บททั้งหมดของ THE LYCAN PRINCE'S BREEDER: บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

Arianna's POVThe wedding day arrived far too quickly.By the time I was dressed, I barely recognized the woman staring back at me in the glass. The white satin gown heavy with silver embroidery felt like armor for a war I hadn't agreed to fight, and the royal crown resting against my hair felt suffocatingly heavy.I didn't see a bride. I saw a pawn."If you trip down the aisle today, Lady Arianna," Lady Helena said, adjusting the lace veil over my shoulders, "I am retiring."I swallowed the dry lump in my throat. "I will try not to ruin your career.""Good. Don't forget to breathe."The palace was suffocatingly quiet. Royal Knights had been stationed along every corridor, their hands resting on their hilts as they watched each servant pass.It didn't feel like a celebration. It felt like a fortress awaiting a siege.When the heavy doors to the ceremonial hall opened, the tension only thickened.Hundreds of eyes fell upon me—nobles, Council elders, representatives from distant packs.

Arianna’s POV. I woke up to a knock on the door the next morning. “Come in,” I said lazily, rubbing my eyes. The door opened and Lady Helena walked in. She had come to inform me about my activities for the day. I rose up from bed, got myself cleaned and dressed, had breakfast, and afterwards headed to the Private Royal Infirmary where the physicians were waiting for me. As we walked down the corridor, I had expected everyone to still be trembling because of the chaos that happened yesterday. But surprisingly, everywhere was calm and people went about their activities as though nothing had happened. When we got to the Royal Infirmary, I was instructed to lay on the bed and I did. I didn’t need anyone to tell me what the examination was all about. It was about producing the heir. Apparently, one night of marriage was enough for the entire kingdom to start worrying about whether I was capable of producing one. My injury from the night before was checked and afterwards, an

Arianna’s POV I hadn’t been more careful in the days that followed. I was cautious about the food I ate and the places I went to. Even at night, I made sure I locked my door from behind. But even at that I couldn’t bring myself to sleep deeply. At any small sound, my eyes would fly open. Every passing footstep outside my chamber made my heart race, and every creak of the wooden floorboards had me wondering if someone had come to "take me out of the way." I had become a prisoner of my own fear. Surprisingly, the danger I dreaded never came. The days passed by quietly, but even at that, I never let my guard down. Before I knew it, I had spent two weeks in the palace without serving the main purpose I was brought there for—to produce an heir. How could I get pregnant when Cassian never came to my room or touched me? Every new consummation date arranged by the Council came and went with one excuse or another. Sometimes, they were informed that the Crown Prince was occupied with

Arianna’s POVThe atmosphere in the dining room was eerily heavy. No one uttered a word and the only sound I could hear was the sound of forks clicking against plates.I sat stiffly beside Cassian, who didn’t seem bothered by the silence unlike me. My fingers curled around the handle of my fork as I tried to ignore the uncomfortable silence, but I couldn’t help feeling something was wrong. This was supposed to be a family dinner. At least, that was what Lady Helena had called it when she came to my chamber earlier that evening.“His Majesty and Her Majesty have requested your presence at dinner tonight with the entire royal family,” she had informed me hours ago.My stomach tightened upon hearing the news. Because after everything that had happened at the council meeting, the last thing I wanted was to sit around a table with people I barely knew.Yet, refusing wasn’t an option.At the head of the table sat the King and Queen. To my right was Cassian, and across from me sat several

Arianna’s POV I woke up to the morning sun, seeping through the curtains and directly into my eyes. I groaned softly as I pulled the blanket over my face. Goodness! Why was the sun so bright? Still half-asleep, I turned to the other side of the bed, hoping to escape the annoying rays. I stretched my hand and it landed on something hard. What was my hand resting on that felt so warm… and moving? My brows knitted together as I slowly opened my eyes. The minute I saw the sight before me, my breath hitched. For a few seconds, I couldn't make sense of what I was seeing. Cassian. He was lying beside me. On my bed. I immediately pushed myself up, only to realize that my hand was still resting against his chest. I removed it immediately as though I had been burned. “What the…” my voice came out barely above a whisper as I stared at him in disbelief. He was still asleep. His black hair was slightly messy, a few strands falling across his forehead. The black silk blindfold he usu