Charles POV
Leaving the human realm was never easy, but discovering that the damn Red King was already onto me made everything heavier, sharper—worse in ways I didn’t have time to manage.
Now my Beta wouldn’t stop complaining, listing problem after problem with the rulers, their growing fixation on Mishka and me dominating every conversation, second only to that childish ex-mate of mine. Her name alone felt like an insult.
If she had been a real woman—if she had accepted me as her mate—I wouldn’t be standing here forcing the world to acknowledge my worth. I wouldn’t have to prove myself over and over again.
It hadn’t been enough that my father had to be dealt with in his sleep the moment I turned eighteen. Or that my mother had met her end when I was barely a pup, simply because she wo
