?Chapter 496:


    “Evie!” I called out, my decision already made in the pit of my stomach. When she arrived, I grabbed her hand, desperate. “Evie,e with me. We need to go see what’s happening. I have to know the truth.”


    Evie hesitated, ncing at me with worry. “Makenna, you’re still too weak. You should be resting.”


    I tightened my grip on her hand, pleading with my eyes. “Evie, please. If you don’te with me, I’ll go alone. I can’t just sit here, waiting in the dark. I need to see for myself.”


    She looked torn, but after a long moment of silence, she sighed and agreed.


    Weak as I was, my legs trembling with every step, I managed to follow Evie, her arm supporting me the whole way.


    We moved cautiously through the winding corridors, my pulse quickening with each step that brought us closer to the king’s assembly hall.


    Once we reached the building, we slipped past the guards and found a darkened corner where we could hide unnoticed.


    There was a small window, just barely cracked open, but it was enough. Through the gap, I could see inside—and more importantly, hear the muffled voices. My heart pounded in my chest as I strained to listen.


    Molly stood in the center of the hall, her head held high. The three princes, Bryan, Dominic, and yton, stood near her.


    Leonardo’s voice rumbled, low andmanding. “Molly, as a ck wolf, has the strength and constitution needed to produce Lycan heirs. With the ancestral wolf spirits blessing her, I’ve decided to make an exception—she will be the princess and bear strong, healthy children for you three.”


    His words echoed in my ears like a death knell. My heart leapt into my throat, and I froze.


    The next moment, I saw the three princes step forward as one.


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    Bryan was the first to speak, his voice strong butced with defiance. “Father, we cannot ept this. We won’t.”


    Dominic remained calm, though his eyes shed dangerously. “Father, this isn’t a decision to be made in haste. Molly may have her strengths, but this… this is too sudden.”


    yton spokest, his jaw clenched. “I won’t agree to this.”


    Leonardo’s face contorted with fury. “Are you all defying me?”


    His tone grew colder, his eyes narrowing as his gaze settled on yton. “You constantly ignore Molly, preferring to run off to Makenna’s side. If Makenna could even survive childbirth—let alone deliver a healthy Lycan heir—then maybe I’d be inclined to wait. But as it stands, she’s on the brink of death. There’s no point wasting any more time on her!”


    The king’s words were a knife to my heart, each one cutting deeper than thest.


    I had always known Leonardo viewed me as nothing more than a vessel, but hearing it spelled out so bluntly, so mercilessly, sent a chill down my spine.


    Evie squeezed my hand and leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Makenna… are you alright? Maybe we should leave.”


    I bit down hard on my lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood, my mind spinning.


    Pain seared through my chest, like needles puncturing my heart.


    Was this all I was in the king’s eyes? Just a tool for breeding? Just a body to be discarded if I couldn’t fulfill my role?


    I couldn’t bear to hear anymore. It was suffocating. And Leonardo was so stubborn. He wouldn’t change his mind.


    I turned, my feet moving on autopilot, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere. But in my haste, I misstepped.


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