Alle Kapitel von REBORN AS THE ALPHA KING'S FATED MATE : Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 20

“She was locked in her room,” Torin said. “I put four guards on her door myself.”“Then someone opened it,” said Kael.Lyra stared at the note in Torin’s hand. KILL LYRA. A silver wolf, circled by blue flowers. Celeste’s seal.She cannot be in two places, thought Lyra. Which means she is not working alone.The scarred rogue on the ground laughed, bubbling blood. “You still think this is about a spoiled girl and a note?” He grinned at Kael. “King, you have been hunted since the day you rode out. We only had to wait.”“Who is we?”“Look behind you.”The forest exploded with howls.Not thirty rogues this time. Sixty. They poured down the hillside from both sides of the road, yellow-eyed, starving, silent as shadows.“Circle the carriage!” Kael roared. “Torin, take the left!”He shifted in mid-stride. Ash hit the first wave like a thunderclap.Lyra dove back into the carriage and slammed what was left of the door. Mara was already on the floor, hugging her knees.“I hate this trip,” Mara

“Do not trip,” Mara whispered. “That is my whole speech.”“That is a terrible speech.”“It is the best I have.” Mara squeezed her hand and pushed her through the throne room doors.Hundreds of faces turned. Nobles in velvet and jewels lined a long red carpet. At the far end, a tall black throne. On it, Kael, in a silver-and-steel crown, cold and powerful and very far away.For one heartbeat, his eyes found hers and warmed.Walk, said Ember.Lyra walked.“A kitchen omega!”“Wolfless, they say.”“The King's mate? Impossible.”The whispers followed her like a wave. She kept her chin high and her eyes on the carpet's end. When she reached it, she bowed.“Your Majesty.”“Lady Lyra,” said Kael.Lady? She had never been called that in her life. In either of them.Kael rose. “I present Lyra of Silverfang, a guest of the crown, under my protection. An insult to her is an insult to me.”A tall man stepped out of the first row. Silver hair. Neat gray beard. Dark green robes and a gold chain. A s

“Looking for something?” Crowe repeated. “Or hiding something?”Lyra closed the ledger and set her hand flat on top of it. Her pulse was racing. Her face was perfectly calm.Do not run, said Ember.Running is for people with nothing to say.“I was admiring the carved door,” said Lyra. “It was open. I am a curious girl.”“The door was locked.”“Then it is a very old lock.”Crowe stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The click echoed. “Lady Lyra. You have been at Highmoor four days. You have been seen with the King, with his sister, and with my healer. And now here, in a forbidden room, with a book on the Moonborn.”“I did not read it.”“Then why is your hand shaking?”She looked down. It was.“Because you are standing between me and the door,” she said evenly, “and I do not like being cornered.”For a moment, something almost like respect crossed his face.“You remind me of your mother,” he said.Lyra’s heart stopped. “You knew her.”“Everyone at court knew Marisol.” His smile w

“Close your mouth, Lady Lyra,” said Vivienne. “It is unflattering.”Kael stepped in front of Lyra so fast the roses shook. “What did you see?”“Nothing at all, Your Majesty.” Vivienne’s smile did not move. “Fireflies. The fountain. A very romantic evening.”“You were hiding in my hedge.”“I was admiring your roses.” She held out one slim hand. “I believe that pin is mine.”Lyra turned the little gold serpent over in her fingers. “You drop things in strange places.”“I drop them where I know they will be returned.” Vivienne took the pin. “Tomorrow night I am hosting a banquet in honor of our guest. A peace offering. I do hope you will both come.”She walked away without hurrying. Her white skirts whispered on the stones.“She saw it,” said Kael.“Of course she saw it.”“Then why invite you to a banquet?”“Because a banquet has two hundred witnesses,” said Lyra. “And one dinner plate.”The great hall glittered the next night. A hundred candles burned in silver stands. Long tables sagged

“Nobody went in,” said the bigger guard for the third time. “Nobody. I swear on my fangs.”“I believe you,” said Lyra. “That is what worries me.”She held up the black arrow. Torin turned it in the lamplight, and his face grew grim.“Same black feathers,” he said. “Same cut on the tip. It is the arrow that killed the rogue in the forest.”“The archer who silenced a witness for Crowe,” said Mara, from the sofa, wrapped in a blanket like a burrito. “And now he sends you bedtime notes.”“He could have put that arrow through my heart while I slept,” said Lyra. “He chose to scare me. So he wants something. Or he wants me to run.”“Then move to the King’s wing,” said Torin. “Today.”“No.”“Lyra—”“Condition one. My own key, my own door. It is in writing. Well, it is in a very firm handshake.” She gave him a very sweet smile. “Tell him I said thank you for the guards, and also no.”Torin looked at the ceiling as if asking it for strength. “He is going to be insufferable.”“He is always insuf