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Author: Presh Starr
last update Last Updated: 2024-12-18 14:35:32

Valarie

As the door closed behind Tristan, the silence in the room felt deafening. I stood there by the window, staring out at the moonlit gardens, my heart pounding in my chest. The conversation replayed in my mind, his words cutting deeper than I wanted to admit.

I had agreed to this marriage, yes. But I hadn’t agreed to be humiliated, to be treated like I was invisible, like I didn’t matter.

Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I took a deep breath and straightened my spine. I couldn’t let this break me. Not now. Not when so much was at stake.

If Tristan wanted to treat me like a pawn in his game, so be it. But I wasn’t going to just stand by and let him ruin me. I had to protect myself, and more importantly, I had to protect my sister’s secret.

I turned away from the window and walked to the vanity, my reflection staring back at me. The royal gown I wore was flawless, every intricate detail carefully designed to make me look like the queen the people thought I was. My dark hair fell
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  • THE ALPHA KING'S FAKE BRIDE    034

    VALARIE I woke up to a soft knock at my door, the kind of knock that barely meant to be heard. My heart jumped, thinking it might be Tristan again. But when no one entered, I sat up and realized it wasn’t him, it was just one of the servants, probably checking in.The room was still thick with the warmth from last night. My skin hummed where Tristan had touched me, kissed me. I could still feel the weight of his body against mine, the way he whispered my name like a secret he didn’t want the world to know.And yet, the morning light cast everything in sharp reality.I sat by the window, watching the wind brush the trees in the courtyard, thinking about what had changed. Something in me had shifted. The wall I had carefully built around my heart was no longer steady. It trembled with every glance he gave me, every gentle word, every time he looked at me like I wasn’t just a girl caught in a lie but someone he could actually care for.I touched my lips, remembering the way he kissed me

  • THE ALPHA KING'S FAKE BRIDE    033

    CARLI stood on the balcony outside my room, coffee getting cold in my hand, the steam long forgotten as I stared at the path leading to the Vanessa’s chamber .A servant had casually mentioned the night before that Lady Vanessa hadn’t shown up for breakfast two mornings in a row. I acted indifferent, even made a sarcastic comment about royalty sleeping in late but that simple detail stuck with me. It gnawed at me through the silence of the night until I found myself unable to sleep. I had paced, sat, read half a book without understanding a word, and now… here I was.Waiting.Watching.And then, I saw him.Tristan.Walking out of Valerie’s room.My hand tightened around the handle of the mug.His shirt was unbuttoned slightly, the collar open in that casual way that made him look like he hadn’t planned it but knew exactly what it did to a woman’s imagination. His coat hung over one arm. His expression was unreadable, composed as ever, but something in his posture was different, less

  • THE ALPHA KING'S FAKE BRIDE    033

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  • THE ALPHA KING'S FAKE BRIDE    032

    VALARIE The night air was so refreshing and calming.We walked back from the terrace in silence, the soft rustle of my dress the only sound between us. The stars were scattered like fireflies across the sky, and the path back to the main palace was dimly lit with warm lanterns. I didn’t want to speak, not yet. I didn’t want to break whatever this feeling was, this strange quietness that nestled between us like a heartbeat we were both trying to ignore.Dinner had shifted something. I wasn’t sure what exactly. But the way he looked at me… the way he didn’t try to fix me or press me for truths I wasn’t ready to say, it made something inside me ache and tremble at the same time.As we stepped into the hallway leading to my chamber, I paused at the threshold. He did too.“Thank you,” I said, softly.Tristan tilted his head. “For what?”“For seeing me… when I didn’t think anyone would.”He didn’t respond right away. His eyes flickered from my face to my lips, then back again. The air bet

  • THE ALPHA KING'S FAKE BRIDE    031

    TRISTAN She hadn’t smiled all day.I watched her from across the corridor, my gaze lingering on the way she held herself, shoulders hunched ever so slightly, head down, eyes distant. Vanessa had always been composed, strong even in the face of unfamiliar territory. But today… there was something different. A weight on her, heavy and invisible, dragging her spirit down.She passed me without saying a word, pretending not to notice me standing at the window. I didn’t stop her. I didn’t speak. I just stood there, watching her walk away, her scent lingering in the air like a fading memory. Lavender and something softer like roses .This wasn’t like her. Even when she had first come to Blackwood, pretending to be fearless and full of fire, there had been some spark in her. But now, it was dim.I didn’t know what had caused the change.And that was what frustrated me the most.She wouldn’t tell me. She had stopped opening up, and I could sense it. As Alpha, I could read people like I read

  • THE ALPHA KING'S FAKE BRIDE    030

    CarlI leaned against the window, watching her, the one person who had consumed my thoughts more than I cared to admit.Vanessa .She had just left the greenhouse, her steps measured but graceful as she made her way back to the main house. The gentle sway of her movements, the way her hair caught the soft breeze that whispered through the garden.I could hear my own breath, shallow and controlled, as if my body didn’t want to make a sound that might break the moment. For a long while, I simply watched her walk, each step echoing in my mind like the beat of a drum. I hadn’t planned on seeing her tonight. I hadn’t planned on being near her. But it had happened.And now I couldn’t look away.I had a plan in mind, make Tristan angry, keep the tension between us alive. A bit of harmless fun, I had thought. A game. But as she stepped out into the cool night air, something in me had shifted. It wasn’t just about Tristan anymore. It wasn’t even about the rivalry.It was about her.The realiza

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