SHOCKING REVEAL

" Are you going to stay in my arms forever?" He asked. At that very moment, I immediately snapped back to reality as his grip on me loosened. I got out of his arms, immediately looked down and tucked my hair behind my ears. It was a crime for a lowlife servant like me to stare into the eyes of royalty, and I had just been in his arms. It was a relief the queen was not nearby to witness this, or things could have been worse.

"Oh my, did you fall from there?" The woman I had just discovered was his wife asked with a concerned look on her face. I felt uncomfortable, realizing that Kieran still had his eyes on me. This was the longest he had ever stared at me, and at that moment, I wanted to move as far away from him as possible, but I couldn't."You shouldn't really worry about what happens to the servant," a voice said, shocking me. I quickly bowed my head as the queen joined us. I didn't want to be around her because I knew she particularly despised me and would do anything to ensure my day didn't pass without some form of punishment. "Well, aren't you a lovely one. Zora, is it?" she asked Kieran's wife, who nodded as they exchanged hugs.

Her attention then shifted to her son. "You look even more handsome than before." At that moment, Kieran finally looked away from me to greet his mother, probably happy to see her after such a long time.

The queen then directed her gaze to me. "And what do you think you are doing here, filth? Don't you have something to occupy your time rather than be here?" I immediately bowed my head and apologized, searching for the nearest opportunity to leave the room. But Zora interrupted, saying,

"We can at least be nice to her, Mother. She fell from such a height; I hope she isn't injured," Zora said. The queen, I believe, rolled her eyes at that exact moment and replied,

"She is a servant girl. What makes you think an animal like her deserves anything good from royalty like you?" She placed her hands on Zora's shoulder and continued with a smile, "You are to be queen soon. Don't concern yourself with an ordinary slave to whom I have given enough privilege, including letting her raise a bastard child within the castle walls."

"Bastard child?" Kieran said, arching his brow. My heart started pounding fast in my chest. The queen revealing my child's existence to Kieran was the last thing I wanted, especially in this manner.

"Forget about that. We have more important matters to attend to. The council has been waiting for you. Apparently, your father set a condition for you to be king, so we must know what it is," the queen said with a smile. "I wonder why it was necessary to set a condition, but you never know what was going through that old fool's head. Rest in peace to him," she added.

She then turned her attention to me. "And what are you still doing here? Do you relish listening to the private matters of your future king and his mother?" I shook my head nervously and immediately found my way out of there, not wanting to get into any trouble with the queen.

I ran straight into the maid's quarters, trying to calm down my beating heart. I took deep breaths, all the while wondering how things had suddenly gone so wrong. I couldn't help but feel broken at that very moment, my mate was really married to someone else? he is definitely going to break the mate bond for sure and now I will have to suffer the pain. I never thought I could have a man like Kieran to begin with, but maybe, maybe at some point in my life I have dreamt and hoped for a miracle to bring us together, but now that he has a wife, I know no miracle is capable of making our union happen.

who was I to dream big anyway? I was just a maid and he was the prince of such a powerful pack?

"What are you doing here?" the head maid said as she barged into my quarters, startling me. I immediately adjusted myself and bowed my head in respect.

"Please forgive me. I was just trying to get a few things. I will get back to work now," I said. One thing I wasn't allowed to do in this castle was rest from work until late at night. Other maids were allowed breaks, but I wasn't given that opportunity.

"Oh, please forget about that and just change into something more fitting. The kitchen staff is short, so you shall be replacing them and serving wines to the council," the head maid ordered.

"But the queen has restricted me from going to certain parts of the castle," I protested, my voice shaking as I bowed my head. "If I'm caught wandering those places, the consequences will be dire."

"Do as you are told," the head maid commanded, tossing a few clothes at me before slamming the door and leaving.

I looked at the clothes she gave me, then immediately went to the washroom to clean up and adjust my hair before slipping into the dress. Making my way to the kitchen, the cook handed me a tray of wine.

I proceeded to the council room, and the first person I saw was the queen. A look of disapproval flashed across her face when she saw me, but she didn't say much, likely to avoid causing a scene in front of the council. At that moment, I knew I would be punished severely later.

I turned my attention to Kieran, who was already staring at me. His stare made me nervous, and I quickly looked away, focusing on my task.

I placed the wines in front of the council members and then stood in the corner, waiting for any orders. As a serving maid, I was expected to remain in the corner and pour wine when needed.

We were just three maids in the room at that moment. One of the elders requested a refill of his wine, and I immediately went to him, pouring a cup before returning to my corner.

"Let's begin," the councilman said as he opened a box and removed a letter from it. "What I have in my hand here is a letter from the old Alpha. May he lay peaceful at the feet of the moon goddess," he said, and everyone murmured a prayer in agreement.

"I shall begin to read his letter," the councilman said, and everyone listened attentively as he spoke.

**By my authority, I decree:**

**My son and Beta, Kieran of the Storm Fall Pack, shall become Alpha upon his marriage to omega Astoria, daughter of a man whose name shall not be spoken.**

**I command the pack to respect this succession and recognize their union as a symbol of unity and strength.**

I opened my mouth in shock, looking around and trying to understand what was going on. "She who bears the name that was mentioned should step forward," the elder said. I struggled to comprehend the situation. Surely there was a mistake; it couldn't have been me who was called.

My mind started racing. How could this be happening? I was just a maid, an omega, and Kieran was to be Alpha. It didn't make sense, maybe they called the wrong name, maybe I was dreaming again. The room seemed to spin as I tried to process the decree. I felt nothing but fear and shock. I glanced at Kieran, who looked equally stunned. The queen's expression turned from confusion to fury as she looked between me and her son.

What exactly was going on here? This revelation was beyond my wildest dreams and fears. I felt everyone's eyes on me, and my legs felt like they would give out any second.

Shaking, I took a step forward. The head maiden eyes bore into mine, as if she was waiting for me to acknowledge the decree. The silence in the room was uncomfortable, and I could hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears. What did this mean for my future? For Kieran's?

"I go by that name, but I do not think… that… that was meant for me," I stammered.

"Are you an omega?" the elder asked.

I nodded my head in response.

"Then it is you who is being referred to," the elder said.

I shook my head in shock, trying to understand everything. I looked at Kieran, who seemed a little surprised, then at his wife, who looked scared as she glanced at her husband, trying to understand. This cannot be happening to me right now. What in the god's name is going on? I thought to myself.

The queen immediately slammed her hand on the table, causing a loud bang as she rose to her feet. "Having my son marry this filth is something that will happen over my dead body!"

"Sit down, woman, and speak only when you are spoken to," the elder commanded, but the queen was determined not to listen.

"She is a slave," the queen said, looking at Kieran. "My son will not marry a slave. He has already married a befitting woman, and a slave is the last thing I will let my son marry."

"Sit down, mother," Kieran said coldly, staring directly at me . Fear took over me, my chest tightening as I battled with the need to leave the room, fully aware of the serious consequences if I dared.

"You cannot fulfill the wishes of a dead man. King Jacob is gone, and his decisions cannot dictate our reality," the queen said sharply, her glare turning to me. "You witch. I should have thrown you out the day my husband brought you in. First, your whore mother ruined my life, and now you want to ruin my son's. I will not allow it. I will kill you first," she threatened, her words putting fear into me.

"King Jacob decreed that his son should marry her. We must honor his dying wish, or else he will leave his positions as alpha and beta to allow the pack to choose a suitable leader who will accept the omega," the elder said calmly.

"No, no, no! You don't understand. He cannot marry her!" the queen panicked, her eyes darting around frantically. "He absolutely cannot marry her."

"And why is that, aside from her status as a slave?" the elder pressed.

"Because she is King Jacob's bastard child, born of that whore. She is his half-sister…" The queen suddenly declared, shocking everyone in the room.

My heart skipped a beat as I processed the news, questioning if I had heard correctly. Was she serious? Or was this a desperate attempt to prevent me from marrying the prince?

I was Prince Jacob's half-sister?

I had a child with my half-brother?