The Alpha Queen Returns – Chapter 12
The grand banquet hall fell eerily silent.
One after another, powerful Alphas looked toward the entrance.
An overwhelming Alpha aura had descended upon the estate.
Even seasoned warriors instinctively held their breath.
“What… is that pressure?”
Alpha Hunter slowly put down his wine glass, his expression turning serious.
Only one wolf in the kingdom possessed an aura capable of suppressing every Alpha present.
Outside, dozens of armored Royal Guards surrounded the estate, sealing every exit.
No guest would be allowed to leave.
General Sarabeth stepped into the hall first, followed by Mina and the kingdom’s elite soldiers.
The musicians immediately stopped playing.
Ambassador Ansel frowned.
“General? Why have you brought the Royal Guard?”
Sarabeth’s icy gaze swept across the room.
“No one moves.”
“The banquet is now under royal investigation.”
A wave of whispers spread among the guests.
“An investigation?”
“What happened?”
Rex’s heartbeat quickened.
Something felt terribly wrong.
Meanwhile, inside a locked guest room, Caroline sat weakly on the edge of the bed.
The drug still clouded her mind, leaving her dizzy and powerless.
She heard the commotion outside.
Then footsteps approached.
The door slowly opened.
Alpha Hunter entered alone.
Caroline instinctively backed away.
“Please…”
“I just want to go home.”
Hunter looked at the frightened girl in silence.
Earlier, he had assumed Rex was simply offering him a beautiful young omega.
But after witnessing the Royal Guard’s arrival, something no longer felt right.
“Who are you?” he asked quietly.
Caroline lowered her eyes.
“I’m… nobody.”
Hunter frowned.
“No.”
He could see genuine fear in her trembling hands.
“Tell me the truth.”
Before Caroline could answer, loud voices echoed from the banquet hall.
Rex stepped forward nervously.
“General Sarabeth, surely this is some misunderstanding.”
Sarabeth ignored him.
Instead, she addressed everyone in attendance.
“The Royal Council has uncovered evidence of treason.”
The hall exploded with murmurs.
“Treason?”
“Impossible!”
Rex’s face turned pale.
Melissa instinctively grabbed his arm.
Sarabeth continued.
“The Russo family is under investigation for secretly collaborating with Lord Killian Darkmoon.”
Every guest gasped.
Lord Killian Darkmoon.
The Rogue King.
His name alone was enough to chill the room.
Rex forced himself to laugh.
“General, those are serious accusations.”
“Do you have any proof?”
Sarabeth’s expression remained cold.
“We do.”
Mina stepped forward carrying several encrypted documents and financial records.
She placed them on the banquet table.
“The Russo family received one billion dollars from Queen Jessica.”
Rex froze.
“Immediately afterward, large portions of that money were secretly transferred through encrypted channels connected to Darkmoon.”
Melissa’s face lost all color.
Guests began whispering among themselves.
“They took the Queen’s money?”
“And funded the rogues?”
Rex quickly pointed toward Ansel.
“This is all a misunderstanding!”
“Ambassador Ansel approved the transfer himself!”
Ansel’s expression darkened.
“I approved the transfer because Her Majesty believed you were protecting Princess Caroline.”
His voice echoed across the hall.
“I did not authorize you to finance traitors.”
The atmosphere became even heavier.
Realizing the situation was slipping away, Rex made one final gamble.
He smiled toward Alpha Hunter.
“My lord, surely you can vouch for us.”
Everyone turned toward Hunter.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he slowly walked into the banquet hall.
Behind him…
Caroline followed with hesitant steps.
Her face was pale.
Her wrists still carried bruises from years of abuse.
The moment the guests saw her condition, the hall became deathly quiet.
Hunter stopped beside her.
His eyes never left Rex.
“You told me she came here willingly.”
Rex swallowed nervously.
“She… she did.”
Hunter looked at Caroline.
“Did you?”
Tears welled up in Caroline’s eyes.
She slowly shook her head.
“No.”
Her tiny voice echoed through the silent hall.
“I begged them to let me go home.”
Every noble present felt their stomachs tighten.
Hunter’s expression instantly turned ice cold.
He finally understood.
He hadn’t been offered a guest.
He had been handed a victim.
Rex sensed disaster approaching.
He took an unconscious step backward.
But before anyone could react further…
The massive doors of the banquet hall swung open with a thunderous crash.
A woman dressed in black-and-silver royal armor stepped inside.
A silver crown rested upon her head.
Golden eyes blazed with fury.
Every Alpha in the room instinctively lowered their head.
Even Alpha Hunter took a respectful step back.
Only Rex and Melissa stared in confusion.
They had never seen the Alpha Queen before.
Jessica’s gaze locked onto Caroline.
The bruises.
The torn dress.
The fear in her daughter’s eyes.
Everything she had seen in the recording crystal now stood before her.
Her voice was calm.
Far too calm.
“Caroline.”
The frightened girl slowly looked up.
The moment their eyes met, tears streamed down Caroline’s face.
“Mom…”
Jessica took one step forward.
Then another.
The terrifying pressure filling the banquet hall became almost unbearable.
Finally, she stopped in front of the stunned Russo family.
Her golden eyes settled on Rex.
“I gave you my daughter…”
A long silence followed.
“…and this is how you repaid my trust?”
No one dared answer.
Because every wolf in the hall knew the same thing.
The Alpha Queen’s judgment had begun.
