Trapped with the Alpha King-Chapter 242: Her Fate

Althea nodded without hesitation. “Yes. I don’t remember everything. I don’t remember us. But I know this much. I don’t want uncertainty hanging over me or over you. I don’t want whispers about my blood, my father, or whether I belong. If standing beside you openly ends those doubts, then I’ll stand there.”

His throat tightened. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he exhaled slowly, as if grounding himself. “You’re sure?” he asked, his voice low. “This isn’t something I want you to agree to because you feel cornered.”

Althea met his gaze head-on. “I’m sure,” she said firmly. “This is my decision.”

She took a small breath, steadying herself. “Don’t worry. I trust Melva, and I believe everything she told me. And somehow...” She hesitated, searching for the right words, then sighed softly. “You feel familiar. I don’t remember you, not the way you do. But I’m comfortable around you.”

For a moment, Gavriel simply stared at her. Then a slow, heartfelt smile curved his lips. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “For choosing me. For taking responsibility for me.”

Before she could react, he pulled her into a tight embrace. Althea gasped in surprise, but his arms were warm, careful, as if he were afraid she might disappear if he held her too loosely.

“I promise you this,” Gavriel said, his voice thick with emotion. “You won’t regret this decision. I will be devoted to you. Not just as a king to his queen, but as a husband to his wife.”

He pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes unwavering. “My queen. My wife. My everything, Althea.”

Althea gulped, a tight lump forming in her throat. She still could not believe how her life had turned so suddenly. All she had wanted before was freedom. A moment of rest from the endless mistreatment from her own pack because of Luna Meena. And yet, she had never truly wanted to leave her father behind. Cain.

They told her now that he was not her real father, but that truth changed nothing in her heart. Cain had raised her. He had been a father to her in every way that mattered, and no revelation could erase that bond.

Now, she was meant to be a Luna. A queen.

For the first time, she understood that this was not something she should run away from.

The vision she had seen in her dream was as clear as daylight, vivid and unwavering. It was not just a dream. It was a calling... this was her fate.

And if this was the path laid before her, then she would walk it with her head held high. She would learn, she would grow, and she would do her very best to become the woman she was meant to be.

She stepped back as soon as he released her but Gavriel stepped closer again, stopping just short of touching her. “We’ll do it properly. You’ll be formally acknowledged as the Princess of Aetherion today. The elders will be summoned. The rites will follow tradition. No shortcuts.”

Her shoulders eased. “And after that... we leave?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “We return to Lunaris. Together.”

She nodded, satisfied.

“I’ll inform Elior, Zander, and the elders at once,” Gavriel continued. “Preparations can be made before the sun fully rises. Aetherion weddings don’t require extravagance, only witnesses, vows, and truth.”

Althea swallowed, nerves finally catching up with her. “You make it sound simple.”

“It isn’t,” he said softly. “But it will be right.”

She glanced toward the window, where the sky was beginning to pale. “Then let’s not waste time.”

She meant it. She wanted to return to their kingdom as soon as possible, hoping that being home would help her recover fully and perhaps bring back the memories she had lost. The last thing she wanted was to remain confused, especially now that she could no longer read or hear thoughts through another’s eyes.

Gavriel watched her for a heartbeat longer, something deep and reverent shining in his eyes.

A quiet, overwhelming bliss filled his chest, so strong it felt as though his heart might burst from it.

Gavriel suddenly pulled her into another kiss, brief but firm, before letting her go. “I’ll make the arrangements now,” he said softly. “Melva will stay and help you with whatever you need.”

With that, he turned and headed for the door.

Althea parted her lips, thinking he was truly leaving this time. But Gavriel stopped, turned back, and leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips before rushing out of the bedchamber, leaving her standing there, stunned.

“Is he really the ruthless and merciless Alpha King everyone feared?” she murmured to herself, her gaze fixed on the closed door, disbelief written all over her face. The last thing she remembered was hearing how terrifying the Alpha King was supposed to be.

Then she turned, and a wide smile slowly curved her lips as her gaze fixed on a corner of the room.

“You’re here again...” she whispered.

She could no longer read thoughts, but something else had taken its place. Her sight had changed. She could see what others could not—beings that existed beyond flesh and shadow.

She did not yet understand how this new ability worked, nor why it had awakened within her.

It came in fragments, fleeting and unclear, as though she was only beginning to grasp the edges of a greater truth. Still, she knew one thing with quiet certainty. She was no longer seeing the world the way she once had.

****

Meanwhile, Gavriel brushed his fingers through his hair as he took a deep breath. His mind was already racing through the day’s tasks. He needed everything to be perfect—the formal acknowledgment of Althea as the Princess of Aetherion, the wedding ceremony according to tradition, and ensuring the transition back to Lunaris would go smoothly.

He found Zander waiting by the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back, eyes narrowing slightly as he took in Gavriel’s hurried pace. “You look like a man on fire,” Zander remarked dryly.

“I am,” Gavriel said bluntly. “There’s no time to waste. Althea... she’s ready, and I want everything arranged properly today.”

Zander raised an eyebrow. “Properly, huh? That includes the elders, the witnesses, the ceremonial rites? You want to do all this in a single day?”