All Chapters of The Rejected Prisoner Who Became the Alpha King's Mate : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Zaren’s POVBy the time I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was warmth.Not the unbearable heat that had been tearing through my body earlier.This was different, steady and comforting.I blinked several times before my vision cleared, and the first thing I saw was Lyra sitting beside me.She had stayed. The realization settled somewhere deep in my chest.I pushed myself upright slowly, expecting the familiar pain to slam into me again.It didn't. There was still an ache beneath my ribs, but it wasn't nearly as vicious as before.My wolf stirred lazily.Mate!I almost smiled. “How long have I been asleep?”Lyra looked up from where she had been sitting.“I honestly don't know,” she admitted, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “You fell asleep so suddenly that I didn't want to wake you. I think it has been about two hours.”I rubbed a hand over my face.Two hours?I couldn't remember the last time my body had allowed me to sleep that deeply.I turned toward her. “Are

Lyra’s POVKael crossed the distance between us before I could even wipe the tears from my face.His fingers closed around my arms, hard enough to make me wince, and he dragged me closer until I could see the fury burning in his eyes. His wolf was so close to the surface that his pupils had narrowed into thin, glowing slits.“What the hell is going on?” Kael demanded, his grip tightening as he shook me once. “You cannot even save your own sister when she needs you, Lyra. Do you understand what I am dealing with right now? I have responsibilities in my pack, and everything is falling apart. I am already being accused of harboring a rogue pack, my position is being questioned, and people are waiting for me to make one mistake so they can tear everything down.”I tried to pull my arms free, but his fingers only dug deeper into my skin.“And after everything I have done for you,” he continued, breathing heavily through his nose, “...the one thing I asked you to do was protect Selene. One

Zaren’s POVI was halfway through a call with one of our investors when the doors to my office suddenly flew open.I looked up from the documents spread across my desk.Cade stood there.His chest was rising and falling, and there was a look in his eyes that immediately told me this wasn't about another shipment, another contract, or some minor problem inside the pack.I held up one finger, signaling the investor to wait. Cade didn't even bother apologizing for interrupting.“Alpha, you need to see your father immediately.”I frowned. The investor was still talking through the phone, but I barely heard him anymore.I ended the call.“What is it this time?” I asked, pushing the documents away.Cade walked closer. “Your father has summoned the elders, the council, the priestess, and practically everyone with authority in Silver Crest.”I slowly raised an eyebrow. “For what?”Cade hesitated.That hesitation made something cold settle in my stomach. “He wants you to honor the marriage bon

Lyra’s POVI stopped breathing.For a few seconds, I couldn't even understand what the Alpha King's father had just said.Fifty lashes and the dungeon. My mind rejected the words before my body could react to them and the room became icy cold with silence after the Alpha's king's growl.Then my knees hit the marble floor. “No, please.”My hands immediately came together, my fingers trembling so badly that I could barely keep them clasped. Tears blurred the room until the faces surrounding me became nothing more than shadows.“I am not a traitor,” I pleaded, looking from the Alpha King's father to the elders seated around him. “Please, I swear to the Moon Goddess, I had nothing to do with the battle plans. I didn't betray anyone. I spent three years in Ironmoor because nobody believed me the first time, and I cannot go back there. Please don't do this to me.”My voice cracked and I pressed my palms together harder. “I'm begging you. I don't deserve this.”Nobody moved.The priestess st

Zaren’s POVFor several seconds, nobody moved.Kael stood in the middle of the council chamber with a stack of incriminating documents scattered around his feet, while Selene clung to my stepmother as if the woman were the only thing keeping her from being dragged back to the dungeon. The smugness they had worn when they first entered the room had disappeared. Kael's jaw was clenched so tightly that I could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin, and Selene kept looking between her brother and the documents as though she expected the papers to burst into flames and disappear.I almost felt sorry for them.Then I remembered Lyra kneeling on the floor while her own brother watched her being sentenced to fifty lashes, and whatever sympathy I might have felt vanished.My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, furious that I had to stand here arguing while my mate remained exposed to the cruelty of people who had spent years destroying her life. I could still smell her tears. Her fear li