Chapter 78

Chapter 78
“Oh my gods. Did you all hear those cheesy lines?” I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief. “He really has no clue what I’m made of.” I let out a soft chuckle, glancing first at Jason, then at my friends who were standing nearby, all of us watching the Alpha King with a mix of disdain and amusement. Slowly, I turned back to face him, my expression hardening. “You think you can just waltz in here, bringing your army and big guns to hunt me down, while whispering honeyed lies in my ear like they’ll make me roll over?” I let out a bitter laugh. “I didn’t even show you my belly when you exercised your authority over me in the shifters’ territory. You locked me up like a criminal, and not once did I submit. While I was in that cage you so kindly placed me in, I showed you exactly what I’m made of. I would rather rot in that cell than bend the knee to you. You chained me. You starved me. Seven days. Seven days of hell, and not for a single fucking second did I break. I never bowed to you. Not once. Not for a nanosecond.”

I could feel the tension building in the room. The elite shifters were beginning to murmur among themselves. Some of them were stunned, clearly having never imagined the cruelty the Alpha King had subjected me to. It was no secret that shifters didn’t torture their pack members unless there was a very good reason. And here they were, realizing that not only had the Alpha King mistreated me so cruelly, but I was also supposed to be his fated mate. That sacred bond that was supposed to be unbreakable, pure, and unshakable. But to me, it felt like a curse.

Fated, my ass.

The Alpha King’s gaze darkened as he spoke, his voice almost too calm, too measured. “I wasn’t aware that they didn’t bring you food,” he said, his jaw clenching with barely contained rage. A muscle twitched in his neck, and for a fleeting moment, I could see sorrow flicker in his amber eyes. “I’d have punished them sooner if I’d known. I didn’t want this. Princess Victoria bribed and bought the wardens. I broke my engagement to her. I cast her aside for you. And I didn’t intervene when you settled your score with her. She’s history now. She’s nothing. I swear to you, I’ll do everything in my power to make up for all of this. Leave the past behind us. Let’s look to the future together. I’ll marry you and make you my queen.”

As his words hung in the air, his amber eyes glowed, his wolf’s presence seeping through his words, silently pleading with me. I could feel the bond tugging, but I stood my ground. The wolf might care about me, but the man… he had broken me.

“I don’t want to be your queen,” I said, my voice cutting through the heavy silence. “You thought I was just some gold-digger, a woman who wanted to use you to climb the ranks. But I never wanted to be a queen or a lady. I don’t want any of that. And you’re nothing to me, just as I was nothing to you before you found out that I had power. You only came after me because my power boosted yours when we formed the mating bond, no matter how short-lived it was. But let’s be clear. I rejected you before you tossed me into that dungeon. And do you know what I did after that?” I stepped closer, my eyes locked onto his, every word dripping with defiance. “I tore out the bond. I severed it. Even though it nearly killed me. I went through soul-wrenching pain, but I didn’t care. It was worth it. I finally freed myself from you. And I’ve chosen someone else. I’ve taken a leap of faith and chosen King Nollan. I agreed to be his Bride. And no one else’s. Not now. Not ever.”

The place seemed to hold its breath as the Alpha King stood there, speechless. His wolf still watched me with desperate eyes, but I didn’t flinch. I didn’t care about his sorrow. I didn’t care about any of it anymore. I had made my choice.

Fury simmered in the new Alpha King’s eyes, his gaze dark and dangerous, like an impending storm ready to strike. But I wasn’t fazed. I turned my attention away from him and lifted my gaze to Jason, who looked utterly stunned, his emotions swirling in his eyes like a wildfire.

“You really meant what you said, milady?” he asked softly, his voice filled with disbelief.

“Are you calling me a liar, sweetie pie?” I shot back, my tone playful but sharp.

He frowned at me, his usual composure slipping for a brief moment. “It’s probably best not to call me that in public,” he muttered, clearly annoyed. Then, as if he couldn’t hold back anymore, he yanked me toward him, pulling me into his embrace like a caveman. His lips crashed onto mine with an intensity that left me breathless. When we finally pulled apart, his eyes were glowing with a fierce light, like the stars themselves had ignited behind his gaze.

“You’re full of surprises, Bride,” he said, his voice a low, amused growl. “Only a fool would think they could tame you, little monster.”

“You know how to flatter a girl by calling her a monster, Your Majesty,” I teased, rubbing my swollen lips in satisfaction, unable to hide the smile tugging at my mouth.

“My little monster,” he purred in response, his voice dripping with affection.

The Alpha King’s voice roared through the air, breaking the moment. “This has to stop!” he bellowed, his jealousy unmistakable, boiling over into rage. “Let her go, bloodsucker. She’s mine! Hand her over, and we’ll leave in peace. My main force is only half an hour behind. If you keep my woman captive, there will be war.”

Jason’s response was as cold and calm as ice. “Then war it is,” he said without a hint of hesitation. “I should’ve claimed my Bride long before you ever had a chance to mistreat her. She’s never been yours, and she was never anyone else’s. She’s mine. Always has been, and always will be. I was simply respecting her choice. But now that my Bride has chosen me, no one—no one—will take her from me.”

The Alpha King’s voice was low and dangerous. “I disagree. Phia’s place is with me. Always with me.”

I couldn’t help myself; I rolled my eyes at his delusion. “Go home, asshole,” I snapped, my tone sharp. “Let’s just pretend this never happened. Please.”

I knew I had to make him leave without escalating things further. His army was massive, bolstered by the dark witches, and even if we managed to escape to Shangrilla, his forces would simply lay siege to us. Jason’s army, stuck in the leylines, wouldn’t be able to reach us for a month at best. If we went to war with the Alpha King, we would lose—and we would lose terribly. Most of our warriors would perish. I couldn’t let that happen.

The other option—going with him to avoid bloodshed—was something I couldn’t fathom. The thought of being his captive again, of being near him again, made my stomach turn. I shivered involuntarily, my body rebelling at the mere idea of it.

“I won’t leave without you, Phia,” the Alpha King declared, his voice thick with determination. “I brought an army to get you. You should feel honored by how much I want you. The witches have joined my side, and I’m more powerful than ever.”

“You don’t appeal to me anymore,” I said coldly, my voice hard as steel. “I’m not part of your power play. Don’t make the shifters fight your personal war. Leave in peace. No one needs to die over this. You have no claim on me. I was never yours.”

His response was almost laughable, but I could see the stubbornness in his eyes. “You belong to me,” he insisted, his voice dripping with arrogance. “You just don’t realize it yet. I didn’t treat you as you should’ve been treated as my mate, but I’ve come to understand my mistakes. You’ll have a good life with me. You’ll be respected by all shifters. You’ll be my queen, and together, we’ll rule. We’ll form a mating bond again after I mark you as mine and erase the bloodsucker’s scent from you. We’ll be a power couple, Phia. A force to be reckoned with.”

I felt sick to my stomach at his words. His arrogance was suffocating. This man truly thought he could bend me to his will.

“Take a hint, douche,” Faerry called out from behind me, her voice laced with disdain. “Lady Phia Ollivara has already made her choice. What else do you not understand? You don’t hold a candle to my king. See that necklace around my lady’s neck? It’s the Phoenix Tears, worth thirty-five million. So why don’t you just go back to your little army and leave us the hell alone?”

The tension in the air was palpable as the Alpha King glared at Faerry, his frustration evident. But his threats meant nothing now. His grip on me had slipped, and no amount of posturing would change that. The choice had been made. And it wasn’t his.