SURROGATE TO THE COMATOSE ALPHA PRINCE

MY ROOM

CHAPTER FIVE

Lillian's pov

The loud ringing of metal alarms echoed down every marble hallway as the palace entered a total lockdown. Heavy iron doors slammed shut across the main corridors, trapping everyone inside their sections.

Before I could process the black symbol outside the door, four royal guards grabbed my arms and pulled me away from Grayson's bed.

They marched me into a small, dark council chamber deep beneath the palace. The royal council members sat behind a long stone table, staring at me with harsh, suspicious eyes. They did not care about the intruder. They wanted to blame me.

"Who brought that symbol to the prince's door?" a councilman shouted, slamming his fist onto the stone table. "You touched his hand, and moments later, a dark mark appeared! Who is your family? Does your poor pack have ties to the dark magic that hurt our prince?"

A wave of hot anger burned inside my chest. I spent my whole life keeping my head down, but I refused to let these rich men treat me like a criminal.

"I am not a traitor," I said, standing tall and glaring back at them. "I did not carve that mark. Grayson's wolf chose me to protect him because the people in this palace failed to keep him safe for three years."

"Silence!" the councilman yelled.

"That is enough," Queen Eveline's commanding voice echoed through the room as she stepped through the double doors. Her royal guard followed close behind her. She walked to the front of the room and looked down at the council. "Lillian Vance is under my personal protection. Anyone who accuses her without proof answers directly to me."

The council members bowed their heads and fell silent instantly. It was my first real glimpse of the queen's massive power. Yet, as I watched her, a dark question lingered in my mind. Why was the queen defending a poor village girl so fiercely?

Over the next two days, the palace transformed my entire life. They gave me a soft bed, expensive silk dresses, a personal maid named Clara, and six armed guards to follow me everywhere. Teachers arrived every morning to instruct me on royal rules and proper etiquette.

The change felt strange and complicated. For twenty years, everyone treated me like a useless, poor girl. Now, servants bowed their heads when I walked past, and guards called me 'my lady.' But I kept my feet on the ground. I knew the truth. They did not respect me for who I was. They only bowed because Grayson's wolf touched my wrist.

On the third evening, the queen held a formal gathering in the great glass hall. High nobles stood in small groups, drinking sweet wine and talking softly.

When I stepped into the room in a simple silver dress, Selene walked straight toward me. She wore a grand red dress covered in gold jewels. She turned to a group of noble ladies nearby and spoke in a loud, mocking voice.

"Look at her," Selene laughed, making sure everyone heard her. "A poor village girl wearing silk. She thinks she belongs here, but she is nothing more than a temporary vessel for the prince's heir. Once she gives the palace a baby, they will throw her back into the mud."

Several noble women giggled behind their lace fans. My heart beat fast, but I refused to cry or run away. I took a slow breath, looked Selene directly in the eyes, and raised my voice so the whole room could hear.

"You speak of my worth, Selene," I said calmly. "Yet when you stood before the prince's bed, his wolf threw you to the floor. In fact, his wolf rejected every noble woman in this room, but he chose me."

The giant room fell completely silent. Selene's face turned pale, her eyes wide with shock and pure rage. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Across the hall, I saw Adrian standing near the archway. For the first time, he stared at me with wide, shocked eyes. He realized in that exact moment that I was no longer the weak, quiet girl he left behind in the woods.

I turned away from their stunned faces and walked out of the gathering with my chin held high.

Later that night, my guards escorted me back to my private bedroom. I stepped inside, but my wolf immediately stirred in my chest. A cold draft blew across the stone floor.

I looked toward the balcony and noticed one of the glass windows stood open. I knew I closed and locked that window before going downstairs.

My wolf went on high alert. I carefully searched the room, looking under the desk and behind the heavy curtains. Nothing seemed broken or missing.

Then I walked over to the bed and lifted my soft feather pillow. Resting on the white sheet was a single black feather. Burne deep into the surface of the feather was the exact same dark symbol from Grayson's memory, the serpent wrapped around the broken crown.

My blood ran cold. Whoever entered my room wanted me to find it. It was a clear threat.

Before I could call for the hallway guards, soft footsteps sounded right outside my balcony door. I reached for the brass handle to lock it, but the glass door pushed open from the outside.

Adrian stepped into my room.

He did not look like the sad man who tried to apologize days ago. His face was dark, cold, and calculated.

"Adrian?" I whispered, taking a step back. "How did you get up here?"

"I told you things were complicated, Lillian," he said in a low, flat voice.

Two large men in black armor stepped out of the shadows behind him, holding short silver blades. They did not wear palace uniforms. They were intruders.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, my chest heaving as my wolf rose inside me, ready to fight. "Who are these men?"

"I did not come to apologize to you tonight," Adrian said coldly, taking a slow step toward me as the two armed men moved to surround the bed. "Someone very powerful wants access to the future Luna, and I am going to make sure they get it."

I took another step back, my heart pounding against my ribs. I realized the horrible truth in a single second. Adrian did not just break my heart for money. He was part of the dark plot against the royal family. He brought the enemy right into my bedroom.

"Guards!" I screamed, lunging toward the main hallway door.

Before the armed men could grab my arms, a sound tore through the palace walls.

It was not a trumpet or an alarm. It was a massive, terrifying wolf's roar that shook the stone foundation of the entire castle. The glass windows shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, and the magical shields across the towers cracked wide open.

Far away in the imperial spire, inside his silent, comatose chamber, the Alpha Prince had broken his three-year sleep.

The wild energy of his wolf rushed through our bond like a blazing fire. He was awake, he was furious, and he was coming directly for the men in my room.