All Chapters of The Lycan Monarch’s Voluptuous Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

"Eighteen," I muttered to the cracked ceiling of the basement. "Still alive. Barely." I sat up, the springs of the cot groaning under my weight. My knees popped. A familiar dull ache settled in my lower back. Five years of sleeping on a saggy mattress in a damp bunker did that to a body. I didn't mind the cold as much as I minded the silence. Today was the day. The day my wolf was supposed to wake up. In our world, a wolf meant power, or at least a chance to fight back. I needed that chance. Ever since my father was executed for treason, Alpha Gideon had kept me around like a piece of cursed furniture. A reminder to the rest of the Moonlake Crest pack of what happens when you cross him. I pulled on the only thing that fit me properly—a faded, oversized gray sweater that swallowed my curves, paired with some worn-out jeans. My size was always a topic of conversation at the pack house dinner table. “Serenity’s eating for three again,” Gideon’s wife, Vanessa, loved to whisper. I’d lea

The carriage didn’t have cushions. It was just hard wood and iron bolts that rattled every time we hit a pothole. My hips bruised against the side wall within the first hour.Across from me, the three girls were still sniffling."My father is going to pay for this," the brunette who had called me a maid muttered. Her name was Lydia. She was the daughter of some high-ranking Beta from the western border. Her dress was pale blue silk, and it was already stained with grease from the carriage door. "He promised he’d negotiate. He said the King wouldn't want someone from our line.""No one negotiated," I said.All three of them stopped crying to stare at me."What do you know?" the youngest one asked. She couldn't have been older than seventeen. She had red hair and a face full of freckles. "You look like you belong in the kitchen.""I did belong in the kitchen," I said, leaning my head back against the wood. "And I know that if your fathers could have saved you, you wouldn't be sitting in

The King’s study didn't look like a king’s study. There were no gold ornaments or velvet drapes. It was just heavy gray stone, a massive desk made of dark wood, and a small fire burning in a hearth that barely kept the draft out. On the walls hung maps drawn on thick hides, marked with red ink.The guard pushed me inside and shut the heavy oak door behind me. The lock clicked.Valerius was standing by the high narrow window, his back to me. Even without his guards around him, he looked huge. His silver-white hair caught the gray light from the snow outside."Sit," he said without turning around.I looked at the two wooden chairs in front of his desk. They looked stiff and uncomfortable. I didn't sit. I remained standing right in the middle of the room, my hands tucked into the pockets of my dirty jeans."I prefer standing," I said.He turned around slowly. His ice-blue eyes scanned me, starting from my boots up to my face. "You don't like orders.""I’ve spent five years taking orders

I didn’t stand up. I stayed right there on the soft velvet sofa, leaning back against the cushions. I didn't want this woman to think she had the power to make me jump."And you are?" I asked. My voice was flat, bored.The woman’s sharp face twisted. "I am Lady Genevieve. Head of the Royal Household. My family has served the Frost line for three generations. We keep this palace clean of pests.""Well, you missed a spot," I said, pointing a finger at her. "Because you're still in my room."One of the young maids carrying a bucket of hot water let out a tiny, frightened squeak. Genevieve’s eyes flared with a cold, nasty light. She took three steps toward me, her purple skirts rustling like dry grass."You think because the King brought you up here that you are special?" Genevieve whispered. She leaned down, her sharp nose inches from mine. She smelled like heavy, artificial lavender. "You are a shield. A fat, southern shield. The King is using you to anger the High Council, nothing more