The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Selene Is Alive?

Serena’s POV~

The room stayed silent after Aeron’s words.

You could almost hear the tension humming in the air. The queen’s polite smile had vanished, the king’s expression had gone stiff, and everyone else seemed too afraid to even move their forks.

It was awkward. Painfully awkward.

I stared down at my plate, pretending to be focused on my food, but my heartbeat was too loud in my ears. I could feel every gaze flicking between Aeron and the king. Even Kael had stopped smirking for once.

Finally, the king cleared his throat.

"Ahem..." His voice came out calm. "Let’s not allow old matters to spoil the evening, shall we?"

He forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "We are all gathered here to celebrate peace and unity between the packs and the crown."

Peace and unity...right?

The only thing peaceful in this room was the silence that came after every insult.

But the king kept speaking, his tone gentle, almost fatherly. "Alpha Aeron, Alpha Luca, Alpha Lucian, Alpha Kael... I understand your journey has not been easy. You rose from nothing. You built what many thought impossible. I deeply admire your... determination."

The pause before "determination" said everything.

It was the kind of fake compliment that sounded like praise but felt like a warning.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. His hands were clasped together tightly under the table, knuckles pale. He was angry...furious, even, but he couldn’t show it.

Because he knew exactly what everyone else did.

He couldn’t afford to lose his temper with them.

The Alphas weren’t just powerful...they were dangerous. Their pack had grown faster and stronger than anyone expected. Even the werewolf council were starting to whisper about them.

If the king pushed too hard, he wouldn’t just be insulting some Alphas. He’d be provoking a possible war.

And that was something he couldn’t risk.

So instead, he swallowed his pride and put on that calm royal smile again. "You must understand," he said softly, "it is the duty of the crown to watch over the balance of power in the realm. I only wish for your safety and for the safety of your people. You’ve all suffered enough loss already."

He sighed, as if truly burdened by their pain. "I was deeply remorseful to hear about your mate," he added slowly. "Such tragedy is not something any ruler should ever ignore. Please, accept my sincerest condolences."

The words hung heavy in the air.

Even I froze for a second.

Mate.

That single word brought a stillness over the table.

Everyone seemed to wait for Aeron to respond. But before he could open his mouth, Lucian spoke instead.

His voice was calm but carried a sharp edge, like a blade sliding free from its sheath.

not lost

head turned

surprised that the

steady eyes. "She is perfectly fine," he said,

dropped a pin and heard it hit the

The shock was instant.

parted slightly, her elegant mask slipping. Arlena’s fork clattered onto her plate. Prince Vaelen blinked, looking between Lucian and the king

king himself froze

he

didn’t let

chair, expression blank, as if nothing unusual had happened. "There’s nothing to discuss," he said flatly. Then he looked down at his glass, swirling the wine lazily. "Let’s not speak of

said another

silence stretched so long it started to feel like a

My chest tightened.

else was confused, I knew exactly what

She’s alive.

Selene.

the four brothers knew the

was dead, that she’d been lost to the

She was alive.

faces around

didn’t look my way again. Neither did Aeron, nor Luca, nor Kael. But I knew they all felt it...the same

that followed Lucian’s words

wasn’t just awkward...it

in the same

could almost

he

looked completely lost. His brows drew together as he

regal face twisted into

didn’t even look

just took another sip of his drink, like her

only made

of the late Alpha Eirik.

words hung in the air,

knew what she

Everyone remembered the story.

The witch who had died

brothers had gone mad after losing their mate, that they had slaughtered every man who dared

the king

now... to hear that she was

just poured a bucket of ice water over his head. His fake calm cracked, and his hand froze halfway to his glass. "Alive?" he repeated under his breath, his voice low, uncertain. "That... that cannot

his glass and looked straight at

were

myself,

it felt like even

rapidly, her lips trembling as she tried to form words that refused to come

finally stammered, her voice high-pitched and shaky. "H-how can Selene still be alive? Everyone knows

"Enough."

he refused

wasn’t loud, but