The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas

Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Only You

Serena’s POV ~

Finally.

The royal dinner was over.

I almost wanted to throw my napkin in the air and cheer, but somehow I managed to keep a straight face as I stood up from that cursed table. My legs felt stiff, my head ached, and I was pretty sure my cheeks had been frozen in the same polite smile for the last two hours.

The moment I stepped out of the hall, I let out a long, shaky breath. "Thank the heavens..." I muttered under my breath. "If I had to sit there one more minute, I’d stab myself with a fork."

The corridor outside was quiet and cool compared to the suffocating tension back in the dining room. The air actually moved here. I leaned against the nearest pillar and groaned softly, tugging at the tight fabric of my gown.

"Who designed this thing?" I mumbled, trying to loosen the neckline that felt like it was strangling me. "It’s like wearing a pretty coffin."

Every step made the jewels and pins in my hair jingle, reminding me just how much I hated royal events. My heels clicked on the marble floor, echoing through the empty corridor as I made my way toward my room.

The further I walked, the more the frustration poured out. "Peace and unity, my ass," I muttered. "That dinner was a war disguised as politeness. One wrong word and half the people there would’ve been dead."

I could still feel the heavy silence from the table and still see the king’s fake smile, the queen’s frozen face, Arlena’s trembling hands, and Aeron’s cold eyes. It had been like sitting in the middle of a storm pretending the lightning wasn’t about to strike.

My stomach growled softly. I realized I hadn’t even eaten properly. Who could, with that kind of atmosphere? Every time I’d lifted my fork, someone had said something that made me lose my appetite again.

I sighed. "Next time I’m bringing my food to my room," I grumbled. "They can keep their fancy palace and their poisoned smiles."

By the time I left the main palace, my head was pounding. I rubbed my temples, still muttering under my breath. "Poor Vaelen... growing up in this place. No wonder he’s half mad already. Anyone would be if they had to live surrounded by that kind of tension every day."

I was still mumbling to myself as I walked down the corridor, too busy complaining to notice anything else.

"...honestly, if I ever have to sit through another royal meal, I’ll..."

Before I could finish the sentence, a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist and yanked me sideways.

I gasped...barely getting a sound out before another hand covered my mouth.

The door behind me slammed shut with a dull thud.

Darkness swallowed the room.

My back hit the wall, and I froze. My heart jumped straight to my throat.

I could feel the warmth of someone’s body pressed close. The air between us felt heavy and hot, and his breathing was rough against my ear.

For a split second, panic shot through me. I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

Then...something in that touch made me pause.

I saw

Lucian.

My breath hitched.

his face only inches from mine. His hand was still on my lips, the other braced against the wall beside my head. His eyes looked different...no longer the calm, polite prince everyone saw at the table. They were wild now. Shaken.

long moment, neither of us

breathing...fast, uneven...and the soft thud of my own heartbeat

his voice

"Don’t scream."

I didn’t. I couldn’t.

at him,

his fingers brushing my jaw as he did. The touch was light but sent a shiver crawling down my

you have any idea what you’ve just done?" He whispered, his voice shaking...not with anger, but with something

hazy, almost feverish. His chest rose and fell hard, his breath brushing against my skin. He looked half-mad, half-broken... and

opened my mouth to speak, but he

in closer... so close I could feel his breath against

such

body went

then I felt it...his lips, warm and unsteady, brushing against the side of my

shivered. My heart was pounding so fast it almost

the words cracking halfway through. His voice sounded broken, like he had been holding it in for too

that tone made my chest tighten painfully. I

his hands

in it,

he whispered. "I thought you were gone.

voice cracked again, and

Because I knew.

exactly what

I had

what he had become because

properly. Every part of me screamed to pull away, to say something, but my

space between us vanished completely. His body was warm against mine, his breath shaking as it

finally saw his face. His eyes were red. His lips were

it...the wet shimmer on his

He was crying.

Silently.

were slipping down his face as

inside me

my hands rose on their own. I cupped his

whispered, my

his eyes, leaning into my touch

breathing was rough and uneven, his eyes unfocused as if he was still