Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Alpha Ethan POV

I sat at my study table, coffee cooling beside my hand, untouched since the last time I stared blankly at the steam rising from it. My mind, as usual, wasn’t on the reports stacked in front of me it was somewhere else entirely. Somewhere it shouldn’t be.

Reven.

She was deserving of the punishment she earned.

And then my mind drifted to the council room, where she was declared to be sentenced to death by stoning–how I couldn’t bear to watch her die. Not now. She wasn’t dying unless I said so. That punishment was the perfect one for her. She wouldn’t die, but she would feel pain.

Kael, my wolf, stirred uneasily. “What if she can’t take the punishment and dies?” he asked, quiet but insistent.

“Why do you care?” I growled back. “She’s not our mate.”

And she wasn’t. My mate was Olivia–a strong, beautiful, poised Luna of this pack. Even was nothing but a maid. A former street rogue who should’ve been grateful we even allowed her to stay. She was lucky that Olivia didn’t exile her when the accusations started flying.

I pushed the documents aside with a frustrated sigh, leaning back in my chair. Three days had passed, and I hadn’t touched my duties properly. I hadn’t even left the manor, save for a few patrol rounds, just to keep my mind from collapsing in on itself. Still, every thought circled back to her.

Reven.

“Knock knock,” a familiar voice said before the door creaked open. Elisa stepped in with a tray of fruit and chilled water, giving me her usual side–eye. “Since you didn’t come down for breakfast or lunch, I figured I’d bring you something before you start eating your pen out of despair.”

I grunted a half–thank–you as she placed the tray on the edge of the desk and took the seat across from me. She skewered a piece of watermelon with a toothpick and popped it into her mouth.

“So… still at war with your mate?” she asked casually.

I looked up, scowling. “What?”

She raised her brows. “Olivia. You haven’t seen her in days, and when she asked me this morning where the hell you were, she didn’t sound very ‘mated

bliss‘ to me.”

“I’m not at war with Olivia,” I muttered.

“Then what’s wrong with you? You look like a kicked dog.”

J didn’t answer.

Elisa narrowed her eyes. “Is this about Reven?”

My jaw clenched. I picked up a grape, rolled it between my fingers, and dropped it back on the tray.

“You’re obsessed with her,” Elisa said. “And before you deny it–again–I’m not blind. You’re thinking about her right now.”

“She’s a damn maid,” I snapped. “A thief, according to Olivia.”

“Alleged,” Elisa corrected. “You never proved it.”

“Olivia’s missing bracelet was found in Reven’s quarters.

This is the second damn time she’s done this. The first was at Olivia’s birthday party–she stole from a guest. And now she had to steal from her Luna.”

1/3

JUL

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Chapter 59

“Too conveniently.”

I leaned back, folding my arms. “You think she was framed?”

“I think Olivia doesn’t like how much you look at Reven.”

I didn’t respond. Couldn’t. Because the truth was–I had been looking at her. Watching her. Noticing how her presence made my wolf… content. Restless, yet calm. Kael responded to her as if she meant something more. Something dangerous.

“I thought she bewitched me,” I admitted after a long silence.

Elisa’s chewing stopped. “You what?”

Yes, because there is no other explanation for the sudden affection my wolf is having toward her. You know, the first time I met her was when-

“She jumped in front of a bullet for me during one of the brutal rogue attacks. She took the shot straight to her chest. Nearly died. Three weeks in the infirmary and barely made it out. I visited her every day, Elisa. Every. Damn. Day. And when she healed, I brought her in as a personal maid to Olivia, thinking it would be safer, less reckless than guard work.” I exhaled. “But the closer she got, the worse Kael got. Every time she walked into a room, it felt like…”

“Like what?”

“Like home.”

Elisa didn’t say anything. Her gaze softened, but it wasn’t sympathy. It was concern.

“You thought it was witchcraft?” she asked.

“I couldn’t explain it. And I’m mated–I have a mate. My Luna.”

“But your wolf reacts to Reven.”

I nodded. “Every time. And it’s not love. I don’t love her. But Kael…”

“He’s drawn to her,” she finished.

“She’s a former rogue. An orphaned, street–trained mutt with a habit of questioning orders. She was never meant to be more than a charity case,” I said, almost bitterly. “And yet…”

Elisa leaned forward. “Did you speak to a seer?”

I gave a slow nod. “Went to one from the northern packs. One of the old ones who speaks in riddles.”

“And?”

“She said, ‘The one who bleeds for you carries the bond you fear.‘ That ‘the moon veils what the heart resists.” I snorted. “Meaningless. Mystical garbage.”

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