All Chapters of The Gate He Closed Became My Crown: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Behind Marcus, a silver placard stood beside the gate.Welcome Dragon King, and the Dragon Queen.The words had been polished bright for the arrival of people Marcus had spent years trying to impress.I pointed to the title.“That is who I am.”The laughter came almost at once.“She says she is the Dragon Queen.”“She claims she belongs to Caelan Frost.”“Three years away, and she has lost her mind.”Clara laughed hardest. When she finally stepped toward the placard, her smile was sharp with contempt.“Read carefully, Sienna. We are waiting for the Dragon King’s mate, the most honored woman in the dragon clans. Not a rejected woman carrying some nameless child.”She raised her voice for the crowd.“Perhaps she has not heard. Last month, His Majesty spent fifty million gold marks at the royal auction for a ruby ring.”The mention of the ring shifted the mood at once.“Fifty million?”“They say it was a relic from the ancient Frost Dragon dynasty.”“Only the true Dragon Queen could wear

Three days later, Blackthorn Keep opened its gates for the Dragon Court Banquet.Every dragon lord was required to attend with his mate and swear loyalty before the Dragon King. Marcus had clearly spent more coin than taste preparing for it. The great hall had been remade in black and silver, with banners of the Black Dragon clan hanging from the pillars and two thrones raised at the far end of the room.One for the Dragon King and one for the Dragon Queen.Marcus entered with Clara on his arm. Clara wore a deep violet gown heavy with jewels, every piece chosen to remind the room that she was the woman Marcus had chosen.I arrived alone.I did not wear court silk or royal jewels. My gown was simple and loose enough not to press against the child I carried, its pale fabric almost plain beneath the light. Caelan had commissioned it himself, with Frost Dragon protection spells woven into the lining. It was safer than any armor in that hall.Marcus saw me before I reached the center of the

Caelan Frost stood at the entrance of the hall.He wore formal black trimmed in silver, the Frost Dragon crest embroidered across his chest. In his arms was a little boy with the same ice-blue eyes, one hand hooked around his father’s collar as he studied the room.Every lord in the hall bowed at once.It was instinct. Caelan’s power rolled through the room like winter breaking over the mountains, forcing heads down and knees weak. Even the stronger dragon lords lowered their eyes.Clara was the first to move.She arranged her face into a smile and hurried toward him, still clutching the broken band of the ring.“Your Majesty, forgive the disturbance. We caught a thief near the royal dais. This woman stole the Dragon Queen’s ring and tried to pass herself off as your mate.”She turned slightly, pointing toward me as if presenting proof of her loyalty.“I stopped her before she could disgrace the throne.”The little boy in Caelan’s arms went still.His bright eyes found me on the floor,

Marcus’s attempt at dignity lasted only as long as Caelan allowed it.“A misunderstanding,” Caelan repeated.Frost still clung to the floor around his boots. The broken ruby lay near my feet, each fragment bright against the marble.Marcus swallowed.“Sienna and I were once promised to each other,” he said. “We were fated mates. The bond was never properly released.”He turned to me with a look I had once mistaken for tenderness.“Sienna, tell them. We were together for seven years. Whatever happened between us, the bond was real.”“The promise was real,” I said. “Until you broke it.”“You were angry. You left before we could speak properly.”“You let go of my hand at the altar and chose another woman in front of every noble house sworn to Blackthorn.”Clara’s fingers curled into her skirt, but Marcus no longer looked at her.“I made a political choice,” he said quickly. “Clara’s bloodline could secure my lordship. You knew what Blackthorn needed.”“What Blackthorn needed was honor.”C

A week later, the healers allowed me to leave the palace healing wing.The wound across my back still hurt, but the child was safe. Theo checked every morning anyway, pressing his ear to my stomach until he felt movement before he would let anyone near me.Caelan had gone to sign the final Dragon Court orders, so I was alone when the guards brought Marcus in.He no longer looked like Lord Blackthorn. His face was bruised, his coat torn, and the clan ring had been stripped from his hand. In his palm lay a small diamond ring I recognized at once.I had carved its setting when I was fifteen, back when I still believed I would marry him.Marcus placed it on the table beside my bed.“Sienna,” he said, voice rough, “I still love you.”“No. You love what I became after I left you. You love the throne beside Caelan. You love the power you lost.”His face tightened.“I have regretted it every day since you walked out of the temple.”“You regretted losing. That is not the same thing.”The guards