All Chapters of The Lycan Queen's Ruthless Beta: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

The first person to knock me flat before my eighteenth birthday was my father.I lay there for a second, staring at the sky, before I let out a groan. "Seriously?"He lowered his practice sword and held out his hand. "You dropped your guard.""I was distracted.""You were showing off."I grabbed his hand and let him pull me up, brushing the dirt off my sleeve. "I wasn't."His eyebrow went up. I sighed. "Fine. Maybe a little."A smile tugged at his mouth. That was my father. He always saw through me. I picked my sword back up, and that's when I noticed how quiet the training yard had gone.I looked toward the balcony. A few guards were pretending not to watch us. Luca wasn't even bothering to pretend. He stood against one of the stone pillars, arms crossed, grinning like he was enjoying every second of it."You're enjoying this," I called up to him."Immensely."I pointed my sword at him. "Come down here.""No.""Coward.""Princess.""Luca.""Evelyn."My father cleared his throat. "Are

I couldn't move. Neither could he.Garret stood across the hall, his eyes fixed on mine. My heart was still pounding from the moment our scents had collided, and my Lycan wouldn't settle — if anything, it grew more restless the longer I stood there.*Go to him.*I swallowed. Maybe I should. Maybe that was just what happened now — you found your mate, and you walked to him. So I took one step.Garret's expression shifted. Hope, quick and unguarded, gone almost as soon as I saw it. He took a step toward me too. Then another. The crowd seemed to part between us without anyone asking them to. I couldn't hear the whispers anymore. I could only see him.His scent grew stronger with every step. My chest felt strangely warm. He was almost there.Then I saw my father.He stood near the council doors, looking straight at me, and Luca's promise came rushing back. *I'll talk to Father.* I hesitated. Garret stopped where he was, his eyes searching my face. I looked from him to my father, who raise

The council chamber was already full when I entered, and that alone told me this wasn't going to be a simple introduction.My father sat at the head of the long table, senior councilors arranged on either side of him. Luca was there. So was Garret. He stood when I walked in, and our eyes met for a brief second — there was still something strange about seeing him here. Yesterday he'd been a stranger in a crowded ballroom. Today he was sitting in my father's council chamber because he was my mate. I gave him a small smile before taking my seat beside Luca.My father waited until I'd settled. "Garret Hale."Garret stood again. "My King.""You've been introduced to me privately. Today I want the council to formally acknowledge you as Evelyn's mate."Garret bowed his head. "It's an honor."One of the councilors studied him. "You're from the Eastern Pack?""Yes, Councilor.""And your rank?""Delta."A few murmurs ran around the table. My father went on. "Garret has served his pack primarily

The summons came before dinner, and not through a servant.Evelyn. Luca. Come to my study. Now.My father's handwriting, four words, no explanation. I knew before I'd even folded the note back up that whatever waited behind that door wasn't going to be a conversation. It was going to be a reckoning.Luca was already outside the study when I got there, arms crossed, jaw set in a way I recognized from a hundred smaller fights that had never mattered as much as this one was about to."What did you do?" he said, before I'd even stopped walking."What did *I* do?""You stood in front of the entire council yesterday and lit a match.""You're welcome.""That wasn't a compliment, Evelyn."The doors swung open before I could answer him."Both of you. Inside."We went in together, shoulder to shoulder, the way we'd walked into every room since we were children — except this time neither of us reached for the other's hand.My father was standing behind his desk, and he didn't ask us to sit. That