Chapter 246 Waking Up Safe

Chapter 246 Waking Up Safe
I opened my eyes slowly. The transition from the dark, heavy sleep to the waking world was completely silent. There were no shouting voices. There was no clashing steel. The high, vaulted ceiling of the Royal Chambers was painted in warm, gentle sunlight filtering through the tall glass windows.

I lay perfectly still on the massive mattress, my cheek pressed against a soft feather pillow. I was tangled deep in the cool, smooth silk sheets, the rich fabric twisting around my bare legs.

A heavy, incredibly warm weight rested across my waist. Wex had his thick arm draped over me, pulling my back flush against his broad, bare chest. His large hand rested flat against my stomach, his long, calloused fingers rising and falling with my every breath. I could feel the steady, powerful thumping of his heart beating right against my spine.

I turned slowly, shifting my body beneath the silk sheets so I could face him.

Wex was still asleep. The morning light caught the sharp, rugged lines of his jaw and the thick, dark lashes resting against his cheeks. The fierce, untamed Alpha King who had ripped through a horde of shadows with his bare hands looked entirely at peace. His chest rose and fell in a slow, deep rhythm. The twisting, jagged scars covering his skin were stark reminders of the violence he had endured, but right now, they just looked like a map of the path he had taken to reach me.

I reached my left hand out, sliding my fingertips gently over the smooth, flawless skin of his right arm. The magic of the stars had rebuilt his flesh perfectly, erasing the terrible burns he had suffered for my sake.

Wex shifted, a low, rumbling groan vibrating in his throat.

His golden eyes fluttered open. They were cloudy with sleep for only a fraction of a second before they locked onto my face. The moment his gaze found mine, the golden tether connecting us flared with a warm, rushing wave of pure affection.

"You are awake," Wex rasped, his morning voice a deep, rough gravel that sent a pleasant shiver down my legs.

"I am," I whispered, keeping my hand pressed against his chest. "I didn't want to wake you. You need the rest."

"I have rested enough," he replied. He shifted his large frame, rolling slightly to prop himself up on one elbow. The silk sheets slid down, pooling around his waist.

Wex looked down at me, his expression softening into something so raw and vulnerable it made my breath catch. He reached his right hand up, brushing a stray lock of dark hair away from my face. His rough, calloused thumb traced the line of my cheekbone, mapping my features as if he were trying to memorize them all over again.

"You are staring," I pointed out, a small, genuine smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.

"I am making sure you are real," Wex murmured, his golden eyes dropping to my lips. "When the magic flared last night, when the light dragged you under... I thought the stars were trying to take you back."

I shook my head, shifting closer until my bare shoulder pressed against his chest. "They cannot take me. I am anchored here. The starlight was just settling. It was finishing the bond."

Wex’s gaze drifted downward.

He looked past my chin, his eyes locking onto the pale skin of my collarbone. The crescent moon birthmark was no longer just a faint patch of discoloration. It glowed with a very soft, permanent silver luminescence, resting perfectly against my skin like a piece of captured moonlight.

He leaned down.

I felt the warm puff of his breath against my neck just a second before his rough lips pressed directly over the glowing mark.

He was kissing the very thing that had made me a stray. He was worshipping the mark that had caused me so much pain, claiming it as his own.

Wex pulled back slowly, his lips brushing against my jawline as he moved upward. He rested his forehead against mine, our noses brushing.

"You are my world, Eddena," he whispered, the rough timbre of his voice vibrating against my skin. "You are my wife. There is no magic, no god, and no crown that could ever make me let you go."

"I am right here," I promised, weaving my fingers into the dark hair at the nape of his neck. "I am not going anywhere."

"Are you hungry?" Wex finally asked, his thumb drawing slow, lazy circles against my hip under the sheets. "I can have the guards fetch something from the kitchens."

I thought about it for a moment, letting my eyes flutter shut. "Only if we can eat it right here. I do not want to put the heavy gowns back on yet. I just want to stay in this room."

Wex chuckled, a deep, rich sound that made my chest flutter. "Your wish is my command, Sovereign."

He pushed himself up, the muscles in his broad back flexing beautifully as he reached for the dark leather trousers he had discarded on the floor the night before. I watched him move, admiring the effortless power in his frame.

A sharp, sudden knock echoed against the thick timber doors of the Royal Chambers.

"Who is it?" Wex barked, his voice loud and demanding, carrying easily across the vast bedchamber.

"Forgive the intrusion, Alpha King!" Commander McKenna Leann Conaill’s voice called out from the other side of the heavy timber. Even muffled by the thick wood, her tone was tight and urgent. "I would not disturb the Sovereign’s rest unless it was an emergency."

I sat up, pulling the white silk sheet tightly around my chest. The lingering warmth of the morning vanished, replaced by a sudden, icy knot in my stomach.

Wex walked over to the stone table, scooping up the heavy iron key. He marched to the doors, his jaw locked tight in anger. He thrust the key into the lock, turning it with a loud, echoing clack, and yanked one of the doors open.

McKenna stood in the dim corridor, fully armored in her polished silver plates. She did not look at the bed. She kept her eyes fixed strictly on Wex’s face, her posture entirely rigid.

"Speak," Wex commanded, blocking the doorway with his massive frame.

"It is the remnants of the old Royal Council, sire," McKenna reported quickly. "The lower-tier ministers and the wealthy lords who survived the falling shadows. They have gathered in the lower assembly hall without permission."

"And?" I asked, raising my voice so she could hear me from the bed.

McKenna shifted her weight, a rare flicker of true anger crossing her disciplined features.

"They have locked the heavy iron gates of the lower assembly, Sovereign," McKenna stated, her voice dropping into a grim, serious tone. "They are declaring that a single, young queen cannot rule the unified factions alone. They have drafted a new charter, demanding that you surrender the military command back to their control, or they will freeze all merchant funds and starve the capital before the winter arrives."