The word shattered something inside me. My teeth chattered as I bit down hard, trying to stop the tremors. I gripped my dress with white knuckles, head bowed in submission.
Kevin had used that same word. Before he’d torn me apart.
Would the king become another nightmare? The thought made bile rise in my throat.
Perry caught every tremor, every flinch, and his fury only grew hotter. But before he could strike, Flynn’s voice cut through the tension.
“We managed to secure two cities,” he reported, his words pulling the king’s attention to the war against Valerium Kingdom.
Relief flooded through me as Perry finally pulled back, giving me space to breathe again. But when he glanced at my obvious relief, his jaw ticked with barely contained rage.
I must have dozed off at some point. The car’s stillness woke me, and for a confused moment, I thought I was back in my tiny room at the pack house.
Then I saw him.
Perry sat beside me, watching with an expression I couldn’t read. Reality crashed back – the selection, the car ride, the promise of being alone with him.
I dropped my gaze immediately.
“Get out!” His growl made me jump. He stormed from the car, leaving me behind like discarded trash.
Clutching my backpack, I stumbled out after him. But he was already gone, leaving me standing there with Flynn and the warrior who’d driven us. Lost.
Flynn stared after his king, clearly as confused as I was. When he turned to me, his expression held no warmth.
“Come with me.”
I lifted my head just enough to follow him toward the palace, my legs shaking with every step.
Phoebe’s POV
I’d visited the palace once as a child, tagging along when my beta father traveled to Central City on business.
Back then, he showered me with affection – the kind of father every little girl dreams of. Now I can’t pinpoint when everything shifted between us.
This place still takes my breath away. Massive structures rise before me, every towering pillar carved with elaborate designs that seem to tell ancient stories.
Four main buildings dominate the grounds, just like my father explained during that long-ago visit.
The alpha’s castle commands the center stage, while the royal beta, royal gamma, and warrior quarters claim their own territories around it.
The entire complex sprawls across hundreds of acres – a city within a city, steeped in centuries-old tradition.
These buildings have stood unchanged for generations, their timeless architecture adding to the mystical atmosphere that hits you the moment you step through the gates.
Flynn leads me toward the king’s palace now, and this single structure dwarfs the Obsidian Claw pack house a hundred times over.
I trail three steps behind him, drinking in the surroundings. During my childhood visit, my father only showed me the gamma palace and warrior quarters. This marks my first time inside the king’s domain, and everything screams of power and majesty.
Under different circumstances – without this mess hanging over me, without bone-deep exhaustion weighing me down – I’d savor every detail. Instead, I wonder where I’ll be sleeping. Will the royal beta escort me to the omega quarters? I wouldn’t mind. I’ve lived and worked as an omega since the alpha stripped my rank anyway.
“You’ll sleep here,” Flynn growls, pointing to a door. His finger swings toward the adjacent entrance. “That’s the king’s bedroom. Don’t disturb him.”
Flynn knows Perry well enough – right now, the king’s probably on the training grounds, using some unfortunate warriors as punching bags to work off his rage.
“Here?” I blink, disbelief flooding my voice. The room beside the alpha’s quarters… that’s meant for the queen.
Technically, I am the queen now. His mate. He marked me, after all.
But swallowing that reality feels impossible.
“Yeah, got a problem with it?” Flynn’s eyes narrow to slits. He’d prefer stashing me with the omegas, but housing the future queen in servant quarters would reflect poorly on Perry. Especially given my already questionable reputation.
I shake my head frantically, terrified of offending the royal beta. Still, unease churns in my stomach. “But… did the king approve this arrangement?”
“You’re wearing his mark. Everyone’s already heard about that dramatic ceremony marking. You’re the future queen.”
Flynn’s voice drops to a menacing whisper, a cruel smile twisting his lips. “If you stay alive, and if the king decides to keep you.”
I shudder at his words, and his smile widens. Good – I need to stop thinking about other men and focus on pleasing the king if I want to survive.
Personally, Flynn couldn’t care less about my feelings, but Perry complicated everything with his impulsive actions.
This isn’t Flynn’s first time cleaning up the king’s messes.
“Listen carefully – I don’t give a damn about your pathetic obsession with Alpha Kevin, but don’t you dare show it in front of the king.”
He knows Perry well enough to predict the explosion that would follow. Bad enough if the king only took it out on me, but Flynn’s seen how the king’s violent tendencies make everyone’s job harder.
“I don’t care what you’ve done or what you plan to do. Just remember this – don’t cause trouble for the king, and keep him satisfied. That’s your only path to a decent life here. Consider it friendly advice.”
His words hit me like a physical blow.
The accusation about my supposed infatuation with Kevin shocks me, but I understand where it originated.
The royal beta’s been fed lies – most likely the king too – about what really happened between Kevin and me. And I have zero proof to contradict their version.
They’ve chosen their truth, and experience tells me they’ll cling to it no matter how I defend myself.
So I lower my head and listen.
“Get inside,” Flynn commands coldly, his brows drawing together when he sees how compliant I’m being.
I don’t need the instruction repeated, slipping into my room immediately. Exhaustion weighs on every muscle, but I step back out almost instantly – I forgot something crucial.
“Royal Beta Flynn,” I call as he starts to leave. “May I ask about using the kitchen?”
“For what?” His frown deepens. He just warned me against causing trouble, and now I want to wander around the kitchen?
“I’m starving. Could I cook something?” I can’t remember my last real meal.
Flynn doesn’t answer right away, seeming to weigh his options before speaking. “Someone will bring dinner to your room.”
“Thank you.” His offer to send food surprises me, though I suspect he simply wants to keep me out of public view. That suits me fine.
I close the door behind me, leaving him alone in the corridor.
***
Flynn walked toward the training ground where the king waited, his thoughts churning over the conversation.
Phoebe’s POV
I had expected the room to be large, but nothing could have prepared me for this. Above me, a magnificent chandelier cast light across every corner, the space itself a declaration of wealth and authority.
The bed alone dwarfed the one I’d slept in back at the beta house – hell, it was even larger than the alpha’s.
This single room stretched at least three times the size of the alpha’s bedroom, maybe four. It was divided into separate areas: the first resembled a luxurious living space, complete with plush sofas, a television, and all the amenities I could imagine.
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