All Chapters of Demoted to the Throne : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The forest blurred past her.Trees. Branches. Shadows. All of it bleeding together in a rush of green and brown and darkness.She didn’t know how long she’d been running. She didn’t know where she was going. She only knew that she couldn’t stop.Her heart was pounding. Her chest tight, throat dry… Her bare feet slammed against the cold earth, sending jolts of pain up her legs.She could hear everything. The rustle of leaves. The snap of twigs. The distant howl of a wild animal deep in the forest. She could smell everything. The damp earth. The pine needles. The copper tang of blood in the air.Blood?She looked down. Her hands were covered in it. Red and wet and everywhere.Whose blood?She didn’t remember. She couldn’t remember.Something crashed through the trees behind her.Selene didn’t look back. She couldn’t afford to. She just ran.Her body was moving faster than it should have. Her legs carried her farther with every stride, faster than should have been scientifically possibl

It was Tuesday, and Selene woke up tired again.By the time she finally slipped through the double doors of Blackwood Corps, her feet were already aching. She navigated the labyrinth of sleek, mirrored hallways to her cubicle, the familiar hum of ringing phones and clacking keyboards filling the air.The office was already buzzing with a strange, electric tension that made the hairs on Selene’s arms stand on end.She immediately buried herself in spreadsheets and proposals, trying to ignore the mounting deadlines weighing on her mind.It was just another regular Tuesday until it wasn’t.“He’ll be here any minute,” Selene heard as whispers and the clicking of heels passed her desk.“Who are they talking about?” she inquired, leaning over the wooden partition of her cubicle to nudge Chloe.Chloe stopped typing and looked up at her as though she’d just asked if the sun was going to rise tomorrow. “Did you not see the memo?”“What memo?” Selene frowned, reaching for her phone to check th

Morning came. Again.The bus hadn’t even come to a complete stop before Selene squeezed her way through the crowd of passengers.“Excuse me.”“Sorry.”“Coming through.”The moment her shoes touched the pavement, she took off running.The cold morning air slapped against her cheeks as she hurried across the busy sidewalk, weaving around pedestrians who seemed to be moving at the pace of snails—far slower than Selene could tolerate.Her handbag bounced against her hip with every step.This morning was a disaster.Grandma Hattie had misplaced her medication.The bus had arrived ten minutes late.By the time Selene finally reached downtown Ravenwood City, she was so close to being late. Again.Not that it was entirely her fault.Being late three times this month says otherwise, Nyx pointed out.“Not helping, Nyx.” Selene muttered aloud.Just stating facts.Selene rolled her eyes and hastened her footsteps.The towering Blackwood Corps building soon came into view, standing proudly against

It had been two weeks.Two whole weeks.Selene had been adjusting, adapting, learning. She now knew where the files went, how Alaric preferred his coffee, how long the board meetings lasted, and a few important faces around the company.The executive floor wasn’t as bad as she had thought it would be. Except for her boss, who seemed to have developed a talent for confusing her. One minute, he was perfectly civil. The next, he could freeze a room with a single look.He’s weird, Nyx commented.You’re only noticing now? Selene replied. He had a weird way he operated. A particular way he liked his things to be. Like his coffee, for example.Americano. Medium. Two shots of espresso, just enough hot water to make it drinkable immediately. No sugar. No cream. No milk. No syrup. Nothing.And, apparently, even the mug mattered. His coffee had to go in one particular cup, filled just right and placed on the right side of his desk because he was right-handed.It had taken Selene three attempt

The Ashford estate sat at the edge of the city, tucked behind iron gates and a wall of pine trees that swallowed the noise of Los Angeles whole. Wolf statues stood at various points within the estate walls.A car rolled up the long gravel driveway, tires crunching softly beneath the weight of the vehicle.The mansion loomed ahead, all glass and stone and old money, its lights already glowing gold from within.Bianca didn’t wait for her chauffeur to open her door.Smoothing her dress gently, she stepped out of the car, one foot after the other, and marched briskly up the marble steps, her heels clicking with each step.“Miss Ashford,” the housekeeper greeted as she pulled the door open. “Your father is in his study.”With a curt nod and a tight smile, Bianca brushed past her, making her way to the study.The study doors were already cracked open, a sliver of amber light spilling into the hallway. She could hear the low murmur of her father’s voice, the particular tone he used when taki