The Alpha King's Secret Healer

Chapter 5: Arrival Of The Bride.

Mira POV

I thought the rumors were exaggerated.

They weren't.

Theros was a fortress carved from black stone, rising from the mountain like something born from ancient nightmares.

The obsidian walls caught the dying sunlight and threw it back in sharp angles. Even the gates looked like they could swallow armies whole.

The carriage wheels crunched against gravel as we rolled to a stop.

I pressed my palms against my dress, smoothing out wrinkles that weren't there, buying myself a few more seconds before I had to step out and face whatever waited for me.

"Your Majesty," the driver called softly. "We've arrived."

Your Majesty. The title felt like a costume that didn't fit.

I wasn't yet married to the man, he just came with an order for me to leave home.

And now suddenly I am your majesty?

I scoffed.

I stepped down from the carriage, my heels clicking against stone, and immediately felt the weight of eyes on me.

Servants lined the courtyard in perfect rows, their faces carefully blank.

They were not welcoming nor hostile, just stared as if I was a blank wall.

I looked around hoping to see Kaelith, but he was no where to be found.

Instead, a woman stepped forward from the shadows near the entrance. Tall, sharp-featured, with silver hair pulled back so severely I wondered if her head hurts.

She moved like a predator, with a sneer on her lips.

"Lady Mira," she said, her voice carrying the kind of authority that made people straighten their spines without thinking. "I am Seraphine Morwyn, Captain of the Royal Guard. I'll be overseeing your... transition."

The pause before transition felt intentional.

Like she was choosing her words carefully, or maybe choosing not to say others.

"Where is the King?" I asked, surprised by how steady my voice sounded.

"His Majesty was called away on urgent business," Seraphine replied, her pale eyes scanning me from head to toe like she was cataloging weaknesses. "Eastern border tensions. Diplomatic matters that you cannot understand.”

I was an alpha daughter, a healer, I spent most of my time in war grounds and injured people.

I once healed someone who was having a mediation meeting with a bleeding arm.

When it comes to tensions, I think I can understand what it means.

I did not retort, instead I forced a smile. I nodded, keeping my expression neutral even as something twisted in my chest. "I understand."

"Do you?" She tilted her head slightly, and I caught something flickering in her gaze, amusement, maybe, or judgment. "Follow me. I'll show you to your quarters."

She turned without waiting for my response and strode toward the palace entrance.

I followed, my footsteps echoing off the stone walls as we entered a corridor that seemed to stretch into infinity.

Everything was grand, beautiful, and completely intimidating.

"The King's wing is off-limits until after the mating ceremony," Seraphine said without looking back. "You'll be staying in the Queen's quarters. Previous Queen's quarters, I should say."

Another deliberate pause.

"The staff will attend to your needs," she continued as we climbed a spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever. "Meals are served at specific times. There are rules about which areas of the palace you may access, which you'll learn over the coming weeks."

"Rules?" I repeated.

"For your safety, of course." She glanced back at me with what might have been a smile if it had reached her eyes. "The palace can be... complicated for those unfamiliar with its ways."

“What…dragons come out from the walls or something.” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

It was an epic failure.

We reached a set of carved wooden doors that opened into a suite of rooms that took my breath away.

High ceilings, massive windows overlooking the gardens, furniture that probably cost more than my family's entire estate.

It was beautiful and cold and felt absolutely nothing like home.

"Your belongings will be brought up shortly," Seraphine said, moving to the windows and checking the latches like she was inspecting a prison cell. "Someone will come by later to discuss your schedule. Training begins tomorrow."

"Training for what?"

"Being Queen." She said it like it was obvious. "You'll need to learn court etiquette, ceremonial protocols, noble lineages, proper forms of address. The ceremony is in six months. That's not long to transform..."

She trailed off, letting her eyes drift over me again.

"To transform what?" I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer.

“An omega,” she finished smoothly, looking at me through her lashes.

"I'm sure you understand what it means. It's hard for us to accept a scentless omega. Because without scent, you have no wolf. You are weak and unfit to rule. But who am I to go against the kings wishes." She added with scorn.

I forced a smile, showing teeth. I probably looked creepy but I didn't care. “Why thank you for your kind words, it was well received. You may leave.”

I pointed at the door, she nodded and walked out.

It wasn't the first time I am hearing such words, it meant nothing to me now. I wasn't the one who wanted to get married, they should take it up with the king.

I rolled my eyes, after she left, I stood alone in the center of that beautiful, empty room and tried not to think about how the walls seemed to be closing in.

I walked to the windows and looked out at gardens that stretched as far as I could see, all perfectly manicured, all completely lifeless.

A soft knock interrupted my brooding.

"Come in," I called.

The door opened, and I nearly stumbled backward in surprise.

"Nessa?"

She grinned, that same shy, sweet smile I remembered from three years ago, back when we'd both worked in the healing tents during the border skirmishes.

She looked exactly the same—small, quiet, with dark hair that always seemed to be escaping whatever she'd used to tie it back.

"Hello, Mira," she said softly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. "I... I wasn't sure you'd remember me."

"Remember you? Are you kidding?" I crossed the room and pulled her into a hug that felt like the first real thing that had happened to me all day. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a position in the palace gardens," she said, her cheeks flushing pink. "Herbalist's assistant. It's not much, but it pays well, and..." She shrugged. "It's been lonely since you left."