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.

have not lost

head turned

mildly surprised that the silent

cold, steady eyes. "She is perfectly fine," he said, his tone smooth and final. "So,

a pin and heard it

The shock was instant.

queen’s lips parted slightly, her elegant mask slipping. Arlena’s fork clattered onto her plate. Prince Vaelen blinked, looking

king himself

your pardon?" he

Lucian didn’t

as if nothing unusual had happened. "There’s nothing to discuss," he said flatly. Then he looked down at his glass, swirling the

one said another word

it started to feel like a living thing, heavy

My chest tightened.

was confused,

She’s alive.

Selene.

the four brothers

she was dead, that she’d been lost to the fire, gone forever.

She was alive.

the shocked faces around the

way again. Neither did Aeron, nor Luca, nor Kael. But I knew they all felt it...the same spark of silent

silence that followed Lucian’s words

wasn’t just awkward...it

faces changed in the same instant.

almost hear

did he

who had spent half his life pretending to understand everything, looked completely lost. His

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

didn’t even

drink, like

made

I was under the impression your mate was the daughter of the late Alpha Eirik. The one who perished not long ago...

in the air,

what

Everyone remembered the story.

of fire. The witch who had died

tale. That the Alpha brothers had gone mad after losing

the king

to hear that she

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

Lucian finally set down his glass and looked straight

eyes were

do not repeat myself,

felt like even the

Then pale again. She blinked rapidly, her lips trembling as she tried to

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

"Enough."

her words; he refused to listen

but