# Chapter 268:

# Chapter 268:
Melinda's POV

As we walked through the palace corridors, I couldn't help stealing another glance at Michael. He was moving a bit slowly, but at least his color looked much better than before. The poison—or curse, rather—had nearly taken him from me, and the memory of those terrifying hours still made my chest tighten.

Marcus walked ahead of us, his skeletal form drawing curious stares from several servants we passed. I'd assumed skeletons were common in this werewolf kingdom, but perhaps not even in this mansion. The servants' wide-eyed glances followed us as we made our way deeper into the palace.

The closer we got to the meeting room, the tighter my chest felt. I was about to have a formal meeting with the Alpha King... my biological father. The thought still felt unreal. For over twenty years, I'd believed I was just an ordinary human, and now suddenly I discovered I had a werewolf king for a father. If someone had told me this at the beginning of the semester, I would have laughed in their face.

"Are you okay?" Michael whispered, his hand finding mine.

"Just nervous," I admitted, my voice barely audible even to myself. "This is all so... much."

When we finally reached the ornate double doors of the meeting chamber, I took a deep breath, straightening my posture instinctively. The guard announced our arrival, and we entered a room that was surprisingly modest compared to the throne room, with a large wooden table and comfortable chairs.

The Alpha King was already there, standing by a window. He turned as we entered, and his eyes immediately fixed on me. The intensity of his gaze made me uncomfortable, like he was searching for familiar features, trying to find himself in my face. I stood a little straighter, not knowing what to say.

"Your Majesty," I finally said, choosing the safest form of address. Calling him father? No, that was too strange. I'd only just learned this fact, and I wasn't ready for that level of familiarity.

"Please, sit," he gestured to the chairs. "I'm glad to see you've recovered, Mr. Stone."

Michael nodded respectfully as we took our seats. Marcus remained standing behind my chair, his skeletal presence somehow reassuring.

"We need to discuss the disposition of Luna and Selena," the Alpha King began, getting straight to business. At least it was a concrete topic, easier to deal with than our suddenly discovered father-daughter relationship.

"Luna will face execution for her crimes," he stated flatly. "Her attempts to control me, her plot to eliminate werewolf bloodlines she deemed 'impure,' and her attempt to murder both of you... there can be only one punishment."

The sentence was harsher than I'd imagined, but considering she had nearly killed Michael and controlled the king himself... I understood the decision.

"I understand, Your Majesty," I said, not exactly agreeing but not seeing what alternative there could be in a situation like this.

"As for Selena..." his voice softened slightly, and I felt myself tensing. My twin sister. Another concept I hadn't fully processed yet. She'd tried to trap me, imprison me... but would she have actually killed me? Was it our twin connection that prevented her from going through with it, or was there something in her that wasn't completely evil? She'd been under Luna's influence her entire life, after all.

"What do you suggest?" the Alpha King asked, looking directly at me.

The question surprised me. "Me?"

"She is your sister," he said simply. "And I've been... absent from your life. I won't pretend to have the right to make this decision alone."

I considered my words carefully. "What she did was terrible, but maybe... maybe she deserves a chance to change? If she lived in the human world for a while, she might gain a different perspective."

The king's expression showed he didn't like this idea. Even Michael looked a bit surprised at my suggestion.

"You're more forgiving than I expected," the Alpha King said, studying me. "But Selena has been raised to believe in her superiority over humans. Sending her to live among them would be asking for trouble."

"What if she went as a human?" I suggested. "Without her powers, she'd have to adapt. She'd learn what it's like to be vulnerable."

The king considered this, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "A compromise, then. Selena will be stripped of her werewolf nature permanently and required to live as a human. Not as punishment alone, but as a chance to learn what she's been missing."

I nodded, relieved. It wasn't the ideal solution, but at least it gave Selena a chance to experience a different life, even if it was forced upon her.

Michael cleared his throat. "There's also the matter of Pine Ridge University. The events there... there will be injuries, confusion. People who don't understand what happened to them."

The Alpha King nodded gravely. "I've already dispatched healers to assist. Memory alteration will be necessary in some cases, but physical wounds will be treated first."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said sincerely. "Pine Ridge means a lot to me." It held my friends, my studies, my everyday life—things far more real to me than this golden but alien palace.

"What are your plans for the future?" he asked me suddenly.

The question caught me off guard. Honestly, I'd been so busy just trying to survive the immediate crises that I hadn't had time to think about long-term plans.

I glanced at Michael, then at Marcus, thinking about my life at Pine Ridge University—my friends, my studies, even the coffee shop where I worked. Those were the things I knew.

"To be honest, I haven't decided yet," I admitted. "But I think I'll return to the human world. That's where I grew up, my friends are there, and I have studies to complete."

The king nodded, not showing disappointment or insistence. I was relieved—at least he respected my choice and wasn't trying to force me to immediately accept some werewolf princess role.

"What is your relationship?" he asked abruptly, looking between Michael and me.

That question, at least, was easier to answer. Amid all the chaos, my feelings for Michael were one of the few clear things.

"Melinda is my mate," Michael answered without hesitation, his voice steady and certain.

The Alpha King's eyebrows rose slightly. "The heir to the Stone pack and my daughter... interesting." He didn't elaborate on what made it interesting, but I caught a glimmer of approval in his eyes.