Submission is Not My Style novel Chapter 156

By the time the last Alpha and Luna finish their presentation, I can barely feel my legs. My smile hurts, my back aches, and my crown feels like it weighs a hundred pounds.

The grand hall still glows with golden firelight, the air thick with incense and chatter. Every Alpha from every corner of the kingdom has stepped forward tonight–each one more ambitious, more dramatic, more power- hungry than the last.

I never realized there were this many packs. The line had seemed endless. I make a mental note to tell Jack that we’ll need to visit them all–not formally, and definitely not with fanfare. Unannounced. When they least expect it.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve noticed tonight, it’s that not all these smiles are genuine. Some of these Lunas look terrified–bowing too deeply, eyes fixed on the floor, their hands trembling slightly as their Alphas speak for them. Like they’ve been trained not to exist unless spoken to.

My stomach twists. Not under my reign as queen.

“Are you bored already, my queen?” Jack’s teasing voice cuts through my thoughts drawing me back.

I yawn before I can stop myself, covering my mouth. “Exhausted, actually.”

His lips curve into a knowing smile. “Then let’s give the court something to whisper about.”

Before I can ask what he means, he’s already standing and extending his hand to me. His fingers wrap around mine, firm and warm, and the hall falls silent as he helps me descend the steps.

Everywhere we walk, heads bow. People instinctively move aside, lowering their gazes as if we carry fire.

—

Jack stops in the center of the hall and raises his voice–smooth, commanding, effortlessly regal. “You’ve all done well honoring your king and queen tonight. Now enjoy yourselves. Drink. Dance. Celebrate until the moon sleeps.”

A cheer ripples through the room. The music starts again, the tension breaks, and laughter fills the air.

I let out a small sigh of relief. Finally.

As my eyes sweep across the crowd, it lands on her.

Jasmine–standing beside Caspian, who’s deep in conversation with other Alphas. Her eyes meet mine instantly

-sharp, unreadable, almost daring. A faint smirk tugged at her lips when I winked and tilted my head toward the grand doors leading to the balcony.

I place my hand on my stomach and send a quick mindlink to Jack.

“Love, I need to pee. And maybe find something sweet before I collapse.”

“I’ll come with you,” he replies immediately, his concern brushing through the bond.

“No,” I cut him off gently. One of us needs to stay until the end. “Don’t worry–you can feel me through the bond, remember?”

“There’s a pause, then a reluctant sigh. If you’re not back in ten minutes, I’m coming to find you.”

“Deal.”

I send him a quick mental kiss before slipping away.

The corridors outside the hall are quiet, lined with tall windows that let the moonlight pour in. My heels click softly against the marble as I walk toward the balcony–and sure enough, she’s already there.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify