Claimed by My Bestie's Alpha Daddy novel Chapter 185

Amelia

The discharge papers felt more like a political negotiation than a medical release. Simon signed them reluctantly, warning me that my body was still adapting and that overexertion could accelerate the changes in unpredictable ways.

Richard stood beside him the entire time, arms crossed and jaw tight, until I finally snapped and said, “I’m not going to crumble if I walk to the bathroom.”

Even so, I was sent home under strict bedrest guidelines and forbidden from participating in Pack business for at least another week, though that order lasted less than thirty-six hours.

If you’re going to crown a new Alpha King, you also need to name a Luna, and they had postponed it for as long as they could. The council had already delayed the ceremony twice under the excuse of safety concerns, but that morning, a courier arrived with a box of ceremonial robes and a list of dignitaries who would be arriving within the hour. The public wanted a queen.

Stood beside Richard on the temple steps, dressed in layers of ivory and silver that shimmered even in the overcast light. The air was too warm for this much fabric, and I could feel sweat pooling behind my knees. The crown on my head wasn’t heavy, but the attention was, piercing and constant, unwanted but unrelenting. The+20 Bonus

poor stared at me like I was a savior, and the elite watched me like I was a ticking clock.

The priest lifted a silver circlet and spoke in Old Tongue.

Richard repeated the vow, naming me Luna, then turned toward me. His eyes didn’t blink. He placed the circlet on my head and whispered, “Mine.” It should have felt triumphant, but all I could think about was how none of this had been mine to decide.

Richard squeezed my hand as the priest stepped back, and the crowd reacted in a wave of discomfort. Some cheered politely, some stayed seated and unmoved, and a handful of wolves turned and left before the ceremony ended.

The news that afternoon was brutal. A vampire delegate accused Richard of using me to soften the public image of vampires for political gain. A werewolf elder published a letter declaring me divine punishment. Someone tagged the palace gate with the words “Abomination Bride” in thick red paint.

I watched it all from behind glass, and every time I stood up to intervene, someone reminded me to sit back down and recover.

Eventually, Richard suggested we do something, something people could touch and taste. “If they want to see how we rule, let them see who we’re ruling for.”

He meant a formal tour. I had something different in mind. “We go to the vampire districts, the poor ones, and we bring food, talk to families, avoid the press, and show up like real people instead of symbols.”

“You want to go door to door?” he asked.

“Yes. And we bring cookies.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Cookies?”

“I’ll bake them.”

“I’ll help.”

“You’ve never baked in your life.”

“Then you can boss me around.”

The next morning, I met him in the palace kitchen wearing one of my old sundresses. The staff tried not to stare, but they failed spectacularly. I handed him a whisk, which he held like it might explode.

“Seriously?” I asked.

“My father thought cooking was beneath us, and I spent most of my youth learning how to stay quiet, not how to stir batter.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I handed him the sugar and told him to focus.

We ruined the first batch. He dumped in twice the flour, and the dough looked like something scraped off a construction site. I laughed so hard I had to sit down. He stood there, baffled and covered in powder.”I thought it was supposed to be thick.”

“Not like cement, no.”

The second batch turned out better. He was cautious but focused. When I leaned over to scoop dough onto the tray his mouth brushed my neck. “Maybe we should taste the dough first.”

I turned and found his face close to mine. He dipped two fingers into the bowl and smeared it across my bottom lip.

“Still too sweet?”

“I don’t know. Try again.”

He kissed me. It started soft, curious and slow, but quickly changed. He backed me into the counter, and the cold marble shocked my skin through the cotton. He lifted me easily, and | let him.

For a moment, I froze. My body still didn’t feel like mine. It had been altered, broken, and stitched back together by people who didn’t ask permission. But this was Richard.

He didn’t look at me like was fragile or cursed. He looked like he needed me.

“Tell me to stop,” he said.

“Don’t you dare.”

He pushed my dress up and groaned when he realized! wasn’t wearing anything underneath. He dropped to his knees and pulled me to the edge.

– The first touch of his tongue made me gasp, and the second made me dig my nails into the edge of the counter. He licked me with a slow, deliberate rhythm, then sucked harder until my hips bucked. When he slid two fingers inside and curled them just right, my whole body clenched in response.

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