Beta Bride 7

Posted by admind, ? Views, Released on May 10, 2025

Chapter 7 Is Elian Dead?

Finished

I’m standing in the middle of a battlefield in nothing but my nightgown. My hands are covered in blood, and bodies lay around me.

“Sera, run!”

My mother’s voice fills the field, I turn and see her on the other side of the field, covered in blood, her face streaked with tears. Her chest rises and falls in ragged gasps.

“Run before he catches you! Run before they find your

“Mom!” 1 scream, bolting toward her. I wince as I step over dead bodies while running. The battlefield is nothing short of a massacre, I push forward, lungs burning, hands outstretched. I’m so close. so damn close…

Then the arrow comes.

It flies out of nowhere, piercing her chest with a sickening thud.

She freezes, her eyes wide. A strangled sound escapes her lips before she collapses forward, dead.

“NO” I dive for her, reaching-

Freezing water crashes down on me.

I jolt awake, gasping, drenched to the bone. My chest heaves, my hands trembling. The battlefield is gone, instead I’m in bed.

“SERAPHINE!

I blink up to find my mother–in–law standing over my bed, an empty bucket in her hands.

“You’re late.” Lady Everette stands over me, looking disgusted. “My daughter will wake up without breakfast because of your laziness. I can’t believe you’re the one my son chose to marry. Useless.”

I sit up, rubbing my eyes. The dream replays, my mother’s voice echoing in my head.

“…I had a strange dream,” I mumble, more to myself than to her

“That’s all you ever do,” she snaps. “Dream. My son should have married Nora She knows how to run a household. She knows how to be a wife. But you?” She scoffs. “You were raised fighting and killing. You can’t even fulfill your natural purpose.”

I sit there, silent.

“You don’t cook well. You don’t clean properly. You walk around like a ghost, lost in your own damn world. The only thing you’re good for is wasting space in this house.”

Her words sting, but I don’t react. Emogen, stirs inside me, seething.

“Let me out. Just once. I’ll put her in her place.*

I press my nails into my palms, forcing Emogen back,

“promised my mother.”

I force myself to look at Lady Everette. “I’m sorry.” I whisper. “I’ll get dressed and start breakfast.”

She scoffs and leaves.

Once alone, Thurry to the window, heart pounding. Maybe the mailman came early. Maybe there’s a letter from Elian.

Chapter 7 Is Elian Dead?

“Do you even miss me anymore?”

Emogen growls.

Finished

“Enough of this. You are the Red Phantom. You were feared. Respected. You don’t belong here, begging for scraps of love. from a man who left you behind.”

“I promised my mother.””

“And what did it get you? A house where they treat you like dirt?”

I pull away from the window. My hands tremble, but I force them to work

Downstairs, I set the table, chop vegetables, and start the fire. My sister–in–law, Celeste, and her best friend, Nora stroll into the kitchen, laughing. They stop when they see me.

“She’s still here?” Nora smirks.

Celeste snickers. “Of course. She has nowhere else to go.

“She’s lucky Elian married her. Any other man would have thrown her back into whatever hellhole she crawled out of. No noble man like my brother should be damned to a wife who used to be a killer. She’s not a proper woman.

1 keep my head down.

“She can’t even cook properly.” Celeste sneers. “The food is always bland. It’s a miracle we’re still alive.”

“I’d be such a perfect wife if Elian had picked me.” Nora says,

“I agree bestie, it’s such a shame that he picked her instead”

“Well at least she’s learning to be humble.” Nora says.” She used to walk around with her father and brothers like she owned the world. Everyone would bow to her. Now, she finally stepped off that high horse. She’s good for nothing”

“Just let me kill them” Emogen growls, begging to take over.

“She’s good at spending money,” Celeste interjects. “My brother’s money”

1 grip the knife tighter.

Not his money. Mine.

For three years, I’ve paid the bills. For three years, the Velkan name has kept this house afloat. Elian barely sent his money home. His family’s home would have fallen apart, but I used my inheritance to pay the bills. When the house sank with debts, and we had to fire the servants, I stepped up. I brought back some money home, but my mother in law jumped in celebration believing her son had sent it to me. I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell her the money was mine. From my inheritance. So, for the last three years, everyone thinks my husband takes care of us from afar. None of them know it’s me. For the sake of protecting my husband’s dignity, I allow them to believe every dime I spend comes from him.

In truth, Elian had never sent money home.

I cook, I clean. I do everything. I’ve kept this house running. For three years, I’ve swallowed every insult, every slap, every cold shoulder.

For three years, I’ve waited for Elian.

I promised my mother. I answer Emogen.

So I stay silent and keep working. And I wait.

I place the last plate of food on the table, lowering my gaze as I step back. The scent of fresh bread, eggs, and roasted meat fills the room, but I’ve long since lost my appetite for anything in this house.

Chapter 7 Is Elian Dead?

Finished

Nora hums in agreement, cutting into her food. “I swear, I don’t know how you’re still here, Seraphine. Elian must have a soft spot for charity cases.”

Celeste laughs, “You’d think someone with her background would have a little more discipline. But I suppose even a great warrior can be a pathetic housewife.”

I

say nothing. I don’t argue, don’t fight. Emogen growls inside my head, pushing against my restraint, but I hold her back. I promised my mother.

I clear the table once they’re done, ignoring the way they speak over me like I’m invisible. I take the laundry basket and head outside, where the cold morning air offers a brief moment of peace.

Then, in the distance, I hear the steady march of boots.

The royal army.

The street stirs with whispers and shuffling feet. The villagers step aside, bowing low as the grand carriage rolls forward, its insignia gleaming in the sun.

The Alpha King

I freeze where I stand, my hands gripping the edge of the laundry basket.

As the carriage passes, the whispers turn to murmurs–about me.

“The Red Phantom

“Look at her r now…”

“She used to be a legend, and now she’s a maid.”

I grit my teeth and keep my head down. I don’t care what they say. I don’t care-

The carriage stops.

The entire street holds its breath.

The door opens, and heavy boots land on the dirt road. The man who steps out commands the air itself. King Aldrich. The last time we met was at my wedding.

He looks at me.

I shift under his gaze, painfully aware of my worn dress, my tangled hair.

He walks toward me with slow, purposeful steps. “Seraphine Velkan.”

The murmurs grow louder.

I bow quickly, keeping my voice steady. “Your Majesty.”

“We need to talk.”

A pit forms in my stomach. Now, without my title or my armour, I’m just a commoner. I’m like the dirt at the bottom of his shoe.

Oh Goddess! What did he want?

I swallow, nodding “Come inside.”

When we enter the house, Lady Everette, Celeste, and Nora nearly fall over themselves bowing. Their eyes dart between and the king in disbelief.

“King Aldrich!” My mother in law bellows. “We were not expecting the supreme wolf in our home.”

me

4:05 PM

Chapter 7 Is Elian Dead?

I nod and lead him to the study

Finished

The moment the door closes, I can’t stop myself from being the red phantom again. “How is the battle going? Are we winning?”

Aldrich exhales, rolling his shoulders. “We’re holding the line, but the Northern Kingdom is pushing back harder than we anticipated. We’ve lost some key strongholds.”