Chapter 4
I nodded. “What about the rest of the time?”
“You have to listen then too.”
On the day I was brought to the castle, both my parents cried. So I cried too.
When the Alpha King arrived, I was still sniffling.
He walked up to me and asked in a calm voice, “Are you that scared to become my Luna?”
I looked up at him with teary eyes. He looked different from last time-dressed casually today.
“Alpha King, I’m hungry,” I sniffled, answering honestly.
It was true.
I’d been busy since early morning and had only eaten two slices of toast.
The Alpha King seemed surprised that my tears were because of that. After a pause, he let out a low
chuckle.
He looked especially good when he laughed, and his voice was just as nice.
“Bring her something to eat,” he said, glancing down at me with a faint smile. “Something sweet.
Callum, who was standing at the door, quickly responded and hurried away.
Not long after, several plates of cake were brought in, and my eyes lit up at the sight.
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The Alpha King sat beside me and only spoke again after I’d eaten a few slices. “You’re not afraid of
me?”
I shook my head with a fork in my mouth.
He didn’t smell bad at all-under the heavy bitterness, there was a faint sweetness. It actually
smelled nice.
“But everyone else is afraid of me,” he smiled.
I swallowed my bite. “That must be because they’re bad people.”
As I said it, the bitter scent from him hit my nose again, and I couldn’t help but frown a little.
Or maybe people feared him because he was just too bitter.
“Alpha King, you should eat some too.” I offered him the sweetest slice of chocolate cake and
smiled brightly as I coaxed, “This one’s the sweetest.”
He looked down at the cake, and for a moment, a strange glint flashed through his dark eyes. After a
Chapter 4
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long pause, he leaned forward and took a small bite.
Not far away, Callum’s eyes went wide.
I watched him, waiting for him to swallow, then asked proudly, “Is it sweet?”
He curved his pretty lips. “Sweet.”
I quickly stuffed the rest into his mouth and used the chance to lean close and take a deep sniff.
His bitterness had faded a little.
Just a little, though. No matter how much more cake I fed him, there was no further change.
Eventually, he sighed, looked at the cake I’d shoved into his hands, and said with a helpless tone,
“Lyra.”
I froze. “Huh?”
“If you can’t finish it, just toss it. Don’t try to stuff it all into me.” He glanced at Callum and ordered coldly, “Take these away.’
But I wasn’t full yet.
While Callum stepped forward, I quickly grabbed two more pieces of chocolate cake and shoved
them into my mouth.
The Alpha King looked at my stuffed cheeks and couldn’t help but smile as he gently pinched them.
“Did Alpha Sam not feed you at home?”
No!
But my mouth was full, so I couldn’t say a word in defense.
All I could do was sniff the bitter scent on him-slightly lighter again.
I ended up with a stomachache. Even though I didn’t eat that much.
When I burped for the third time, the Alpha King stood up.
The elder she-wolves had told me that once I entered the castle, the fate of the Bluemoon Pack
would rise and fall with mine.
If I made a mistake, my parents would be punished too. Remembering that, I quickly covered my mouth, afraid to burp again.
“I think I ate too much. Come walk with me,” the Alpha King said as he noticed my shoulders twitching, trying not to hiccup.
I stood up immediately. “Okay-hic!”
The Alpha King’s lips twitched slightly before he turned and walked away.
Embarrassed, I clapped a hand over my mouth and hurried after him.
My dress was especially layered, with skirts that bloomed at my feet like petals with every step. They were even prettier than the peonies lining the path.
I was too focused on walking and didn’t notice the Alpha King stop ahead.
“Ah!” I bumped straight into his back and stumbled backward.
But before I could fall, he turned and caught me by the waist, pulling me upright.
His scent wrapped around me-strong bitterness mixed with light notes of vanilla. It smelled
wonderful.
He frowned slightly, but before he could say anything, I caught a faint foul smell drifting in from not far away. Instinctively, I grabbed his hand and dragged him behind a tree.
“Shhh.” I pressed my hand to his lips just as he opened his mouth to speak.
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