Chapter 37 Untitled Chapter

Chapter 37 Untitled Chapter
Ashley
I swallowed hard, my heart suddenly beating faster. I didn’t know what answer to give him without exposing myself. My mind raced with different thoughts and possibilities. Should I just tell him the truth?
But what if he became angry? What if instead of banishing me like I feared, he decided to hang me for lying to the king? The thought alone made my stomach tighten.
“I noticed the way Waneeka was speaking to you earlier,” he said calmly as his fingers continued massaging my feet. “It seemed like the two of you were well acquainted.”
I stayed quiet. “And Gerald…” his voice darkened slightly. “The way he was staring at you, it looked like he wanted to devour you. If I had stayed there one more minute, I would have plucked his eyes out myself.”
I blinked nervously.There was something dangerous in the way he said it, like he truly meant every word.
“I used to know them from way back,” I replied quietly, careful with my words.
His eyes lifted to my face immediately, studying me closely. “Is Gerald your mate?” he suddenly asked. “Or the father of your pup?”
My breath caught, I shook my head quickly, almost too quickly. “No,” I answered nervously. “He isn’t.”
For a few seconds, he simply stared at me in silence. Then his expression softened slightly. “Good,” he said. He gently placed my feet back on the floor before standing up. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s help you relax properly. You still look tense.”
The moment he changed the topic, I silently released the breath I had been holding. Thank goodness, I quickly stood up and followed him into the bathroom before he could ask more questions.
The bathroom was almost as large as the bedroom itself. Everything inside looked luxurious, from the marble floors to the golden decorations around the mirrors. Soft light filled the room, making it feel warm and peaceful.
I stood quietly and watched him prepare the bath for me himself. He turned on the water, tested the temperature with his hand, then added oils and scented soap into the bathtub. Steam slowly filled the room, carrying a calming scent through the air.
When the bath was ready, he gently helped me into the tub. The warm water wrapped around my body instantly, soothing my sore muscles and calming my nerves. I slowly relaxed against the bathtub and closed my eyes.
After spending a long time in the bath, I finally stepped out and changed into my robe before returning to the bedroom.The king was still there waiting for me, but he had changed out of his royal clothes.
Instead of the expensive outfit he had worn earlier, he now had on a simple shirt and grey sweatpants. The casual clothes made him look completely different and less intimidating.
“I need to meet some of our guests before they leave,” he said as he adjusted his sleeve. “I might not come back to the room tonight.”
I looked at him quietly before nodding my head, even though deep down, I didn’t believe him. I was certain he was going to spend the night with one of his mistresses. A man like him could not suddenly change overnight.
But I didn’t say any of that aloud, I simply nodded silently and looked away.
He stood there for a few seconds like he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he remained silent. After a brief hesitation, he turned and walked out of the room. The moment the door closed behind him, I released a long breath.
I walked toward the large walk-in closet and stopped in surprise. My clothes had already been arranged neatly inside, separated carefully on shelves and hangers as though I had been living there for years already.
Everything about this place reminded me that there was no escape anymore. This was my new life.
I pushed the thought away and picked out a simple, comfortable outfit to sleep in. After changing, I climbed into the huge bed carefully, keeping to one side.
As I laid down, my mind drifted back to Gerald and Waneeka. Anxiety slowly settled inside my chest again. I closed my eyes and prayed silently that they leave tonight and never return here. Eventually, exhaustion pulled me into sleep.

The next morning, I woke up earlier than expected. After taking a quick bath and dressing in simple clothes, I sat quietly in the room, unsure of what to do with myself. I was still lost in thought when the bedroom door suddenly opened, the king walked in.
The first thing I noticed was how exhausted he looked. His hair was slightly messy, and there were faint signs of tiredness in his eyes, like he had been awake the entire night.
For a moment, I wondered if he truly had been busy with guests like he claimed or if he had spent the night somewhere else.
Our eyes met briefly. “Good morning,” he said as he walked further into the room.
“Good morning,” I replied softly. He asked about my night, and I told him it was fine. I even thanked him quietly for the foot massage from the previous night.
He simply nodded without saying much, then without warning, he grabbed the edge of his shirt and pulled it over his head.
My breath caught instantly. His body was lean and toned, covered in dark tattoos that spread across his chest, arms, and lower waist. The marks somehow made him look even more intimidating and dangerously attractive.
I swallowed hard and quickly tried to look away, but I couldn’t. My eyes betrayed me and drifted back to him again. As if sensing my stare, he suddenly looked up, our eyes met. Heat rushed to my face immediately, and I turned away so fast it almost hurt my neck.
Thankfully, he didn’t say anything. A small smirk touched his lips before he walked into the bathroom. The moment the door closed, I exhaled shakily. This was going to be harder than I thought. Sharing a room with him every single day would not be easy at all.
A while later, he came back out fully dressed in a crisp white shirt and black pants. He looked calm and composed again, every inch the powerful king everyone feared.
He walked toward me as he adjusted his sleeve. “We are having breakfast in the dining hall this morning,” he said. “Some of our guests are still around.” My heart skipped nervously at his words, I immediately hoped Waneeka wasn’t one of those guests.
“Why didn’t they return to their homes last night?” I asked quietly as we walked toward the door. He glanced at me briefly before answering.
“There’s a war going on outside these walls,” he said calmly. “Ryker is out there watching every Alpha that swore loyalty to me, waiting for the perfect moment to attack them. Rogues are roaming around too. It would be dangerous for Alphas traveling with only their luna and a few guards.”
I slowly nodded in understanding. For a moment, I almost forgot how unstable everything truly was outside this palace.
Before we stepped into the hallway, he suddenly stopped and turned toward me. His large hand wrapped around mine firmly. “You do not need to worry about anyone out there,” he said, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “If anyone dares disrespect you, I will put them in their place.”
His thumb brushed softly against my hand. “Just focus on me.”
My chest tightened slightly at his words, but I simply nodded without replying. Together, we walked toward the dining hall. The moment we entered, I froze slightly in surprise, the hall was packed.
I hadn’t expected so many guests to still be around. Different Alphas, their lunas, warriors, and important figures filled the large hall. The sound of conversations and movement echoed through the room. But the second Lucien and I walked in, the entire hall fell silent. Every eye turned toward us immediately.
I became painfully aware of the king’s hand holding mine as he confidently led me through the crowd. My nervousness grew with every step.He guided me straight to the head of the long dining table before pulling out the chair beside his own for me.
Then, to everyone’s shock, he gently helped me sit down, the silence in the room deepened.
I could feel the stares burning into me. None of them expected the feared Alpha King to treat me with such care, especially after the way he had behaved during the ceremony the night before.
“Good morning, Alpha King,” the guests greeted together respectfully.
Lucien nodded once. “Thank you all for honoring my invitation to my mating ceremony last night,” he said smoothly. “Eat, drink, and celebrate a new beginning for my Luna and I.”
The room filled with polite applause, I lowered my eyes slightly, uncomfortable with the attention.
Soon, servants began placing food on the table, and everyone slowly resumed eating and talking again.
For a while, everything remained peaceful. Until a familiar female voice suddenly broke through the room. “Lucien.” The entire hall went quiet again.
I looked up immediately and saw the red-haired woman from the previous night staring directly at him. Murmurs spread across the room instantly.
The fact that she had called the king by his name shocked everyone. No one dared address him so casually unless they shared a close relationship. She sat elegantly, completely unbothered by the attention on her. “How do you intend to maintain a strong kingdom,” she continued, “when your mate is wolfless?”
My body stiffened immediately.
“A luna is supposed to be strong enough to lead and protect the pack while her mate is away fighting wars,” she said coldly. “But she can barely hold herself together.”
Whispers spread across the hall like wildfire, I lowered my gaze slightly, trying to ignore the heavy stares directed at me.
But then another voice joined in. “She’s right,” one of the Alphas at the table said openly. “How do you expect the kingdom to respect a queen without a wolf? A king like you should have a much stronger woman beside you.”
Several people nodded in agreement. Another man scoffed softly. “Ryker will use this against us. He will see it as a weakness and use it to score cheap points.”
The murmurs around the hall grew louder, I felt my fingers tighten under the table as humiliation slowly crawled through my chest.
“Especially when he finds out she is carrying another man’s pup.” Wanneka said.