Chapter 22
I knew this was coming
They would question you even if they already knew the answer, Stupid questions.
But I tried to keep a neutral face.
I placed my fork down delicately. “I volunteered, as you all know,”
He hummed, tilting his head. “And before that?”
1 met his gaze evenly. “Before that, I was a servant in my sister’s pack.”
Some of them exchanged looks.
“And before that another voice chimed i
I clenched my jaw. “I was just another omega, unwanted by my own family!”
There was a beat of sil
[silence.
One of the younger council members chuckled, “Unwanted, yet you somehow managed to land yourself in the king’s palace. Quite the leap, wouldn’t you say?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes,
I knew what they were doing
They wanted to remind me that I didn’t belong here. That I was beneath them.
1 refused to let them rattle me.
“I would say,” I replied smoothly, “that the goddess works in mysterious ways. But I volunteered and I was chosen..”
“Volunteered. Only you did that, the others were scared.”
w to the
I shrugged. “Fear have never been new to
The councilman hummed, clearly unimpressed.
But the older one, the first who had spoken, wasn’t done.
His eyes darkened. “We’ve heard stories about you.”
I arched a brow, “Stories“”
“The councilman from your old pack,” he said, his voice slow, deliberate. “The one who died.”
The room grew heavy.
I forced my breathing to remain even.
I knew this was coming.
Still, it didn’t stop my hands from tensing in my lap.
“I didn’t kill him,” I said, voice steady.
“Yet you were accused,” he pointed out
Iclenched my jaw. “Because I was framed.
“Convenient, isn’t it?” another council member mused. The omega with no power, suddenly granted a new life under the Lycan king’s |trotectionTM
Lexhaled slowly. “If you believe I planned all of this, then you must think I’m a genius.”
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There was a beat of silence.
Then a chuckle
I turned slightly.
Alaric
His lips were curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. His cold blue eyes flickered to me briefly before he took a sip of his wine.
“I must say,” one of the council members continued, “it is quite interesting. You arrive here, and suddenly the king has chosen a Luna, And yet.. there are some who believe your presence is not coincidence.”
My stomach tightened.
I straightened. “And what exactly do they believe!”
The older man tapped his fingers against the table. “That you’re not here as his Luna.”
I frowned Then what am I here as?”
A smirk curled at his lips. “A spy”
A sharp silence fell over the room.
I stared at him. “A what?”
He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. “There are whispers, my dear. That chance
“That you were placed here”
I clenched my lists. “By who?”
The
answer came like a blade.
“The Rebel King”
1 blinked.
For a moment, the words didn’t even register.
Then-
1 laughed.
It wasn’t a polite, refined laugh. It was sharp, bitter, disbelieving
I shook my head. “You think I work for the Rebel King?”
The councilman leaned back in his chair, watching me carefully.
you are not just an omega who found herself in the palace by
I let out another laugh, my frustration bleeding through. I don’t even know who that is
Silence.
And then-
Alaric finally spoke.
“Enough.”
His voice was quiet.
But it held power
The council fell silent immediately
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Alaric set his wine glass down, his piercing gaze settling on the man who h
had spoken last
“Be careful of the accusations you make.” he said coldly. “Unless you have proof”
The councilman stiffened.
Alaric’s expression didn’t change. “Do you?”
The man swallowed. “No. Your Majesty.”
Alaric hummed. “Then I suggest you eat.
Tension still crackled in the air, but slowly, the council returned to their meal.
I sat there, my heart still racing my mind still spinning.
Spy?
The Rebel King!
What the hell was going on?
Who the fuck was the Rebel King?
How could I be working with someone I didn’t even know?
I clenched my fists under the table, trying to control the burning frustration bubbling inside me. The councilmen continued eating as if they hadn’t just accused me of treason. As if I were just some piece on a chessboard, something to be moved or discarded.
Where they trying to pin something on me? All I knew before was how to attend to Amira and drama of freedom.
Freedom which still feels far away though. More far away than revenge.
1 glanced at Alaric, but his face gave nothing away. Cold, Calculated. Like this entire conversation hadn’t fazed him in the slightest.
1–hared it.
I hated him
His silence was worse than the accusations.
He raised a single finger and all the council members filed our like zombies.
Leaving just me and him and I felt even more pissed.
I took a slow breath, my voice even. “Who is the Rebel King?”
Alaric didn’t even look at me.
The bastard.
I gritted my teeth. “If I’m being accused of working with him, don’t you think I should at least know who he is?”
Nothing.
No answer.
No flicker of emotion.
I felt my patience snapping. “So I’m just supposed to sit here, be accused of treason, and not get any answers?”
Alaric finally looked at me.
His icy blue gaze was sharp, warning me to stop pushing.
I didn’t
“What are you hiding?” I asked,
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Chapter 22
Still, he said nothing.
My heart pounded. This wasn’t just avoidance. He knew something.
I shook my head. “You’re a fucking monster.”
The moment the words left my lips, I knew I had pushed too far.
Alaric moved fast.
Before I could react, his hand was around my throat, pushing me back against the wall. My breath caught, my pulse racing wildly beneath his grip.
His fingers weren’t tight enough to choke me, but they were firm. A warning
His face was inches from mine, his eyes no longer their usual ice–blue.
They glowed silver.
The change was instant, dangerous, but I refused to look away.
would not cower.
Alaric’s voice was low, dark. “You think you can speak to me that way?”
1 swallowed, my hands gripping his wrist. “I think I can say whatever the hell I want.”
His grip lightened slightly.
My breathing quickened.
I should have been terrified. I was
But there was something else, something worse
I could feel the heat of his body against mine. The raw strength beneath his fingers.
His jaw clenched, his gaze locked onto mine.
I knew I should look away. Knew I should submit, apologize–anything to defuse whatever this was.
But I didn’t.
I couldn’t
Instead, I tilted my chin up, my lips barely brushing against his knuckles as I spoke. Did I hit a nerve, Your Majesty?”
Alaric exhaled harshly through his nose.
And for a split second–just a flicker–his grip softened.
But then he growled.
A deep, guttural sound that sent shivers down my spine.
His fingers twitched against my throat before he suddenly let go.
I gasped, inhaling sharply as I stumbled back, my pulse pounding.
Alaric stepped away, his eyes still burning with something unreadable.
We stood there, staring at each other, our breathing uneven.
I rubbed my throat, glaring “You’re fucking insane.”
His lips curled, almost a smirk. “And you don’t know when to shut up.”
I wanted to scream at him
Chapter 22
I wanted to slap him
I wanted-
I wasn’t even sure what I wanted.
Alaric exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. The mo
moment of tension passed, but something between us had shifted.
I felt it.
He did too.
–
Stil, his expression hardened. “You’ll be given a new schedule starting tomorrow. Training will continue with Knox, but you’ll also be learning about council matters. If you’re going to be my Luna, you’ll need to understand how this works.”
I inhaled sharply. “So that’s it? Just pretend none of this happened?”
Alaric turned, moving toward the door. “Nothing happened.”
I clenched my jaw. “Coward.”
He paused but didn’t turn around.
I knew I was pushing my luck.
I didn’t care. At this moment, I didn’t give a fuck. I have dealt with Amira. He can deal with me too as long as I am alive to give revenge for Olivia. I do not have a problem
Hate feeds hate.
He straightened his shoulders. “This dinner is over”
I crossed my arms, not bothering to hide my anger. “But I’m not done talking.”
Alaric finally turned, his expression unreadable.
Then, before I could react, he reached out and grabbed my wrist.
Hard.
The growl that left his lips was quiet but sharp, dangerous.
“171 deal with betrayal personally,” he murmured, his fingers tightening.
My breath caught.
And then—
He let go, stepping back, his entire body shaking-
He was changing
I could see it–the tension in his muscles, the way his hands clenched and unclenched like he was trying to fight something off
I didn’t move,
Didn’t breathe.
His eyes met mine one last time.
Then he turned and walked away.
Leaving me standing there, heart racing, wondering if I had just made a very, very dangerous mistake for pushing too much.
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