Fated and knocked up by the Alpha King (Elara) novel Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve – The Invitation

Elara’s POV

The dining hall of Valemont Pack was unusually quiet for breakfast. Which meant something had to be wrong.

Aeron wasn’t trying to climb onto the table. Ca’ssia wasn’t narrating Aeron’s every move like she was hosting a reality show. Even Caius, who usually muttered sharp little comebacks between bites, was uncharacteristically silent.

The only sound was Alpha Darius at the head of the long table, methodically cutting into his eggs like a man who’d already accepted his life would never be peaceful again. His sharp gray eyes flicked up when the pack messenger entered, boots thudding against the floor.

The young wolf bowed deeply. “Alpha. A courier arrived at dawn. Two letters -one addressed to you, one to Elara Quinn.”

Every head at the table swung toward me at once.

I froze, fork halfway to my mouth. “Me?”

Cassia’s gasp was loud enough to draw attention from three tables over. “Oh my Goddess. Elara has mail. Real mail. From who? What if it’s from your mystery Paris man?”

“Cassia,” I hissed, cheeks heating.

The messenger ignored her chaos, stepping forward to present two envelopes. One thick and heavy, sealed with Ashthorne’s crest in gold wax. The other thinner, also carrying the same crest.

My stomach twisted the second I saw it. The Ashthorne Pack. My father’s pack. My old pack.

Alpha Darius broke the first seal with his thumb, scanning the parchment with a flat expression. The air in the hall seemed to grow heavier as silence stretched. Finally, he read aloud, his Alpha voice carrying to every corner:

“By decree of Alpha Marcus Ashthorne, the union of his eldest daughter, Sera Ashthorne, to His Majesty, the Alpha King of the Northern Crescent, shall be held in four weeks’ time. All allied packs are invited to witness the sacred bond.”

The room buzzed instantly with murmurs, speculation, awe. Cassia nearly

choked on her juice.

“THE Alpha King?” she whispered dramatically. “As in, the most powerful wolf on the continent? As in, tall, dark, broody, and probably terrifying?!”

Caius smirked. “You’ve never met him, Cass. For all you know, he could be short, bald, and fond of crocheting.”

Cassia slapped his arm. “He’s the Alpha King. There are RULES. He’s obviously devastating. It’s in the job description.”

Meanwhile, I sat frozen, heart racing for reasons I didn’t understand. The words blurred in my head: Alpha King. Wedding. Sera Ashthorne.

Sera-the bride. The girl my father died saving years ago. Lucien Quinn, Beta of Ashthorne, who gave his life so she could live. I remembered that day with bone-deep clarity, even though I’d only been a child: the messengers arriving, the hushed voices, my mother’s tears.

And now she would marry the Alpha King.

I reached for my own envelope with trembling fingers. The parchment was addressed to me in elegant script: Elara Quinn, daughter of Lucien Quinn, former Beta of Ashthorne Pack.

A lump formed in my throat as I cracked the seal. Inside, the words were nearly identical-except this invitation bore personal lines.

In honor of Lucien Quinn’s sacrifice and his service to Ashthorne, his daughter is formally invited to witness this union.

My chest tightened. They remembered. They still remembered him.

Cassia, naturally, leaned halfway across the table to peek at the paper. “Let me see! Oooh, fancy lettering. Elara, this is a sign. You’re being summoned to a royal wedding. Fate is calling.”

“Fate is not calling,” I muttered, shoving the letter back into the envelope.

“Yes it is.” She poked my arm. “Fate is yelling. Fate is waving a banner. Fate is basically shoving you toward destiny wearing a sparkly dress.”

Across the table, Alpha Darius exhaled slowly, eyes scanning me with the same sharpness he used when evaluating warriors. “You’ll be expected to attend. Ashthorne hasn’t forgotten your father’s loyalty. Neither should you.”

“Yes, Uncle,” I said softly, unable to meet his gaze.

Luna Lyanna placed her delicate hand over his, her eyes warm as they landed on me. “It’s an honor, Elara. A chance to stand among your family’s legacy.”

Cassia, meanwhile, was practically vibrating out of her seat. “And a chance to wear something scandalous! And maybe catch the eye of a devastating Alpha King’s guard. Or his brother. Or-oh Goddess-what if the Alpha King himself is actually super young and handsome?”

I nearly choked on my tea. “Cassia!”

“What?!” she said, grinning wildly. “A girl can dream.”

Caius groaned. “For the last time, you’re not marrying into royalty.”

“Not me,” Cassia said slyly, turning to beam at me. “Her.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. “Absolutely not. The Alpha King is some… distant political figure. He doesn’t even know I exist.”

Cassia waggled her brows. “Oh, you never know.”

I rolled my eyes and focused on Aeron, who chose that moment to smush jam into his curls and proudly announce, “Sticky, Mama!”

Everyone groaned. The moment broke.

But inside, the weight of that gold-sealed letter sat heavy in my chest.

The Alpha King. The Ashthorne wedding. My father’s name remembered after all these years.

And me-swept back into a world I thought I’d left behind.

米米米

Cassia slammed her palms onto the table like she was launching a war campaign.

“Attention, soldiers. Operation Wedding Glow-Up 2025 begins now.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Cassia…”

“Don’t Cassia me. This is serious. You, Elara Quinn, are going to show up at Ashthorne looking like a goddess sculpted by destiny and couture. You’ll leave them stunned, whispering, weeping into their overpriced wine.”

“Wine!” Aeron squealed, banging his cup against the table. “Wiiiiine!”

“Milk,” I corrected firmly, switching cups before he baptized the entire table in grape juice.

Caius arched a brow. “Three years old and already developing bad habits. He really is a Valemont.”

Cassia gasped. “How dare you insult my nephew during his formative years!

He is an icon.”

“MEN-iss!” Aeron announced proudly, repeating Caius’s earlier insult like it was a new title. He thumped his chest. “Alpha MEN-iss BOOM!”

Luna Lyanna, sipping her tea with unshakable calm, murmured, “Well, at least

he’s self-aware.”

Cassia scooped Aeron up, ignoring the jam on his fingers. “He’s perfect. Look at that face. Look at those golden-flecked eyes. He’s destined for greatness- and fabulous outfits. Speaking of which, I’ve already sketched three options for your gown, Elara.”

“You what?” I asked, half horrified.

Cassia pulled a crumpled paper from her bag like it was treasure. One dress looked like a ball gown had been murdered by glitter. The second resembled a weapon disguised as fashion. The third-oh Goddess, the third-had so many slits I was pretty sure it counted as pack indecency.

“No,” I said flatly.

“Yes,” Cassia countered.

“NO.”

“Yes times infinity!” She plunked the drawings in front of Aeron. “Which one do you like, Baby Alpha?”

Aeron, bless him, pointed at the indecent one. “Boom dress!”

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