Betrayed by an alpha claimed by a lycan king

Chapter 178

SAGE

The following days passed in a blur, each moment filled with endless

preparations, hushed conversations, and the constant hum of excitement in the air. Elara and I found ourselves drowning in fabrics, floral arrangements, and ceremonial protocols, barely finding time to breathe between the whirlwind of decisions that needed to be made.

I had always imagined something small and intimate-a wedding where only those closest to us would gather, where I wouldn't feel the weight of a thousand eyes watching my every move. I wanted a ceremony that wasn't about the grandeur of royalty but about the love Titus and I shared. But, of course, Titus had other plans.

He wanted it as grand as possible. The day of our wedding will also be the day of my coronation, as he announced me being his queen and his luna.

Elara, of course, was over the moon. "This is going to be the most spectacular event in generations!" she gushed as she spread out different gown designs before me. "A royal wedding and a coronation? People will talk about this for centuries!"

I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head. "That's what I'm afraid of."

She rolled her eyes, nudging me playfully. "Come now, my lady. You'll look absolutely breathtaking, and His Majesty will be so enraptured by you that he won't even notice the hundreds of guests in attendance."

Despite the whirlwind of wedding and coronation preparations, I couldn't shake the feeling that something else was going

1. on.

Titus had been distant-not in a way that made me doubt his love, but in a way that told me he was preoccupied with something far more pressing. While I was drowning in silk swatches and flower arrangements with Elara, he was constantly locked in meetings, his expression sharp and unreadable. Whenever I caught glimpses of him in the halls, he looked deep in thought, as if he was bracing himself for something big.

And I was sure it wasn't the wedding.

If it were, he would at least pretend to be involved. But aside from insisting that it had to be grand, he hadn't so much as glanced at a single invitation or made a comment about the color schemes Elara kept pestering me about.

to be

okay, my lady?" Elara asked, her brows knitting together in

hoping to brush off the unease settling in my chest. "It's

smile, reaching out to give my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, everything will be fine," she assured me, her voice filled

though I wasn't entirely convinced. We resumed our preparations, discussing floral arrangements and seating charts, but no matter how hard I tried to focus, a nagging feeling refused

around, I had made up my mind.

the hours stretched on, my resolve turned into frustration. The night came and went, and still, there was no sign of Titus. I paced the room, glancing at the door every few minutes, waiting for him

the clock. Past one in the

he was the king, that

time for me, no matter

my spine at the thought that something might have happened to him. Shaking the idea away, I threw on a cloak and stepped out of my chambers.

at this hour, save for the faint crackling of torches that lined the stone walls. My footsteps echoed softly as I made my way toward Titus's office, my heart

I expected when I arrived-maybe to find him buried in documents, exhausted from his duties. But

for only a

lit, a few candles flickering on his desk, illuminating a pile of

was thick with something I couldn't quite place-secrecy, tension, something just beyond my grasp. I trailed my fingers

Maps. Letters. Battle strategies.

My stomach twisted.

wedding.

rustling sound came from the corridor, and I turned sharply just as Titus

in his eyes before it was quickly

than usual. "What are you doing

from the desk, holding it up for him to see. "I should be asking you the same

the first time in a long while, I