Home / Werewolf / The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret / Chapter 11 - Back in the Cottage

Share

Chapter 11 - Back in the Cottage

Author: Sophi Liddell
last update Last Updated: 2023-09-17 04:00:01

I lean against the threshold of my front door as I watch Auden kneel in front of Vivi, who glares at him, and Niall, who looks at this gigantic Alpha with wide and worried eyes. Niall tucks himself behind Vivi a little, hiding behind her courage.

“Are you really a prince,” Vivi asks, narrowing her eyes at Auden and looking him up and down, her little blue dragon sleeping across her shoulder.

“Don’t I look like a prince?” Auden asks, cocking his head to look at his daughter curiously.

“No,” she replies instantly, making him laugh.

“What about me doesn’t seem prince-like?” he asks, and I come into the room, shutting the door behind me. My gaze flashes to Anna in the kitchen while Vivi considers Auden for a moment longer, and I quickly shake my head at Anna, asking her not to say a word. Anna nods a quick assent.

 “You are too tall,” Vivi decides. “And dirty. And you have no crown.”

Auden laughs again, a warm sound that surprises me

Locked Chapter
Continue Reading on GoodNovel
Scan code to download App

Related chapters

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 12 - Return to the Palace

    My stomach twists with anxiety as our three horses approach the palace. The sun is almost fully risen, which means that soon the palace will wake up - that Mahl will wake up and have the chance to notice that I’m gone. “Can we go any faster?” I murmur, glancing over my shoulder for probably the hundredth time even though I’m fully aware that there’s no one behind me except Auden’s guard, Richard. Richard doesn’t take his eyes off the road ahead of us, but I know he’s watching my every move – that he’s been ordered to, just in case I’m stupid enough to try and run again. “If we go any faster,” Auden replies tightly under his breath, “we’ll draw attention to ourselves.” I know he’s right – and I know he’s frustrated because he’s already explained that to me twice before. Our goal right now is to look like an everyday Alpha and Luna heading to the palace with their guard for the continued festivities. They’ve dressed me for the part, too, in an elegant

    Last Updated : 2023-09-18
  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 13 - We Meet Again

    King Mahl stands glaring at us, his whole body tensed with the effort of not transforming into his wolf and leaping at us. I feel my breath come short in my chest, terrified despite Auden’s assurance that he will quickly get this under control.Mahl’s eyes are fixed on me and I can see the threat in the steady flame burning there, the tension in each of his muscles. He immediately suspects betrayal and he’s ready to make me pay for it, no questions asked.That’s how Mahl rules, after all: by making sure that everyone knows that he can rip those who betray him to shreds and that he’s ready to do it at the barest whiff of disloyalty.The threat feels very real to me as we stop our horses a few feet from the King and Auden swings his leg over his horse’s saddle, dropping easily to the ground. Auden turns to Mahl, taking his horse’s bridle in his hand and giving the King a short bow. “Father,”

    Last Updated : 2023-09-19
  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 14 - Secrets Between Sisters

    Mahl walks me steadily to the door of the Queen’s apartments in silence.“I’m afraid I gave your sister a bit of a scare this morning,” he informs me, making me jump even though he keeps his voice low. But then, realizing what he said, I snap my face up to his, surprised. Honestly, I’d forgotten all about poor Calli – my mind was on other problems.“Is – is she all right?” I ask, hesitant.“She is fine,” Mahl replies, nodding and coming to a stop outside the door. “I do not appreciate being lied to though, wife. Or you asking your family members to lie in your stead.”“It was Auden’s idea,” I say quickly, throwing him under the horse’s cart a bit but willing to let him take the blame. “He didn’t want to worry you in the night – if you…if you came to visit me. She was to tell you I was ill.”Auden told me, of

    Last Updated : 2023-09-20
  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 15 - Father and Son

    The peaceful silence of the King’s chamber grates on Auden’s nerves as he leans against the windowsill, staring at the door. He knows it’s going to burst open at any moment and he’s not looking forward to it.Still. He wants to get this done so he can move on with his day. Auden clenches his jaw as he lets his mind wander, just a little, to the thousand things he has left to do. There’s so much to organize before this evening’s ridiculous garden party - so much he has to get exactly, precisely right -God, Auden thinks, shaking his head and not taking his eyes off the door in front of him. What the hell was I thinking, getting myself wrapped up in this? Auden scowls, because of course he knows the answer. A woman doesn’t deserve to die, orphaning her children and sparking a feud with her family, just because she had very temporary (and very valid) hesitation about the King’s choice to claim her as his next bride.After all, Auden considers, it’s not like Mahl asked Everleigh what

    Last Updated : 2023-09-25
  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 16 - More Lies

    Auden holds his breath, hoping that his little gamble here has paid off – that Margot did as she promised and successfully distracted Mahl last night. He hadn’t had time to receive any reports from his men, or speak to Margot herself, but…When Mahl turns away, a little scowl on his face, Auden’s smirk deepens.Mahl begins to pace the room and Auden waits for his father to pull his thoughts together and plan his next move. Would he continue to berate his son for some tiny, innocuous lies? Or would he move on?As Auden waits for Mahl to decide, his mind wanders despite his determination to concentrate on the situation at hand. There’s just so much he has to do. Where are the children now? Time is getting short – the cart will arrive soon if it hasn’t already, and he wanted to be there when it did –“Enough of this,” the King snaps. Auden raises his head again to meet his father’s eyes, pleased that the King has finally decided to weigh this in his favor. “You will keep no more secrets

    Last Updated : 2023-09-26
  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 17 - Garden Party

    I’m late to the garden party, which means that by the time I get there I can barely see the garden itself, so full is it with pressing bodies. I don’t enter the gardens through the ballroom as I did last night, but instead via the more intimate and discrete Royal entrance, which opens out into a wide square clearing surrounded by benches. A delicate fountain sprays in the middle of the clearing, though I can only see the top spout of the water right now.I’ve been here before, of course – but it’s unrecognizable as the quaint and peaceful courtyard it usually is, instead now packed and humming with conversation. My eyes go immediately to Mahl, standing above the crowd across the courtyard on the painted wooden dais constructed for these sorts of events.I sigh, knowing I have to get to his side and realizing that getting there means I have to run the courtier gauntlet.As soon as I step from the entrance, eyes turn to me and a thousand different expressions cross people’s faces. Some

    Last Updated : 2023-10-03
  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 18 - The First Test

    I suddenly feel very awkward about the intimacy of our seating arrangement, so I quickly turn away and raise my wine to my lips, taking another big sip. Mahl, amused, gestures towards a Gamma who quickly comes over to give me a refill.“Oh –“ I say, surprised as the wine fills my glass. I quickly thank the Gamma before Mahl dismisses him with a wave. “I’m sorry,” I say to Mahl, a little embarrassed. “I don’t mean to get drunk –““Do it,” he says, raising his eyebrows. “If it pleases you.”I cock my head to the side a bit. “Surely,” I say quietly, with a little smile, “you would not want to present a drunk Queen to your court on her first day?”“What I want, Everleigh,” he says, leaning closer to me and making my muscles tense, “is for you to be comfortable. If that means drinking your weight in wine, then do it! If the Queen is drunk,” he whispers, as if it’s our little secret, “that merely means that everyone else is too sober.”I laugh a little despite myself, a little undone by Mah

    Last Updated : 2023-10-04
  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 19 - Vivianna and Niall - A Blessing

    “Father,” Auden says, pitching his voice so that everyone can hear. “I hope that you will allow me to introduce you to two important young people,” he says, nodding to my kids. “Vivianna and Niall. Your grandchildren.”The court goes mad at these words, a flurry of gasps and whispers rippling through the crowd like wind through a field of wheat. I barely blink as I watch people turn to each other, wide-eyed and delighted at the scandal. I watch my son flinch and gasp, shocked by the sudden noise; watch Auden’s hand land comfortably on the back of Niall’s head, stroking his hair, an act that makes Niall jump again for a moment before looking steadily up at his father.Vivianna turns a little, attempting to glare around at everyone at once, clutching her little dragon close to her chest as if she would take on the entire crowd.My heart soars with love for Vivi suddenly, for my brave girl. I worry for Niall – wonder if he will thrive in this world – but Vivianna? About her I have no dou

    Last Updated : 2023-10-05

Latest chapter

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 126 - Interloper

    God, but the Night of the Stag is…disgusting. Auden’s mother had always hated it – had forbidden it, actually, after she participated in it once first-hand.But Mahl had only banished it for her sake. It had only come back into style and favor with Angeline, and then Beth.This is the first time, though, that Auden has been at court to participate. He watches as several of the Alphas smile gleefully, clearly looking around at all the women before them with avarice in their eyes.Yes, as usual, his mother had been right. It’s all just…wildly disgusting.This entire practice should be banished – a King doesn’t need a celebration of his virility before he dedicates himself to one woman for the rest of his life. Especially when it’s his fourth wife, and he already has four children, and he has absolutely no intention of staying faithful to his Queen once they’ve wed.A gong sound

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 125 - The Golden Doe

    Margot turns back to the mirror, just staring at her reflection – my reflection twice, really. She shakes her head, raising a hand to her cheek and softly touching it like she’s not sure it’s real. “This shouldn’t be possible.”I hesitate. “Why not?”“The magic,” she murmurs, leaning over the sink to inspect her face, turning it this way and that to observe the incredible effects of the spell. “It’s not that powerful. It’s just a little cantrip – a joke spell…”I bite my lip, not knowing what to say. Because, I mean, I have no explanation for why this works. It just…does.Slowly she turns back to me, her eyes flashing over my face and then down my body. “What are you, Everleigh?”I swallow hard, tilting my chin to the side, not having…any answer for tha

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 124 - Magic Workings

    “Everleigh!” Margot gasps, spinning toward me as I open the glass door to my roof garden and slip in. “You scared me – you said you’d be here –““I know, I’m sorry,” I say, stumbling over to her as Coco swoops into the room after me. Margot gasps, covering her head, but I just flap a hand in the air and point to my bed, instructing Coco to go settle down. He does as he’s told, flopping down onto my pillow and looking between Margot and I with a great deal of interest.Margot straightens and frowns at him. “Is that dragon…wearing diamonds?”“Yeah, it’s Vivi’s thing,” I say, grabbing Margot’s wrist and starting to tug her toward the bathroom. “She loves diamonds almost as much as you do.”“Will it bite?” Margot asks, looking over at Coco. “If I try to…borrow that fairly fantastic bracelet?&rdqu

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 123 - Night of the Stag

    “Come onnn,” Niall groans, looking very anxiously toward the suite’s door. “We have to gooo!”“You just want to see Aurora,” Vivi teases, wiggling in her father’s arms. Auden smiles as he puts her down and she runs to her brother. I press my lips together to keep from squealing at how cute my baby is with his adorable little boy crush.“Yes, I want to see Aurora!” Niall snaps, frowning at his sister. “Who is much nicer than you!”“Aurora cries all day –““She doesn’t!”“All right!” Auden cuts in, his voice loud and serious enough that both kids let their argument drop and turn to him. Auden lifts his chin toward the door. “Go and check your bags, make sure that you have your toothbrushes.”Vivi and Niall dart off to do as they’re bid and I turn to Auden, knowing that he sent them away to

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 122 - Sleepover

    “Everleigh,” she says, starting to shake her head. “Mahl is the one who made magic illegal –““You use magic on him every other night!”“And I am a professional,” she says, laying a demure hand on her breast and grinning at me. “You are a rank amateur!”“Oh, come on, Margot!” I beg, dashing for her and dropping to my knees in front of her stool. She blinks at me, surprised. “It will be easy! I did it before with Angeline and it worked so well! He’ll never notice!”She turns her head to the side a bit. “He’ll never notice…what?”I smile prettily at her again, hoping that my excited expression hides all of the anxiety boiling in me now, the desperate howl of my wolf as she panics, wanting any way to get out of this horrible situation –“He’ll never notice,” I whisper, still smiling desperately at my friend. “When you take my place tomorrow. As the Golden Doe Goddess.”Margot’s mouth drops cle

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 121 - A Favor

    Mahl sighs and takes a step away from me, looking toward the window. “If you’re denying me today, I will expect the performance of a lifetime tomorrow, wife,” he snaps. “No half-hearted mewling and laying still on the mattress if you’re going to make me wait like this.”I slip off the table, not knowing what to say. I step forward and take Mahl’s hand, silently begging him to turn to me. He does and I look up at him with wide, worried eyes.Mahl softens, thank god, and steps toward me, giving me another of those long, lingering kisses. Then he smacks me hard on the ass, eliciting a little yelp, and gives me a gentle push toward the door. “Off with you, wife. Prepare yourself for tomorrow – I will send the Priestesses to anoint you with oil. And I will look forward to tomorrow evening.”“As will I,” I whisper, trembling a little with relief and letting him think it

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 120 - One More Night

    “I’m sorry, little bride,” Mahl murmurs, all grumbly and low and heated. “That I have not had the time for you that I would have wished. This war is…consuming.”“That’s all right,” I say, my voice a little tense as Mahl’s fingers tighten possessively on my flesh. “I…understand. War is…hard?”Pathetic. Pathetic and panicked, that’s all I am.Mahl smirks at me and turns me toward the table, walking forward a step until my rump hits the edge. To my surprise he then lifts me so that I’m seated neatly on the table, my legs spread wide to accommodate the breadth of him between my knees.“My sweet little Queen,” Mahl murmurs, shaking my head like I’m adorable as he leans closer to me - so close I can feel his breath on my face. “Don’t you worry about this war – let daddy handle it –“My eyes do flare a

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 119 - Anticipation

    I push gently at the door to Mahl’s chambers when I hear his deep voice call for me to enter. Immediately my stomach tightens at the sight of him raising his eyes to me over the table spread with papers, maps, and little carvings that must represent his troops.A deep growl rumbles in his chest as his eyes rake over me. I exhale slowly as I step into the room, looking around at the five or so men who have gathered with him. My eyes flash wide and I go completely still when my gaze lands last on a very familiar face.Alpha Wood’s brows draw together. He glares at me from beneath them, a great deal of hate and ire gathering there.Yup. He has…not forgiven me for the disgrace I brought him in flatly refusing to marry him five years ago.“Leave us, men,” Mahl murmurs, low and rough. I snap my gaze back to him, gulping a little, wondering if he saw the look between Wood and I –But the serious way that he stares at me lets me know that

  • The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret   Chapter 118 - Blue

    And it’s not nearly as intense as that – Everleigh’s scent is nowhere near as good as Evie’s had been - but certainly this draw to a woman is the strongest he’s experienced since he lost his mate and failed to find her after she vanished.But a series of anonymous women in his bed had helped him still the grief of Evie’s disappearance, though he’d certainly had to fuck his way through half the women in the army camp to free himself of her grip.Maybe…maybe another lover will do the same thing here.“Auden.”He turns at the door, meeting Everleigh’s eyes, gripping the handle hard to pin himself there, to keep from striding back to the bed and grabbing her to him, ripping that ridiculous robe right off her body.“I’m sorry,” she says quietly.He opens his mouth to protest, to say it’s not her fault – because he honestly believes her when she says she didn’t know.“Will you just let me be sorry?” she says, interrupting, her blue eyes hug

Scan code to read on App
DMCA.com Protection Status