The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: | Can't Let Her Stay Here

Prince Vaelen’s POV ~

She was nowhere.

| had searched the entire wing meant for me—spacious, ornate, guarded with the best guards—but she wasn’t

there. | walked through the east garden, past the reflecting pool, and even the quiet stone path near the Alpha

chambers. Still nothing.

Selene was gone. Like she never existed in the first place. Not even a scent was left behind.

For the love of the goddess, where the hell had they hidden her?

| slammed the door of the guest quarters behindwith a force that startled one of the guards. My jaw

clenched so tight it ached. The two girls | had brought with me, who were supposed to help me, Meriya and that

other one, were absolutely useless. No, not useless. Worse. They are fucking real bitches.

Manipulative, jealous. Pettier than broken glass in a noblewoman'’s slipper.

"Useless, scheming little snakes," | muttered to myself, pacing the edge of the room.

| had told them clearly to find Selene. Speak with her. Offer support. Instead, they cback with painted lips,

empty hands, and smug little lies wrapped in honeyed tones.

"We couldn't find her," they said. "No one knew where she went," they said. Bullshit.

I should have known.

Meriya had been raised by the side of my mother; how could she be any better? She was clever, beautiful, and

deadly in the sbreath. She played the role of future Luna so well, even | had almost believed she was here

with good intentions. But | knew better now.

If she weren't my cousin, | would have thrown her ten feet away fromand shut every door in her face.

And Arlena? That woman made my skin crawl. Every tshe got near me, it was as if her eyes were trying to

devourwhole. Like | was sprize cut of meat, and she couldn’t wait to sink her claws in. The way she

leaned in, the way her sick smile was always plastered on her face, like a very perfect girl who had no idea of the

world.

Pretending to be an innocent girl, but he knew just how she was, and first of all, any woman related to my

mother can never be better. | would rather die than marry a woman of her choice.

Disgust rolled up from the pit of my stomach just thinking of her.

But Selene... Selene had never looked atlike that.

When | thought of her, | didn’t see a crown or a throne in her eyes. | saw a girl standing tall in the royal

courtyard, refusing to look down even when all eyes were on her. She had that kind of pride that wasn’t loud. It

was soft and steady and unshakable. And damn me, | respected her for that and admired her.

Because she can stand in front of her father, | can never stand in front of my mother.

In squiet part of my mind, | had considered her. As a mate...as my queen.

She would have made a good one—better than good. She would've ruled with spine and grace, not petty

jealousy like women who only know how to scheme. She had no interest in flattery, no need for theatrics. And

that’s exactly what | needed.

My mother had been queen in nbut tyrant in truth. A woman cloaked in elegance and power, who ruled the

palace halls with a voice dipped in honey and a dagger always ready beneath her silks.

I'd grown up knowing that | was nothing more than a pawn in her endless political games. A crown prince, yes—

but also a bargaining chip. My friendships were monitored. My emotions are treated like weaknesses. My heart?

Never once mine to offer. She had chosen my tutors, my guards, and my meals, and now she wanted to choose

my mate.

And every single woman she approved of remindedof her. Cold eyes hidden behind warm smiles. Sharp

tongues painted with pretty words. Arlena. Meriya. Dozens of others.

But Selene... Selene was nothing like her.

Selene did not hide behind veils or manipulate with practiced charm. She did not speak unless she meant her

words. She did not smile to deceive. There was fire in her, but not the kind that scorched—it warmed. It

remindedof what it could mean to have someone loving.

And in the rare moments | let myself imagine a future with a queen at my side, it was her | saw. Not for political

gain. Not for alliance. But because | knew... if Selene were queen, our children would grow up with a mother who

loved them for who they were, not for what they could be molded into. They would laugh freely. They would cry

without shame. They would be safe.

They would never know what it meant to fear a mother’s shadow.

They would have what | never did.

If the war hadn't happened... if her father hadn't destroyed half the continent... If | had moved just one step

earlier...

Maybe things would've been different.

Maybe she would've been mine.

But | was too late.

The Duskdraven brothers had taken her first—and not with honor or her choice. They claimed her and marked

her as a slave.

A slave.

The thought turned my stomach.

Selene Moonveil, bright, fierce,

unyielding Selene...reduced to

nothing but property U0 EAE EEE

yo f . . [

| could paging No? didn't want

t&irhagine it. Her smile, once so

radiant and genuine, is now silenced.

Her pride was broken. Her body,

possibly... no. | stopped the thought

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My hands curled into fists at my sides. But | knew the rules.

Royals don’t interfere. Not in wars of territory. Not in the rise and fall of Alphas. Unless their bloodline itself was

threatened, we watched from afar, neutral and detached. That was the law. That was tradition.

But | couldn't ignore this.

)

Selene wasn't a royal. She had no

title, land, or power. But damn it, she

had been my friend. She had gan

across {em mein Fe hrace garden,

laughing at the wolves in the

fountain. She had shared books with