Phoebe's POV
Reginald's hatred burned in his eyes as he stared at me. The way I ignored him clearly drove him crazy. I couldn't bring myself to care - my eyes felt empty, lifeless. Kevin had shattered something inside me, leaving nothing but a hollow shell.
"I am going to kill you!" Reginald snarled, shoving me harder against the wall. His body pressed against mine, trapping me.
Even as I struggled to breathe, fear didn't touch me. Death felt like an old friend I'd been expecting. There was a time I'd wanted to end it all myself.
"Go ahead, kill me."
I closed my eyes, ready to welcome whatever came next.
But my acceptance wasn't what Reginald wanted. And he wasn't reckless enough to actually kill me here.
Kevin would destroy him in ways I couldn't imagine if anything happened to his favorite toy. The soon-to-be alpha's wrath wasn't something anyone wanted to face.
Reginald threw me aside instead, cursing under his breath. His hand rose to strike my face but stopped mid-air. A slap would leave marks - evidence that he'd touched Kevin's property.
It wasn't worth the risk. Soon, Kevin would officially be alpha. Provoking him now would be suicide.
"Fuck you!" Reginald spat in my face before storming off to prepare for the ceremony. His stepfather would throw a fit if he wasn't ready on time.
His departure brought no relief. This wasn't the life I wanted anyway.
I wiped the spit from my cheek and headed to the bathroom to clean up, then returned to work. Kira tore into me with harsh words, but she couldn't actually punish me - not until after the ceremony ended.
"Here! Take this drink to the front row, beta Cameron," Kira ordered, then frowned as she realized she'd just told me to serve my own father.
It seemed inappropriate, but no one else was available.
"I'll do it," I said flatly. Meeting my father meant nothing to me now. He was just another face in the crowd - no more important than anyone else.
The last time we'd spoken was long ago when Kevin punished Reginald for trying to kiss me. Cameron had asked what happened, and that was it. Whether he'd done anything about Reginald afterward, I didn't care to know.
——
The ceremony proceeded without a hitch. The crowd cheered for their new alpha as Kevin smiled back at them all.
But the celebratory mood shifted the moment the king rose from his seat and walked toward the podium to officially legitimize Kevin's claim.
——
Phoebe's POV
That's when I entered the main hall, and the restless feeling I'd been fighting intensified. My heart pounded harder with each step closer to the main hall.
A strange mix of fear and anticipation drove me forward, faster than before. Something - someone - was waiting for me in there.
I couldn't put this feeling into words.
The closer I got, the more my chest ached. Like I was yearning for something... someone. Like a long wait was finally about to end.
I started jogging down the corridor, then broke into a half-run. When I reached the main hall, I yanked the door open and stepped inside with absolute certainty.
The room had fallen silent, all attention focused on the king.
About three hundred important people filled their seats, facing the raised podium where the king delivered his speech.
His voice carried clearly through the vast space, crisp as morning air. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows across the white tile floor.
My eyes found him instantly. The moment I entered, I knew he was the source of my restlessness. His scent hit me - faint among hundreds of others, but unmistakably his. It made my heart flutter.
When our gazes met, my entire world shifted around him. I wanted nothing more than to be near him, to touch him, to kiss him. The longing created a physical ache I couldn't describe.
The king stopped speaking. His eyes locked on mine, but I couldn't read his expression. He narrowed his gaze dangerously, watching as I walked toward him, standing out among the seated audience.
Loud murmurs and gasps erupted from the crowd as they stared at me in shock. An omega. My uniform made it obvious.
"What is she doing here?!" Cameron hissed.
Reginald sat beside him with his mother and little sister. All eyes were on me as I approached the podium with steady steps.
"Stop her," Kevin ordered darkly to a nearby warrior.
I could see his hands trembling slightly. Something in his expression suggested he recognized the look on my face - like he'd seen it before. He looked sick, as if realizing some kind of threat was closing in.