Third Person’s <i>POV </i>
Madison used the money she’d extorted from Prisci to further fuel the gossip in bars and coffeehouses, paying bartenders and baristas to sensationalize Adide’s past mating with Ulrik.
Seeing no response from the Frostfang Pack–and noting they’d sealed their borders and withdrawn from public life–Madison assumed Adide was cowering in fear of the public bacsh.
The thought filled her with schadenfreude,
Emboldened, she approached Lycan Erasmus at the pce, arguing that Lance’s choice of Adide as his mate could undermine his judgment and nt seeds of trouble for kingdom management.
For the royal family’s stability, she insisted Adide must be stopped from bing Alpha Lance’s Luna.
To her surprise, Lycan Erasmus’s expression darkened. His musk pheromones turned icy<i>, </i>pressing down on Madison<b>. </b>
<b>His </b>wolf eyes narrowed to vertical slits in the candlelight, “What are you implying?” he demanded,
“Lance and Adide are both warriors who’ve reimed the Southern Border and protected our werewolves. They’ve been loyal to me and the royal family. Moreover, Lance and I are brothers with a deep bond. He harbors no ill intentions. Don’t entertain groundless suspicions,” he said.
Madison, taken aback, quickly resumed her condescending tone. “Foolish! How can one fully trust others‘ hearts?
Before she could <b>finish</b>, a surge of Lycan Erasmus’s musk forced her to step back,
Her neck mark oozed ck blood as her wolf’s power shattered like ice against his overwhelming
presence.
Lycan <b>Erasmus’s </b>face was a mask of displeasure. He removed his family ring and mmed it on the table.
When the wolf–head si hit the moonstone surface, mes in all themps flickered wildly. His silver- gray wolf hair red, and <b>his </b>gaze turned as cold and dark as the Arctic night.
Beta Fabian’s eyebrows shot up. He hastily interjected, “Madison, choose your words carefully! If such talk. reaches the Royal Elder Council, they might use you of disrupting the brotherly bond between Lycan Erasmus and Alpha Lance. It would harm you and damage their rtionship.”
“Moreover, Fabian continued, “the royal family’s harmony is well–known. Alpha Lance and Miss Davidson are already engaged. If Lycan Erasmus were to break their bond, how would the public view him?”
Madison nced at the ring on the table and frowned.
Fabian’s words meant little to her, but she couldn’t ignore Lycan Erasmus’s clear displeasure.
The <b>ring </b>was a gift from the former Lycan King–a sign of authority. When the old king was angry, he too
would ce his ring on the table. It was a gesture of <b>grave </b>discontent.
She took a deep breath and stepped back. “Lycan Erasmus, I only speak for your own good.”
Lycan Erasmus’s tone was faintly chilly. “If you truly cared for the younger generation, you’d offer Lance and Adide gifts like estates or jewels for their bonding ceremony. I’m sure they’d appreciate it.”
Madison stood there, stunned. After a moment, she sighed, “Honest advice is hard to hear. Let’s pretend this conversation never happened.”
Lycan Erasmus’s fingers traced the wolf–head carving on the throne’s armrest. His musk pheromones carried a cial chill. “You really shouldn’t frequent the pce, especially the council chamber. As Lycan King, I may not be wless, but I have the Royal Elder Council to assist me. Your concern is unnecessary.”
Madison’s neck mark burned, her silver–gray wolf ears bristling with anger.
Her wolf growled a warning in her mind, but she swallowed the howl.
As her nails bit into her palms, her royal Lycan pheromones surged–for a moment–before dissipating under Lycan Erasmus’s pressure.
Madison stared at the frost on Erasmus’s shoulder armor, her throat bobbing with rage.
After a long silence, she turned and left without another word, her entire being radiating fury.
Beta Fabian whispered, “Madison has always been spoiled and domineering. She likely didn’t mean to offend.”
Lycan Erasmus replied indifferently, “If my aunt thinks me foolish, it’s no great matter. I have no cause for anger.”
But Fabian knew better.
As Lycan King, Erasmus would never tolerate being called foolish to his face–not even by family.
Not even rissa would dare such insolence.
Madison’s arrogance knew no bounds.
The rumors about Adide had raged for days.
One day, at the “Sunshine Café,” a bartender brought up the topic again, ndering Adide for not caring about her parents and pursuing personal gain. Several customers joined in the chorus of abuse.
Suddenly, a voice piped up. “Absurd! Miss Davidson’s mating ceremony took ce over three years after Alpha Bentley’s sacrifice. The date was personally selected by the royal astrologer. Are you using the royal astrologer of ipetence? I’ll call the guards!”
The customers recognized the speaker–it was none other than the royal astrologer himself.
The café erupted into an uproar. The royal astrologer’s personally calcted dates <b>were </b>beyond question.
How could there be any mistake in the month or
day?