Capital

AURELIA

“Your coronation is in three days. You’ll visit the royal seamstress in the capital, escorted by Henri, Kenna, and five guards.”

“Act like a queen, but remember, Henri is in charge. You’ll obey him. Is that clear?” the king told his mate.

News of the king and his mate completing the mating ritual had spread across the kingdom. It was a surprise to many to suddenly learn of a queen they’d never heard of before.

Most felt sympathy for the unfortunate soul mated to the revered Alpha King.

Aurelia felt a lift in her spirits, as the king was now allowing her to leave the castle and explore the capital. The castle was in the heart of the capital, but it felt like a different world.

Henri was technically in charge, as the king had ordered. But Aurelia could easily manipulate him. And she could control the guards too.

She had many plans—maybe a visit to the fae. She wanted to reward Kenna for her loyalty.

The compulsion had worn off a while ago, but Kenna’s loyalty to her queen hadn’t changed.

For that, she would get to see her mother again, after years apart. Her mother had been living in the capital, working in a brothel, put there by Kenna’s warrior wolf father.

Aurelia would get to know the people in the capital—her people, as she would soon officially be their queen. Not that the title meant much. She knew that.

The previous queen had been treated by her king the way Aurelia’s king planned to treat her. “Queen” was just a title to mark her as the king’s property—nothing more.

But she would act as if it meant something, hoping that one day, it might.

“Yes, I understand, my king,” she answered submissively, a small smile on her face. She bowed her head to please him, and it worked.

She was still learning.

The full impact of completing the mating ritual had been a shock. She’d been told that because he was a king, a powerful wolf, and an Alpha, his mate bond would be much stronger.

He would be able to feel her, to know the truth, to know what was in her heart. Even using her power was risky. But it was necessary. He couldn’t feel everything, just as she couldn’t.

He would, however, feel if she was away from him—especially if she left his kingdom. She already had a solution for that. A projection spell.

She had found the spell she needed in Cathan’s grimoire. There were many spells she was eager to master.

“Aurelia, we need to leave,” Henri said, a look of annoyance on his face.

She said goodbye to the king before hopping into the carriage with Kenna and Henri. The guards would run as wolves alongside them, ready to help if needed but staying out of sight.

“You seem happy? No one here respects the title of queen and—”

“I know,” she interrupted forcefully. Laurent was the more bitter of the two, but the gamma wolf was also in a bad mood, especially since the king had decided to free Aurelia’s sister.

It wasn’t like the king to do such a thing, and the gamma could only think that he had grown fond of his little queen.

This kind of change wasn’t good when the wolves were on the verge of war with the fae.

“Your hostility is getting old. Maybe we could try to get along,” Aurelia suggested, trying to be diplomatic.

She didn’t really care, but she would try to have a decent relationship with a wolf in power.

“Get along?” From his scoff, it was clear he wouldn’t be an ally to the young wolf. But maybe he should consider it.

They stopped in front of a fancy shop with silks and lace in the window. The sign read “Royal Boutique.” She had never been to a place like this before.

Dresses and accessories had never been important to Aurelia, as they would inevitably end up covered in mud.

But as a girl, it was hard not to feel excited. The events that had brought her here were troubling, but they had happened, and she could only move forward.

“My queen. Welcome, welcome,” the seamstress greeted with a composed expression.

She wasn’t thrilled by the future queen’s presence and didn’t respect her as expected, but she pulled out a beautiful gown anyway.

“The king asked for a grand golden gown for the coronation. We just need to fit it.”

She had tested her compulsion skills, measured how long they lasted, and determined she was strong enough to make them last for two days if she wanted. She would only need an hour at most.

So once the dress was fitted, she made them all fall asleep.

Locking the shop door, she cast the projection spell, sending an image of herself to the middle of the council meeting.

“Aurelia,” Ellathoria said, surprised but impressed.

“What are you wearing?” Cathan asked, ignoring all the questions the other council members didn’t have answers to.

They hadn’t seen her in a long time. Cathan knew almost everything about her.

“Coronation dress,” she answered calmly. “Three days.”

Cathan’s jaw twitched as she looked him in the eye. A coronation meant that she and the king had mated. And Cathan had a certain fondness for the young fae wolf.

“Came to gloat?” he asked bitterly.

“There will be a fae on the werewolf throne. I hope we can count on your support as much or more than his,” Axon said, trying to figure out why she was there.

“Of course. The wolves talk of a war coming, with the days getting darker. The fae against the wolves. They think you’ll strike first. Are they right?”

“That’s none of your business,” Cathan snapped, narrowing his eyes. “If you’re really with us, what are you going to do to prove it?”

“Cathan,” Ellathoria warned.

“I don’t need to prove anything. You’d be lucky to have me as an ally. Why else would I be here?” she replied.

“But you’re not really here,” he pointed out. “This is some kind of magic trick. Pretty impressive.”

“Yeah, how’d you even learn a spell like that?” Jaromir chimed in.

“She didn’t need to chant or anything,” Cathan added. “Her magic is strong enough to do whatever she wants.”

He was defending them. Maybe their friendship wasn’t as damaged as she’d feared.

“Congrats on the big promotion,” he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“You’re planning to attack us, aren’t you?” she asked again.

“All we want is peace,” Ellathoria declared, her gaze fixed on Cathan. “We should talk to your king, negotiate with him. It’s the only way to get the peace we’re after.”

“And how do you suggest we do that? Who’s going to deliver the message without getting killed on the spot?” he retorted.

“What about using a spell like this one?” Aurelia proposed.

“The only reason your projection can cross the boundary is because you have the power to cross it yourself. That’s how we managed to reach you. It won’t work for us.”

“Just let the guards at the border know you want a meeting. Then meet at the border. Neither of you should cross into the other’s territory.”

Aurelia looked around the council room, studying each member. “I should go. We’ll talk again soon.”

And just as easily as she’d projected herself there, she pulled back and found herself back in the shop. She woke the sleeping wolves and made them forget everything that had happened.

While Aurelia was busy making the wolves forget, Kenna slipped away to see her mother. They walked down the narrow streets, bustling with wolves going about their business.

The town had the same somber feel as the castle, but it was busier, more alive.

People eyed her as they hurried past. She was going to be their queen, even though none of them had seen her face. It was strange to think she’d be royalty.

But to them, the queen was nothing more than the king’s servant.

She was going to be crowned and coronated. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was the last thing she wanted.