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Chapter 77 - Trust
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2025-01-19 15:07:34Auden narrows his eyes, turning fully to me, his hand tightening on his wine glass. “You can’t seriously think I’d change my mind about this, Everleigh.”
I just stare up at him, anger starting to stir in me. “You haven’t let me in on anything –“
“And the first thing you jump to is that I’ve quit? That says much more about you than about me –“
“Hey,” I growl, stepping closer, lifting my chin. “There is no reason to make this personal, Auden –“
“You did that!”
“I asked a question! You’re the one who got mean!”
He snaps his mouth shut and turns away from me for a moment, looking down at the ground. I exhale slowly, glancing inside, not wanting the kids to have noticed mom and dad fighting. But luckily, they’re still distracted by their treat.
Even if Co
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Auden looks down at me with a frown. “Seriously?”I frown too, shaking my head. “Yeah, Auden. Seriously.”His confusion increases. “What the hell does that old man have to do with anything?”I laugh. “Auden, he’s younger than your father –““Yeah, but he acts like he’s about eighty. Eighty and content to sit in his tower all day, counting his coins. He’s not a threat, Everleigh – why on earth would we need to talk about him in secret?”“He’s…not a threat?”Auden shrugs. “Wood’s desires always lean towards the largest profit. He’s predictable and easy to appease. Why would you care that he’s here?”A slow smile spreads across my mouth when I realize that…Auden has no idea. But even as I grin my heart sinks because…those first three months of my pregnancy being h
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Auden looks down at me with a frown. “Seriously?”I frown too, shaking my head. “Yeah, Auden. Seriously.”His confusion increases. “What the hell does that old man have to do with anything?”I laugh. “Auden, he’s younger than your father –““Yeah, but he acts like he’s about eighty. Eighty and content to sit in his tower all day, counting his coins. He’s not a threat, Everleigh – why on earth would we need to talk about him in secret?”“He’s…not a threat?”Auden shrugs. “Wood’s desires always lean towards the largest profit. He’s predictable and easy to appease. Why would you care that he’s here?”A slow smile spreads across my mouth when I realize that…Auden has no idea. But even as I grin my heart sinks because…those first three months of my pregnancy being h
The Alpha Queen's Deadly Secret Chapter 77 - Trust
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I grin, thinking that they very much would. And that I’d die of anxiety watching them hurl themselves around on it, worried about them falling and breaking their bones.“Does it really get cold enough to freeze it solid like that?” After all, Mahl and his court come south to this winter palace because it’s more temperate than the north.“Oh, I’ve got methods to help it along,” Margot says. I turn back to her and she gives a little wink. “I’m a poor little winter girl at heart. I’ve got my methods of having fun.”I tilt my head, smiling at her, betting that she’s right.“So!” Margot says, giving me a bright smile. “How are you feeling about the Night of the Stag?”I groan again and she laughs.“Honestly, Everleigh,” she murmurs. “Don’t you enjoy anything?”“I enjoy peace, quiet, and…predict
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“Are you…are you serious,” I whisper, snatching the pamphlet up and holding it close to my face like getting a better look is going to change the words or something. “He’s…is this true!? Is he coming here!?”“Looks like it,” Margot says. I lower the pamphlet to see her grimacing a little. “I can take it that…you and your ex didn’t leave things on pleasant terms?”I groan, dropping the pamphlet and again burying my face against the blankets. Because…bad terms is not an adequate phrase to encapsulate what happened when I called off my engagement to Alpha Wood.Catastrophe would be better. Brink of war? Threats of eternal damnation and the destruction of my family? Each of those is…closer to the point.“Oh, baby,” Margot murmurs, patting me softly on the back. “What could it possibly matter? You’re going to be a Queen now, and you’ve got Mahl behind you. No one can say a word against you. No matter what Wood says or does, you’re coming out with the upper hand.”I take a deep breath, real
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I’m about to turn to him and plead to be let go when Margot turns her face to me from across the room and gives her head a subtle shake. I hesitate for just a moment and then pause, considering that she may have a better plan than me.Margot laughs at one final thing an Alpha says before she detaches herself from his arm and saunters over to us, the silk of her dress flowing gorgeously over her hips. Mahl and I watch her come, his arm tightening around me, slipping lower so that his hand grips my ass – probably pretending it’s hers.“Highness,” Margot says, dipping into a curtsy and giving Mahl a coy look. “Thank you so much for this fantastic party –““Of course, Margot. I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself. Though, I can imagine some ways for you to enjoy yourself more…”Margot smirks at Mahl and turns to me next, murmuring “darling” and reaching for me, pulling me into a hug. As she presses a kiss to my cheek, she whispers, her words falling swiftly from her lips. “Just go – I’ll h
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Auden keeps his eyes on his father, ignoring the Alphas, knowing that this is a briefing, not a discussion. The King bangs his fist twice on the table. What murmurs there are in the room fade to silence.“Our armies will move to the Western border with Venda,” Mahl growls, looking around at his Alphas. “We’ll draw our troops back from the Eastern allies to move in force. We will take our time with this, let the Vendans sweat, think we’re moving slowly because we’re bullying them and intend to call for talks at the last minute. But no talks. We will strike.”It’s Auden’s plan, not Mahl’s – one the Prince dwelled over for hours on the road while the children slept. But the way Mahl speaks it with such confidence, he probably does think that he came up with it by this point.“In the intervening months,” Mahl growls, still looking around at all of his men, “we will celebrate our Kingdom’s power and imminent victory. This celebration will culminate in my wedding.”He gestures over to Everl
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“Nice room,” Margot says, turning in a small circle and nodding appreciatively. “Yes, I think I’m going to like it here!”“You haven’t been in here before?” I ask, pressing the door shut and waving my friend toward the bed as I move to a little cupboard built into the wall next to the fireplace. As I open it, a little table conveniently unfolds from within, creating just enough space to mix a cocktail while the shelves above hold a variety of wine glasses and space for more bottles.Margot gasps, delighted. “This is so cute!” she says, leaving the cheese plate on the bed and scurrying over to me as I pull out a corkscrew and take the bottle from her hands. “And no, of course I haven’t been here. I wasn’t at court in your days, and Beth was…disinclined towards those of my profession.”I grin at her, opening the bottle with a pop. &ldq
