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 toward

mildly surprised that the

"She is perfectly fine," he said, his tone smooth and final. "So, Your Majesty, we don’t need your

a pin and heard it

The shock was instant.

clattered onto her plate. Prince Vaelen blinked, looking between Lucian and the king

king himself

your pardon?" he said carefully.

didn’t

discuss," he said flatly. Then he looked down at

one said another word

it started to feel like a living thing,

My chest tightened.

was confused,

She’s alive.

Selene.

four

been lost to the fire, gone forever. But she

She was alive.

faces around the table, I

again. Neither did Aeron, nor Luca, nor Kael. But I knew

that followed Lucian’s words was different

just awkward...it was

the

almost hear

did he

pretending to understand everything, looked completely lost. His brows drew together as he stared

it that. Her elegant smile faltered, and for a brief second, her calm, regal face twisted into something cold and ugly. "I’m

even look

took another sip of his drink,

made it

jaw tightened, her tone turning sharp. "Forgive me, but I was under the impression your mate was the daughter of the late Alpha Eirik. The one who

words hung in the

what

Everyone remembered the story.

fire. The witch

whole kingdom had heard that tale. That the Alpha brothers had gone mad after losing their

the king believed

hear that

calm cracked, and his hand froze halfway to his glass. "Alive?" he repeated under his breath, his

set down his glass and

were cold and

myself, Your Majesty," he

quiet, it felt like even

the table, Arlena’s face went pale. Then red. Then pale again. She blinked rapidly,

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

"Enough."

refused to listen to any of her

wasn’t loud, but it