All Chapters of The Cursed Alpha King’s Mind-Reading Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

CHAPTER 1ISOLDE’S POVOn my eighteenth birthday, the family that raised me decided I was worth sacrificing to a monster.Their biological daughter had refused to marry the cursed Alpha King, so they chose me to take her place.And the man I had secretly loved for years was the one who came to tell me.“Happy birthday, Isolde.”I had walked into the study that morning with the little wooden trinket in my pocket and a confession I’d practiced for weeks. Caeldric was standing by the window, his shoulders tense under his dark jacket. He turned to face me with a small, familiar smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.For as long as I could remember, I had felt like an outsider in the Veyrden house, a guest who owed a debt I could never repay. My parents died when I was small, and the Veyrdens took me in, and I had carried the weight of their charity every day since.Except when I was with Caeldric.He was the eldest son of the Veyrden family, four years older than me, and the only person who

CHAPTER 3RHAELEN’S POVI slammed the wooden doors of my private study shut, the heavy echo reverberating through the stone walls. I pulled off my blood-stained leather gauntlets and threw them onto the wooden desk.The blood on my sleeves was not mine. It belonged to the rogues I had killed at the southern border earlier that morning. I had not even bothered to wash before going into that ridiculous wedding ceremony, and now my skin burned with irritation.The Veyrden pack had dared to send a replacement.They had taken one look at my reputation, panicked, and hidden their true biological daughter away in her room. Instead of canceling the treaty like civilized people, they had thrown an unwanted adopted girl into a carriage and shipped her to my doorstep like common trash. They thought I would not notice. They thought I would simply take whatever leftover bride they offered.It proved what I had known for years. To the neighboring packs, to the elders, and even to my own council,

CHAPTER 5ISOLDE’S POV"There’s something wrong with your medicine," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady despite the fear in my chest.Rhaelen’s dark eyes narrowed instantly. He picked up the bottle from the tray and brought it close to his face, smelling the dark liquid inside. His jaw tightened into a hard line as he recognized the faint, metallic scent hidden beneath the thick herbs. "Silver," he muttered, his voice dropping into a deadly register.His sharp gaze snapped back to me, cold and full of deep mistrust. He thought I was part of a plot against him."You brought this tray up here," Rhaelen said, taking a slow step toward me. "How did you know there was silver in it unless you put it there yourself?""I didn’t put anything in it," I said, taking a step back until my shoulders hit the cold stone wall behind me. "I only brought the tray from the kitchen because the butler told me to.""Don’t move," Rhaelen commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You’ll stay ri

CHAPTER 7ISOLDE’S POVOrren led me down the spiral staircase of the eastern tower and along a narrow stone corridor lit by a single iron torch.Two guards in dark armor stood on either side of the door at the end of the hallway, their spears crossed in front of the wood. They lowered them when Orren spoke, but both men watched me with cold, suspicious eyes as I walked past, as if I might do something dangerous the moment I stepped inside.The chamber was much warmer than the little room in the servants’ quarters. A fire was burning in the stone fireplace, and a thick wool blanket lay folded across a wide bed with a carved wooden frame.There was a small desk beneath the window, a washing basin filled with warm water, and a heavy rug that kept the chill from rising through the stone floor. It was plain, but after the damp dust and old stone of the servants’ quarters, it felt almost like a home.Orren closed the door behind us, but a moment later there was a knock, and one of the guard

CHAPTER 9ISOLDE’S POVI did not drink the tea.I carried the cup across the room and poured it into the washing basin, then watched the pale liquid swirl into the cooling water until it disappeared. The roasted chicken and boiled vegetables stayed untouched on the desk. My stomach twisted with hunger, but I would not let myself eat a single bite from that tray.Then I walked to the door and knocked. One of the guards opened it a hand’s width, his spear still crossed in front of the frame.“Someone slid a note under my door a moment ago,” I said. “Did you see who it was?”“No one has passed this corridor since the maid left, my lady.”“I heard footsteps.”“You heard nothing,” the guard replied, and he closed the door. The other guard had not even turned his head.I stood there for a long moment with my hand against the wood. Either they had not seen anyone, or they had seen someone and been told to keep quiet. I could not decide which possibility frightened me more.I sat down on the