Since Seline Bloodmoon is refusing to scent-train today, her place on the pavilion goes to the second-rank bride candidate, Coco. Get her fitted now."The rumors around the Citadel were true, then. The Grand Wolf Assembly was forcing the Alpha Lords to rewrite the succession schedule to speed up the sele

"Did you really have to scream so loud?" I spat, throwing the broken scrying glass against the stone floor as the project monitor hissed to static."I didn't mean to, Lady Seline! I only handed the memory-crystal to the apprentice editor!" Iris sobbed, covering her face as the residual magic sparked around her feet."Then how did the true memory-stream reach the Alpha Council Lords? This is an absolute disaster!" I paced the length of the chamber, my claws digging into my palms as the reality of my ruined reputation set in.I had paid a high-ranking illusionist to craft a flawless duplicate of that confrontation, certain that no ordinary wolf could ever trace the alterations."Wipe every public board clean, issue an apology, and find a dark-weaver to fabricate a counter-statement claiming Selene orchestrated the animal attack herself!" I snarled, dropping back into my velvet chair with a frustrated hiss. "I cannot lose the patronage of the Elder Matrons; my status depends entirely on

"You haven't even touched your supper," I muttered, crossing my arms as Lucian kept reading through the dominion boundary reports in the dim light of the Alpha Throne Chamber."I've been busy keeping your pack from tearing you apart," he replied without looking up, his deep voice carrying that heavy, demanding edge that always made my core clench."Then I'll handle things tomorrow, but right now you need to eat," I said, setting the tray of fresh venison down right over his parchment."Feed me yourself, little wolf," he growled, finally lifting his golden gaze to meet mine with a dark, hungry intensity.The door creaked open before I could answer, and Tanis Moonshade stepped inside, clutching a stack of freshly sorted financial manifests. "Alpha King, the quarterly revenue for the southern territory is twenty percent higher than—"Before she could finish, Raze Blackclaw grabbed her shoulder and jerked her backward. "Tanis, do not walk in uninvited when the Alpha is busy."Tanis flushe

"What do you think you are doing?" I snarled, wrenching my arm out of Raze Blackclaw’s grip. "Why didn't you stop the Supreme Alpha King from rewriting the entire expansion plan just to chase after some tailor?"The moment I stormed out of the war council chambers, my chest burned with a toxic, clawing rage.Lucian was never a monarch to bend his kingdom's trajectory for a female.He had done it entirely for Selene Corvinus.Raze let out a heavy sigh, his golden eyes dull with exhaustion. "If you already know the answer, Tanis, stop fighting it. Nobody commands the crown when the King's wolf takes the wheel."Without waiting for my reply, he turned on his heel and strode down the obsidian corridor to draft the new architectural manifests.I stood frozen in the dim hallway, my fingernails digging deep into my palms until blood welled against my skin.He really threw away months of strategic planning just for her.That evening, I fled the citadel and slipped into the dim, smoke-filled b