Chapter 130

Evelyn

The throne room of my father’s palace had never looked so magnificent. Banners in silver and deep royal blue draped from the vaulted ceilings, fine designs embroidered into every piece of fabric. Torches burned in golden sconces, their flames reflected in polished marble floors. The air carried the hum of hundreds of voices, including nobles, warriors, and citizens alike, who all had gathered to witness history.

My history.

There were so many people there, it was a stark juxtaposition from the last time I had been in the throne room, months earlier, when I had learned that this future was even possible. When my father had told me that I would be his heir.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I stood at the dais, Logan steady at my side. His hand brushed against mine, a small but grounding touch. Beneath my ceremonial gown, the swell of my belly pressed against the fabric, a reminder that today wasn’t just about me; it was about the future of our kingdom that we were carving out afresh. Our future.

The herald’s voice rang clear, announcing me as Evelyn, trueborn daughter of the Alpha King, heir apparent to the throne. The words struck something deep inside me, something I hadn’t dared let myself believe until this moment. It had felt like a distant concept until those words had been pronounced, an impossibility that time would eventually take from me.

But there it was, plainly presented for everyone to hear: I was truly my father’s heir now. The first woman in our history chosen to rule our kingdom.

My father, the Alpha King himself, stepped forward to greet me in front of the crowd of his subjects who would one day look to me instead. He placed his hands on my shoulders, strong and warm, and bent slightly to meet my gaze. I could see the unfettered pride in his eyes. I would never get over the feeling that accompanied that look from him.

“You honor me today, Evelyn,” he said, his voice carrying through the chamber without effort. “And you honor our people. For centuries, we have known only kings. But now, we will know and accept our very first Alpha Queen. I can think of no one more qualified or prepared to take on this task in my stead.”

Emotion burned at the back of my throat. For so long, I’d wondered if he ever truly saw me beyond being Alex’s sister, beyond being a daughter born second. When we were children, this path had never even been a consideration for me, and so I had discovered my skills elsewhere, in healing and in other lesser pursuits. But here, before everyone, he was telling me I wasn’t just enough but that I was also worthy of this ultimate title and responsibility.

He turned then, lifting my hand high for the crowd. “Behold your future Alpha Queen!”

The hall erupted into cheers, so thunderous I felt them in my bones. The sound wrapped around me, alive and unrelenting. Even if there were a few throughout who doubted me, who didn’t believe in the prospect of an Alpha Queen ruling, they would soon learn. I would show them. This next chapter would be just my latest war to wage. And I had yet to be unsuccessful when I set my mind to something.

My father leaned closer, his words just for me this time. “I am proud of you, my daughter. More proud than I ever thought a father’s heart could bear. One day, you will lead them all, everyone in this room and beyond. And I know you will do so with strength and with compassion.”

Tears blurred my vision, but I held my head high. I watched the servant approach with my crown set upon a dark blue pillow. It was an elegant, almost breathtaking construction made from twisting gold metal and inset with deep blue sapphires and diamonds. Being that I was the first female ruler of our kingdom, it had been made especially for me, fashioned into a feminine version of the circulet that my father had famously worn throughout his entire rule.

When the crown was placed gently upon my head, its weight was startling, not just because of gold and jewels, but because of the generations of expectation and hope it represented. I let out a slow, steadying breath as I acknowledged and accepted its full heft.

I glanced toward Logan, needing to see his face, to read what he felt in that moment. He was watching me with such fierce devotion that my knees nearly buckled. There was no envy there, no shadow of resentment. Only pride and love filled his gaze. His lips curved into a smile that said everything words could not in that moment: I am with you. Always.

The ceremony concluded with a pledge of loyalty from the court, one voice after another swearing themselves to me and acknowledging my new position as heir apparent. With a room full of witnesses, these nobles promised to one day bow before me. It was not lost on me, the intensity of this oath.

And then came the moment that felt bigger than any crown or vow. After every noble house had declared itself to me, it was time to be presented to the rest of the kingdom, to those that could not fit even in the vast throne room due to their sheer number.

I was led by guards to the balcony doors, where already beyond I could hear the rising swell of excited shouts like a cresting wave. Logan slipped beside me, giving me a reassuring grin.

The palace doors opened, spilling golden sunlight into the hall. I stepped forward, my father beside me on one side, Logan on the other. Beyond the threshold stretched the kingdom’s capital square, filled with what must have been thousands of citizens. It was an endless sea of faces all turned up to see who their new heir was, the person who would one day rule over them.

The crowd of faces stretched as far as I could see, and their cheers rose the moment I appeared, stepping out onto the balcony and into their view.

For a moment, it was so overwhelming that I froze. Then, a smile spread without thought, and I raised my hand, hesitant at first, then steady. The wave of adoration that answered my movement nearly stole my breath away as shouts swelled even at this small gesture. They weren’t just seeing their king’s daughter anymore. I was no longer the princess standing beside or behind her brother or father, dutiful but dismissible. They were seeing their queen-to-be.

And for the first time, I didn’t doubt that I could be her. There was only solid finality in the face of their shouted acceptance. I could do this. And I would do this.

My hand drifted unconsciously to my belly as I smiled out at them. I was a daughter, a princess, a wife, a mate, a mother-to-be, and now, I was the heir. And some day, I would be their Alpha Queen. My heart swelled with love for my people, for Logan, for the child I carried, and for the future this all represented. It would be a future we would build tirelessly but gladly.

The path ahead would not be easy; I knew this well enough. But what ever was? As their cheers roared on, I knew that I was ready to face anything and everything.

Epilogue

Evelyn

Two Years Later

The gardens outside the palace were alive with late-spring blossoms, their perfume carried on a gentle breeze to fill my nose, as my daughter’s laughter, bright and bubbling, carried across the lawn. I watched her reemerge into view, weaving through the rose bushes as she chased a butterfly with all the determination of a future Alpha Queen herself.

Laura.

We had named her after Logan’s mother, the woman who had given him life and shaped him into the man who had become the center of mine. For better or worse, she had been the most impactful woman in his life before me. And she had loved him, even with all of her faulty approaches in showing it.

Every time I said my daughter’s name now, it felt like weaving threads of the past and present together, binding us into something unbreakable as we moved into this future.

I rested a hand on my stomach, feeling the familiar weight of new life swell beneath my palm again. This time, the healers told us it would be a son. Logan and I hadn’t decided yet whether he would be named Alex, after my steadfast brother, or Jesse, as it was another name that carried a quiet history of Logan’s family. Jesse and his pursuits had been the catalyst that had brought us together once, after all.

Either way, the thought of holding my new baby soon made my chest ache with joy. But we would decide on our son’s name later. For now, we were enjoying a rare, relaxing day.

Behind me, Logan stepped into the sunlight. His presence still had the power to send a warmth spiraling through me, even after all this time. He came to my side, his hand finding the curve of my belly as naturally as breathing, caressing it with all the love I felt, too.

“You’re glowing,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my temple.

I laughed softly, leaning into him. “You say that too often. It starts to lose its sincerity.”

“Well, I mean it every time.”

“I still think it’s just a kind way of saying I’m waddling,” I said with a laugh.

“You’re beautiful,” he said firmly, like he would never let me believe otherwise. And then his gaze shifted to the side, to where our daughter twirled with her skirts full of flowers in front of the palace walls, which gleamed in the sun. His smile softened. “Everything we dreamed of is right here.”

He was right. It was everything I had dreamed of and more. Everything beyond what I had ever thought possible to achieve, too.

Before I could answer, a familiar voice called out. Alex emerged from the palace to join us in the gardens, with Annalise beside him, and their own son toddling happily at their side. I watched as Alex bent to scoop the boy into his arms, spinning him in a circle that had the child squealing with delight. My brother’s eyes found mine over the boy’s head. It was a comfort, knowing he was here and happy, acknowledging that he had built his own joy alongside mine and did not feel spite for all that had happened at his expense.

Then, from the opposite archway, as though called to this family gathering, came my father.

I straightened instinctively, my heart squeezing as I took him in. Admittedly, time and stress had not been kind to him. His once-broad shoulders had curved, his hair was more silver than black, and his skin carried the pallor of someone who suffered from a bout of sickness. He smiled, though, and his eyes still burned with that indomitable spirit I had always known.

“Evelyn,” he greeted, his voice a little rough as he neared.

“Father,” I said, rushing to his side. Logan steadied me when my step faltered beneath the cumbersome weight of pregnancy. I guided my father to a bench in the shade, watching him sink down with a sigh.

It seemed he wanted to talk alone, and I meant to allow him the privacy to do so. In the time that had passed since my coronation years ago, I had learned to be even more observant of his varying moods and motives. It seemed it was my duty now to study him.

“I will be frank with you, my daughter. You deserve the truth of it, unfiltered by pleasantries.”

I swallowed dryly, hand drifting to my stomach on instinct for comfort. “What is it?”

“I just came back from the medical wing. Chris oversaw my basic checkup and… they said that I won’t be with you all for too much longer much longer,” he said simply, his gaze sweeping from me to the children playing in the grass. “The healers tell me a year, maybe less. This illness I have runs its course faster than I would have liked.”

My throat tightened, rebellion sparking in me. It could not be so simple or swift. The news was like an avalanche, threatening to batter and pull me under, but I refused to let it take me so easily.

“Then I’ll find a cure. I’ll call upon every healer, every resource we have—”

He lifted a hand, silencing me gently. “No, Evelyn. Do not fight what is natural. My time has been full, and it has been good. This is the cycle of life. To cling to it would only dishonor what comes after. I have been preparing for this for some time. The war and the stress of it… I knew it drained something in me, and now I am seeing the consequences of it all.”

He sighed. “ And what comes after…” He looked at me, eyes wet, smile proud. “Is you. You and the future you are building. I will go knowing my kingdom is in the best hands it could possibly be.”

Tears slid freely down my cheeks. I lowered myself carefully beside him, taking his weathered hand into mine. The callouses that had once peppered his skin had since smoothed until they were nearly nonexistent without the war to maintain them. “I’m not ready to lose you, Father.”

“You are stronger than you believe,” he said, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “And you are not losing me. I will live on in you, in your children, and in every choice you make for our people.”

Logan knelt on my other side, as if sensing that I craved the comfort of his presence. His arm encircled me. Laura, as if sensing the shift in the air, ran over as well and climbed into my lap, curling against me with her small hands clutching at my gown. Alex drifted over to join us, never one to be excluded, his family gathering close behind him.

I beheld them all as they surrounded me, feeling the heartbeat of my daughter against me, the solid strength of Logan at my side, the tired but steady presence of my father, even as he aged and ailed with illness.

My lovely, enduring family.

I pressed my lips to the crown of Laura’s hair and whispered a silent vow. I would carry forward everything that had brought us here and cherish every moment. So long as I lived, I vowed that I would never take for granted the family and kingdom we had fought so hard to protect and create.

Because this love and this life were the greatest legacy of all.