The moment I saw Grayson emerge from the forest shadows, relief flooded through my entire body. I was safe.
Behind him followed a large group of Royal warriors, their armor gleaming in the moonlight. The metallic scent of blood clung to them like a second skin, evidence of recent battles.
Their presence alone was enough to make everyone in the clearing tremble with fear.
My father’s eyes widened in complete shock as he recognized the imposing figure striding toward us.
“Your Majesty?” he stammered, his voice cracking with disbelief. “Why are you back from the border so soon?”
Grayson’s silver eyes blazed with fury as he focused on my father. The temperature in the clearing seemed to drop several degrees.
“How dare you ask me that question, Grayson said, his voice carrying the supreme pressure of the Alpha King. “Is this how you take care of my Queen?!”
The authority in his tone made my father’s knees buckle. Even as a Beta, he couldn’t withstand the full force of royal displeasure.
Without warning, Grayson’s leg swept out in a vicious kick.
My father barely had time to shift into his wolf form before the blow connected with his ribs. The impact sent him flying backward into a tree trunk.
He hit the bark with a sickening thud and slumped to the ground, blood trickling from his mouth.
Grayson immediately rushed to my side, his hands gentle despite the rage radiating from his entire being.
“Emma,” he whispered, carefully lifting me into his arms. “My God, what have they done to you?” His fingers traced the scratches and bruises covering my body, each injury making his expression grow darker.
The pressure emanating from him intensified with every wound he discovered. The very air around us seemed to vibrate with his barely contained fury.
“I’m okay,” I whispered against his chest, though we both knew it wasn’t entirely true.
Scarlett’s voice cut through the tension, high–pitched with panic and disbelief.
“Your Majesty?” she repeated in shock, staring at Grayson as if he were a ghost. “But… but the news that Emma mated with the Alpha King was supposed to be fake!”
Her face had gone completely white. The confident smirk she had worn moments earlier had vanished entirely.
Without waiting for any orders from Grayson, the Royal warriors automatically stepped forward. Their movements were swift and coordinated as they surrounded the rogue wolves.
The rogues immediately cowered under the combined pressure of the Alpha King’s presence and his elite soldiers.
They didn’t even attempt to resist. Instead, they whimpered and prostrated themselves on the
Chapter 24
7:43 pm D
forest floor
“Please, Your Majesty!” the leader of the rogue wolves howled, his voice breaking with terror. “Spare us! We’ll take our pack and never set foot in your territory again!”
His massive form was trembling as he groveled in the dirt.
Grayson’s eyes flashed with the deep red of his Alpha wolf. When he spoke, his voice was cold
as winter ice.
“It’s too late to beg for mercy now,” he said with deadly calm. “What exactly did you plan to do to my Queen?”
The rogue leader’s whimpering grew more desperate. “We didn’t know! We truly didn’t know she was your Queen!”
He frantically pointed at Scarlett with a shaking paw.
“That woman there!” he gasped between terrified breaths. “She told us Emma was just the former mate of Alpha Ethan! She said if we eliminated Emma, she would give us money and territory!”
Scarlett’s face drained of all remaining color. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly as she realized the magnitude of her mistake.
“She promised us resources and safe passage through pack lands,” the rogue continued desperately. “She said Emma had no real protection, that she was just a discarded Beta female!”
The Royal warriors began their systematic attack on the rogue wolves. Their training and superior numbers made the fight completely one–sided.
The rogues‘ anguished howls filled the forest as they were systematically beaten down. Blood splattered across the forest floor as the warriors showed no mercy.
I watched Scarlett’s expression transform from shock to absolute horror as she witnessed the brutal efficiency of the Royal Guard.
Her eyes darted between the writhing, bleeding rogue wolves and Grayson’s impassive face.
“No,” she whispered, backing away slowly. “This can’t be real. The mating contract… it was supposed to be fake news…”
But the evidence was undeniable. The Alpha King himself was holding me protectively in his
arms,
The Royal warriors were following his unspoken commands to destroy anyone who had threatened me.
The moonstone engagement ring on my finger caught the moonlight, its blue fire unmistakable even in the dim forest.
“You’re really…” Scarlett’s voice trailed off as the full realization hit her.
“His Queen,” I said quietly, meeting her terrified gaze. “I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen.”
