Library
Search
Home / Werewolf / Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince / 80. Where Grief Meets Schemes

Share

80. Where Grief Meets Schemes

Author: Priyal Dessai
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-06 03:25:42
[ELARA]

To the few members of my pack who accompanied my family to Caelondor, Alina’s death remains a brutal mystery.

The funeral is a small affair held on the coast of the Cursed Gulf where Alina’s body is burned on a wooden pyre. There’s a moment where I realize I’ve attended more funerals than feasts since my arrival in this kingdom, and a cold shiver runs through me. The Goddess is cursing us, the strange thought enters my mind.

What wrong have I done though?

It dawns on me with mockery that I barely have been granted a chance to act on my own. I have truly become a pawn in a game that began decades ago in this land that’s still so foreign to me.

Eldric doesn’t care to show up. Not even for a performance. Queen Seraphina is brought to the pyre, but she doesn’t stay long, her eyes welling up with tears as she likely recalls the funeral of her own son, Kian. The rest gathered speak in whispers, discussing the most probable cause of Alina’s death. From what I hear, the most favored
Priyal Dessai

Thanks for reading! Please consider voting with gems or dropping a comment :)

| 1
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   151. The Silver-Eyed Alpha

    [ALEC]He paces before Kara’s bound form, taking in the battered villagers until his eyes land on me. Something crosses his eyes—some sort of understanding only he’s aware of. But his shoulders, which already appear rock solid, stiffen further. Then something envelops me all at once. It’s like being hit by lightning and dragged beneath a current at the same time. My feet won’t move. My breath catches. The power over me is thick enough to choke on, nearly buckling my knees. Bend, it demands. Kneel for your Alpha.I hear it before I realize it isn’t mine. The cold, masculine voice slips into my skull in a way that makes my stomach turn. And when the man finally speaks aloud, his voice matches the one inside my head.“I am Alpha Xenon,” he announces, gaze sweeping over the shattered remains of the Saltfire Gathering once again. “Alpha of the Silver Crescent Pack.” His eyes are pale silver, unnatural and unblinking. Those scars on his chest seem to ripple with a faint glow as he speaks

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   150. Guarded by Wolves

    [ALEC]We rise from the firelight together. She holds my hand as we make our way through those sitting on the ground. Brynn glances up from her spot beside the flames, a question on her face. Kara leans slightly toward her and says, “We’ll be back.”Maybe we will. Maybe we won’t.The crowd’s murmur fades behind us as we slip down a narrow path that winds toward the edge of the village. It’s lined with wildflowers, soft purples and golds that look silver-blue beneath the lanterns. Their paper skins flicker faintly in the breeze, some nearly collapsed, some still glowing.She leans into my arm like she belongs there. Like we’ve done this a thousand times before—walked down this quiet path in this village.I don’t want to break the silence, but I have to ask. “What happened back there?” Kara doesn’t answer right away. She just presses closer. Her arm hooks around mine, and I feel her breath catch before she says, “Nothing.” Then softly, “Just… hold me.”So I do.We walk like that, slow

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   149. Saltfire

    [ALEC]“Does that mean you’re planning to keep her, then?” Olric’s cousin smirks. “Settle in properly, like the rest of us?”I want to. I want to give her everything. A home. A name. A future. But what do I have to offer?Thankfully, Brynn interrupts, “Stop teasing them, the lot of you. They’re still young! Alec, ignore them.”I wink. “That’s what I always do.”But before I can say more, someone calls out from near the long tables, “Isn’t it time to light the fire?”A cheer goes up. The crowd begins to shift, gathering toward the center of the square where a great mound of stacked logs stands ready, circled by stones. Children dart through the crowd to get closer. Elders step forward slowly, each carrying a taper lit from smaller hearths that have burned quietly all day.The flames kiss the base of the structure first, then catch.Within moments, the Saltfire roars to life.Its heat rolls out in waves. Orange light spills across the faces around us, turning everyone golden. The chill

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   148. More Than Pretend

    [ALEC]The sun is already high by the time we reach the village square. The whole place is packed for the Saltfire gathering.Bunting strung between trees flutters overhead. The scent of roasted meat, fresh honey cakes, and spiced cider thickens the air. Music drifts from somewhere near the long tables. Children run barefoot, trailing behind them the ribbons tied to their wrists.It should feel foreign. I should feel like a stranger here.But Kara’s hand finds mine as we step into the crowd, and then I forget I don’t belong.Her fingers squeeze mine once, firmly. I glance sideways to find her already looking at me, a faint smile tugging at her mouth, those blue eyes glistening.She’s beautiful. Even here, in a simple linen dress and worn boots. Especially here. Like she was carved from sunlight, and wind, and stubbornness.I don’t deserve her.But if I think that too long, I’ll ruin the day.So I smile back and let her tug me forward, into the thick of things.Someone calls, “There th

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   147. Pressed Into The Earth

    [KARA/RUELLE]I light the stub of a candle and place it beside the window. I watch the shadows stretch across the mud walls like silent witnesses.And I pray.I pray to the Moon Goddess for Magnus, for my mother, for whatever pieces of my old life still remain.And then I look at the clay pot.The wolf painted on it looks nothing like me.But I know it’s me.While Alec’s gaze is away, I reach for the moonroot tonic in my apron and mix it with water. I focus on how bitter it feels against my tongue, and try not to think of what I’m actually doing. The candle burns low.I slide onto the bedding beside Alec. He’s staring up at the thatched roof, his forehead creased in deep thought. Laying down on his arm, I curl around him, pulling the woolen blanket over us. This right now is the most comfortable I know I can ever be. But the feeling doesn’t last. “There was something else,” he says with a sigh. “News about… a pack.”I glance at him. “A pack?”“Werewolves. They’ve been attacking vi

  • Forced to Marry the Wicked Werewolf Prince   146. If They Knew

    [KARA/RUELLE]The sky outside is bruised with purple and gold while I’m crouched near the cooking fire, stirring stew thick with root vegetables and dried fish with the wooden spoon Alec whittled for me last week. The flames warm my hands, and the scent clings to my clothes. It’s the kind of quiet I’ve come to crave. The kind that doesn’t demand anything from me.The door creaks open behind me.I don’t need to turn. His footsteps are familiar now, lighter when he’s tired, slower when he’s thinking. Still, I glance over my shoulder and smile, letting it reach my eyes.“Hey,” I murmur.He smiles back, and my heart aches the way it always does when he looks at me like that—like I’m still the only thing in this world he’s sure of.“Hey,” he returns, stepping inside, wind-tousled and sun-marked from the docks. “You’re cooking again?”“I’m learning,” I say, lifting the spoon like a weapon. “You’ll survive.”He grins, then rummages in his bag. “I brought something.”I hold out my hand.He al

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status