The next morning, I woke up in the Silver Moon Palace feeling like I had been thrown under a speeding truck and then reversed over again—three times, just to be sure.
Every muscle screamed. My neck burned where the newest, deepest mating mark now glowed like liquid starlight. Regulus had bitten me three times last night: once in the car, once against the bedroom door, and once more when we finally collapsed on the bed. Each bite had been deeper, more possessive than the last. The final one still throbbed in time with my heartbeat.
He wasn't beside me.
Instead, a black silk robe—his robe—had been carefully draped over my naked body. On the pillow lay a single note in bold, arrogant handwriting:
Garden with the pups.
Handling state affairs.
Run again and I will issue a global hunt. No corner of this planet will hide you.
—R
I snorted, crumpled the paper, and threw it across the room. Run? Today I planned to make sure the entire supernatural world knew exactly who I, Evelyn Sinclair—no, Evelyn Regulus—really was.
I took a long shower, letting the hot water ease the delicious soreness between my thighs. When I stepped out, I deliberately chose the most expensive gown in his closet: a backless silver-white silk dress that cost more than most Alphas made in a year. I left my long silver hair loose, the fresh mating mark fully exposed like a brand-new crown. Let the whole palace see who their Queen was now.
The second I pushed open the bedroom doors, more than a dozen maids dropped to their knees in perfect synchronization.
"Good morning, Your Majesty the Queen!"
I arched a brow. "Who decided I'm your queen?"
The head maid trembled. "His Majesty announced it to the entire royal council at dawn, Your Majesty. The marking ceremony will be held under the next full moon—"
I smirked. "Fine. I'll borrow the title for now."
I followed the sound of childish laughter to the royal gardens.
The sight stopped me dead in my tracks.
Regulus—terrifying Lycan King, ruler of all werewolves—was on all fours in the grass while Aiden rode his back like a pony, yanking at his silver hair and shouting, "Faster, Daddy! The dragon is coming!"
Aurora sat on his broad shoulders, chubby hands clutching his ears, giggling so hard she was pink in the face. The morning sun turned their identical silver hair into liquid moonlight.
Three heads of the same rare color. Three pairs of golden eyes. A perfect family portrait that stabbed me right through the heart.
Regulus sensed me immediately. He rose to his full height in one fluid motion, settling both children safely on his hips. His gaze raked over the exposed mating mark, and raw satisfaction flared in those golden eyes.
"You didn't cover it," he said, voice low and rough.
"Why would I?" I lifted my hair higher. "Let the whole world see what you did to me last night."
A muscle ticked in his jaw. He was clearly trying very hard not to drag me back to bed in front of the children.
That was when the royal butler came running, dropping to one knee, face pale.
"Your Majesty. Alpha Ethan of the Crimson Moon Pack and his Luna Isabella have arrived unannounced. They claim they are here for the Global Alpha Summit."
The temperature plummeted so fast the flowers around us frosted over.
Regulus's voice could have frozen hell. "Bring them to the throne hall. Now."
Five minutes later.
Ethan and Isabella were escorted in by four royal guards.
My ex-fiancé looked like he had aged ten years overnight—hair messy, expensive suit wrinkled. Isabella clung to his arm, her hand protectively over a very visible five-month baby bump, smugness practically dripping off her.
The moment they saw me standing at the top of the marble stairs beside Regulus, both went rigid.
"E-Evelyn?" Ethan's voice cracked like a teenager.
Isabella shrieked, "What the hell are you doing here?!"
I descended the stairs slowly, deliberately letting my gown trail behind me like a queen's cloak. Aiden and Aurora broke free from the nanny and bolted straight to me, latching onto my legs.
"Mommy!"
Those two tiny voices hit Ethan and Isabella like physical blows. All color drained from their faces.
Regulus stepped forward, one arm sliding possessively around my waist, the other lifting Aiden into his arms as if the boy weighed nothing.
"Let me make the introductions," he announced, voice ringing through the massive hall. "This is my mate and Queen, Evelyn Regulus. These are my son and daughter, Prince Aiden Regulus and Princess Aurora Regulus—heirs to the Silver Moon Empire."
Ethan stumbled back two steps, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
Isabella looked ready to faint. "Impossible! She can't—she's human-blooded! How could she—"
I smiled, cold and sharp, and tilted my head so the fresh triple mating mark caught the light perfectly.
"Three years ago, on the exact night you two publicly rejected and humiliated me, I ended up in a bar. Your King found me. He took me home. Nine months later, I gave birth to his twins." I paused, savoring their horror. "Funny how life works, isn't it?"
Dead silence.
Then Ethan dropped to his knees so hard I heard the marble crack.
"Evelyn, I was wrong!" he choked out, crawling forward. "I was blind! I was stupid! Please, please forgive me! I'll break the bond with Isabella right now—"
Isabella screeched, "Ethan, what are you doing?!"
He ignored her, still crawling. "I'll make you Luna again! I'll give you everything—"
I laughed. Actually laughed. The sound echoed off the vaulted ceiling.
"Luna?" I crouched down so we were eye level, my voice dripping venom. "Three years ago you said, and I quote, 'Evelyn Sinclair is weak, human-blooded trash, unworthy to even breathe the same air as a real wolf.' Remember that, Ethan?"
His face crumpled.
I stood up slowly. "Look at me now." I spread my arms, letting the mating mark and the royal gown speak for themselves. "I am Queen of the entire Lycan Empire. My children will rule every pack on this planet one day. And you?" I looked down at him like he was dirt beneath my shoes. "You don't even deserve to lick my boots."
I turned to Regulus. "Darling, they're making the hall smell bad."
Regulus's eyes had fully shifted to vertical beast pupils. The pressure he released made every guard in the room drop to one knee.
"Fifty silver lashes each," he ordered, voice calm and terrifying. "Then throw them out of my territory. Permanently."
Ethan went ghost-white. "Evelyn—Queen—please! Mercy!"
Isabella finally realized what was about to happen and tried to run. Two guards caught her instantly.
As the first lash fell, her scream pierced the palace.
I took Aiden and Aurora's hands and walked away without looking back.
Behind me, the sound of silver whips cutting through flesh continued for a long, long time.
Revenge tasted sweeter than I ever imagined.