The Alpha's Unwanted Bride novel Chapter 699

Chapter 699: RIGHT OR WRONG

I woke to cold grass pressing into my palms.

For a moment, I didn’t move. I just lay there, staring up at a sky washed in ink and silver, stars scattered like careless confessions. The night air bit at my skin, sharp enough to pull a gasp from my lungs.

Where am I?

I pushed myself upright slowly, my body heavy, my limbs sluggish as if I’d been carried for miles in my sleep.

My head throbbed dully, not pain exactly, but more like the echo of something being ripped away.

Memory.

I turned in a slow circle.

An open field stretched around me, tall grass whispering as the wind passed through it.

No paths. No trees close enough to recognize. No fireflies.

Just... emptiness.

Panic rose fast and ugly in my chest. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The last thing I remembered clearly was Maelis’ voice.

They would take you out. You won’t remember your way here.

My stomach dropped.

"They did something to me," I whispered into the night.

I didn’t remember how I’d left the cave.

I didn’t remember walking, or being carried, or being led.

I didn’t remember the path at all.

My hands flew to my belly in sudden terror.

Please. Please.

My breath hitched as my palms pressed against the familiar curve still there. Still warm. Still real.

And then, blessedly, a kick.

Strong. Indignant.

A sound halfway between a laugh and a sob tore out of me as I bent forward protectively, wrapping my arms around myself.

"I’m here," I whispered shakily. "I’ve got you. I’m okay."

I sat there for a few seconds longer, grounding myself, until the shaking in my hands eased.

Then I looked up.

And froze.

In the distance, rising from the land like something carved out of moonlight itself, stood the royal pack house.

The castle.

Its towers glowed faintly, lanterns burning along the walls, the familiar silhouette unmistakable against the night sky.

I swallowed.

Home.

Or at least... what passed for it now.

I pushed myself to my feet, brushing grass from my clothes, wincing as my back protested. Every instinct screamed at me to be careful. To think.

But I was tired.

And cold.

And pregnant.

I moved quietly, keeping to the taller grass as I approached, my heart pounding harder with every step.

I reached the outer grounds without incident, slipped past the hedges, the stone paths, the places I’d learned to recognize over the past days.

So far, so good.

I was almost at the side entrance when a voice stopped me cold.

"Jasmine."

I flinched.

I turned slowly.

My father stood beneath one of the lanterns, light casting sharp shadows across his face. He wasn’t dressed for sleep. His hair was unbound, his expression drawn tight with something dangerously close to fear.

There were a number of guards behind him.

For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke.

Then he crossed the distance between us in three long strides and pulled me into his arms.

Hard.

Relief flooded me so suddenly my knees nearly gave out.

"Where have you been?" he demanded, his voice rough, unsteady in a way I’d never heard before. "Do you have any idea what you did to me?"

"I’m sorry," I breathed, the words tumbling out as my own arms came up around him. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.... I didn’t-

He held me tighter, one hand cradling the back of my head, the other pressing against my spine as if to make sure I was real.

"I was terrified," he said quietly. "You disappeared. The guards found nothing. I thought they’d taken you."

Guilt crashed into me, heavy and suffocating.

"I didn’t mean to scare you," I whispered. "I don’t even know how I got there."

He pulled back just enough to look at my face, his hands framing it as his eyes searched me for injuries.

"Are you hurt?"

"No," I said quickly. "I’m fine. The baby’s fine."

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