All Chapters of SOLD TO THE LYCAN KING AFTER MY MATE REJECTED ME : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

THE FIRST HONEST CONVERSATIONThe knock on my door came shortly after breakfast.It was nothing like the firm knocks of the palace guards or the formal announcements of servants bringing meals. I opened the door myself, not expecting anyone in particular. Della stood on the other side, holding her travel bag with both hands. Her eyes were wide as she looked around the unfamiliar hallway."Della." Her name came out as a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.She quickly curtsied. "My lady, I was told to report to your chambers. I didn't mean to come before you were ready to receive…”I didn't let her finish and pulled her into a hug. My arms tightened around her shoulders while her bag bumped against my back. She froze for a second in surprise and then her arms came up around me too. I had missed her so much that it brought tears to my eyes."You don't curtsy to me," I said into her shoulder in a thick voice. "Not you. Never you."She laughed through her tears and drew back to access

POISON IN THE TEACUPThe moment the smell of faint bitterness mixed with the warm jasmine scent rising from Aurelia's cup reached me, my brain became alerted of danger. My wolf sensed it first by half a breath, followed by me. A sharp instinct pulled taut inside my chest, and I moved with the speed of light before I could even think. I struck the cup from Aurelia's hands just as it neared her lips. The porcelain crashed onto the stone floor and tea splashed across the pale marble.Aurelia jerked back in her chair with a frightened gasp. "Kael." Her eyes widened as she stared at the broken cup, then at me. "What is wrong with you?""That tea was poisoned." Fear shook my voice. I had come dangerously close to losing her before I had even earned the right to call her mine. My hands trembled, but I forced them into fists. I refused to let her see how badly the thought had shaken me.Her eyes dropped to the shattered porcelain. The tea slowly spread across the floor. "Poisoned?" she whisp

THE PRICE OF GREEDThe gold arrived on a grey morning.Three wagons rolled through the gates, guarded by royal guards. I almost leaped for joy because my heart's desire for many years had finally begun to fill.For the first week, I walked through all the rooms I could now afford to restore to life. The east parlor had a brown-stained ceiling from years of leaks. We had never had sufficient money to repair the roof. The curtains in the dining hall had also faded, their once-bright colors almost gone. I took mental note of everything carefully, imagining fresh silk curtains, new gold decorations, and a house brought back to life. For ten years, our home had gradually fallen apart while everyone pretended not to notice.Edric said nothing about what had happened. In fact, he had barely spoken about anything for years.Ever since the night his own daughter had looked at him with such betrayal in her eyes, he had become almost like a ghost in his own home. He was lost in his thoughts most

THE ADVISOR'S DOUBTI had served the royal family of Silverfang since the day Kael's father died.For decades, I had stood by kings and attended war councils. I had advised rulers, watched over the kingdom, and helped keep things running smoothly without drawing much attention to myself. Through wars, coronations, betrayals, and every crisis a crown could face, I had never witnessed anything like what happened in that courtyard.I had been standing in the shadows of the archway, watching Aurelia's training session. I saw the guard's foot catch on a stone. I saw his practice blade swing toward her and saw the change in Aurelia's expression in that instant before her instinct took over.But I had not expected what happened next. The air around her shimmered. The light seemed to bend around her hands and a strange silver glow appeared. By the time the others could understand what they had witnessed, the guard was thrown across the courtyard.I knew. I recognized that power. It had been d

SEEDS OF DOUBTI woke up as the world gradually returned to me one piece at a time.At first, I was in a daze. Then I felt the softness of my pillow beneath my cheek. Next came the warmth of a hand wrapped tightly around mine, gripping it so firmly it was almost painful. Then I heard murmurings nearby, low and worried.I opened my eyes. Kael was sitting beside my bed, his golden eyes intensely fixed on my face."Aurelia." His voice shook when he said my name, relief flooding his features so visibly that the sight was appealing to me. He truly cared about me. "You are awake.""What happened?" My voice came out dry and weak, barely audible for me to hear."My lady, you collapsed in the garden."Della appeared on the other side of the bed. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her usual composed self totally undone by fear the past hours had put her through."You frightened us terribly."I tried to sit up, but my entire body protested. A deep exhaustion weighed on my muscles, even though I