CHAPTER 13
I personally love a fast-paced storyline, so I hope you're enjoying the way the tension keeps moving forward, too! Thank you so much for waiting for this chapter. Your patience means everything! Now enjoy the chapter with me! Don't forget to follow me so you won't miss the next updates!
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The council chamber smelled of iron and smoke, heavy with the restless energy of wolves who would rather be anywhere than trapped beneath a Lycan's shadow.
The sound of my own heartbeat thudded in my ears as the doors opened and Daniel entered.
The Lycan King. He was everything they feared.
The only Lycan alive.
And yet, as he took his throne, Daniel's mind was not on his enemies.
It was on her.
The Luna is carrying heirs.
Twins.
The rejected servant will bear the Lycan King's blood.
Mia heard it the moment she stepped into the chamber.
Wolves fell silent as she passed, but their eyes followed.
They were curious, envious, a few sharp with quiet hatred.
Her palm instinctively brushed her stomach.
Only a faint swell rested there, but her wolf already guarded the life inside with feral instinct.
Her scent threaded through the chamber, soft as vanilla, impossible to ignore. She entered behind him, silent but unbowed, carrying the weight of a secret only a few dared whispers: the Lycan King's fated mate... carrying his heirs.
Every wolf in the room lowered their head when she passed. Not out of respect but out of calculation. Some already weighed the worth of the lives inside her.
Daniel's eyes followed her every step, the golden fire of his gaze warning anyone who looked too long. He should have felt in control. Instead, the bond burned hotter with each breath she took. The more he tried to cage her, the more she slipped beyond his grasp.
And Mia felt it too.
She approached the council table, her chin high, her posture regal in a way that made the warriors shift uneasily. Only months ago, she had been the servant girl no one saw. Now she carried herself like someone born to lead.
"Sit," Daniel ordered, the single word a low growl.
Mia met his eyes, and did not move.
A ripple of shock swept through the chamber. No one defied the Lycan King. Not his warriors. Not his council. Not anyone.
"You brought me here to hear decisions about my children," Mia said, her voice steady, echoing against stone. "Then I will stand, not sit."
The silence sharpened. Warriors exchanged nervous glances. A few elders stiffened, waiting for Daniel's fury to explode.
Daniel rose from his throne, each movement slow and deliberate. The air grew heavier with every step he took toward her. His power filled the room like a storm ready to break.
"Do you challenge me?" His voice was soft, dangerous yet the voice that had ended battles before they began.
Mia's heart pounded, but she kept her chin high. "I challenge the idea that my life and my children's lives will be decided without my voice."
Gasps cut through the chamber. An elder flinched as if expecting blood.
Daniel stopped a breath away from her, his golden eyes blazing, his wolf snarling beneath the surface. The world held its breath.
Every instinct screamed for Mia to lower her eyes. To kneel. To survive.
But something inside her.... something the bond had awakened.... refused.
She held his gaze and whispered, "You can order your armies, Alpha Daniel. You can terrify every Alpha on this land. But you will not rule me."
The words landed like a blade.
Daniel's wolf surged forward, demanding dominance, demanding he prove her wrong. His claws flexed, his breath ragged. For the first time in years, the mighty Lycan King felt something he could not crush with strength.
Fear.
Not of the council. Not of war.
But of the woman before him - his mate - who could unmake him with nothing but a look.
The council waited for violence. Instead, Daniel exhaled a single word, rough and broken.
"Dismissed."
The warriors scrambled out, too relieved to question.
When the doors slammed shut, Daniel leaned in until his breath brushed her ear, his voice a growl meant only for her.
"You will break me if you keep this up."
Mia's pulse raced, but her answer came calm and sure.
"Then maybe you were never as unbreakable as you thought."