Claimed by My Bestie's Alpha Daddy novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35

He looked at me, and something in his expression shifted. But he didn’t argue again.

Despite his condition, Richard stood on the steps of the palace two days later, framed by the towering marble columns and the sharp gleam of morning light. His posture was rigid, too careful, like the only thing holding him upright was pure will. The color still hadn’t fully returned to his face, and his arm, though bandaged beneath the sleeve, hung slightly stiff at his side.

But he was there.

He took each step like it mattered, like it was part of a promise-silent, determined, and public. The moment his foot touched the final step, the press surged forward, cameras clicking like rainfall, and a ripple of murmurs swept through the crowd.

Still, he didn’t speak. Didn’t gesture. He simply stood, letting them see him-alive, alert, undeniable.

The rumors didn’t vanish, but they paused. The kingdom blinked, and for a brief moment, the fear broke.

He was still standing. And that was enough.

The crowd cheered. The cameras flashed. The rumors, for now, were quiet.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. It was weird being in the palace again-sleeping there, like it was normal. Like I

hadn’t spent so many nights pretending it didn’t feel like walking on eggshells every time I passed Jenny in the

hall. But now, with everything that had happened, I was too tired to care. And it was kind of nice, actually, doing

it without giving a single shit what Jenny would’ve thought about it.

I heard movement down the hall. Not just footsteps-there was a low, broken sound too. Something strained

and quiet and unmistakably pained. A muffled noise, like someone was trying to breathe through agony and failing. It stopped me cold.

I held still, listening harder. Another thump. A sharp intake of breath. A whisper that could’ve been a curse or a

plea, I couldn’t tell which.

And I remembered.

The full moon.

Richard had mentioned once, offhandedly, that his shifts were never smooth. That he didn’t sleep well under

the full moon.

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Chapter 35

Something thudded softly in the hall.

I padded barefoot to his room, hesitated, then pushed the door open.

The heat hit me first-like someone had cranked the temperature to unbearable. And then I saw him.

Shirtless. Damp with sweat. Breathing hard.

His hands were gripping the edge of the dresser like he was holding himself back from breaking it.

“Richard?” I said softly.

He looked up, eyes wild.

“You need to go.”

“What’s happening?”

He swallowed hard, every muscle in his body tense like he was fighting something from the inside out. “Moon. Wound. It’s-triggered something.”

And suddenly I understood.

This wasn’t just a reaction. This wasn’t just a flare-up from his injury. This was a biological alarm going off in his body. He was in heat. The full moon, the stress, the blood loss-it had all added up to one thing, and I’d

walked straight into the middle of it.

He staggered a step forward, then stopped. Like just being close to me made it worse.

“I can’t-”

“Are you seeing someone?” I blurted.

He froze.

“No,” he said, voice hoarse.

I stepped forward. “Do you want me?”

His eyes locked on my mouth like it was a question he was burning to answer.

“I can’t,” he whispered again, but it didn’t sound like a refusal.

I reached him in two steps, but I didn’t touch him right away.

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Chapter 35

“Richard,” I said softly, “look at me.”

He didn’t. He was breathing too hard, sweat slicked at his temples, his jaw clenched like it was taking everything in him to stay still.

“Don’t do this,” he murmured. “Don’t come closer.”

“Why not?” I asked, taking another step. “Are you afraid you’ll want me?”

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