The Alpha Queen Returns – Chapter 13
The banquet hall was so quiet that no one dared to breathe.
Jessica’s golden eyes never left Rex Russo.
Every noble present could feel the terrifying pressure radiating from the Alpha Queen.
Rex’s legs trembled.
“W-Who are you?”
Before Jessica could answer, every Royal Guard in the hall dropped to one knee.
General Sarabeth knelt first.
Then Mina.
Moments later, Ambassador Ansel, Alpha Hunter, and every Council official followed.
In one unified voice, they declared,
“Your Majesty!”
The words exploded through the hall.
Rex, Melissa, and Reva stared in horror.
Your Majesty?
The humble healer they had mocked…
The woman they had extorted for a billion dollars…
Was the legendary Wolf Queen herself.
Melissa stumbled backward.
“T-That’s impossible…”
Reva’s face turned ghostly white.
“The healer…”
“The healer is the Alpha Queen?”
Caroline looked up at her mother in disbelief.
For years, she had believed Jessica was only a kind village healer.
Now everyone—including the most powerful Alphas in the kingdom—was kneeling before her.
“Mom…”
Jessica slowly turned toward Caroline.
The fury in her eyes melted into heartbreaking tenderness.
She gently reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from Caroline’s bruised face.
“I’m sorry.”
Her voice trembled for the first time.
“I failed you.”
Caroline could no longer hold back her tears.
She threw herself into Jessica’s arms.
“Mom!”
Jessica embraced her tightly, as though afraid she might disappear again.
“I’m here now.”
“No one will ever hurt you again.”
Watching the reunion, even battle-hardened soldiers lowered their heads.
Meanwhile, Rex’s mind raced.
If Jessica learned everything…
The Russo family was finished.
Desperate, he suddenly dropped to his knees.
“Your Majesty!”
“It was all a misunderstanding!”
Melissa immediately followed.
“Yes! We always treated Princess Caroline like family!”
Reva quickly burst into fake tears.
“We loved her!”
Caroline instinctively flinched at those words.
Jessica noticed.
Her eyes grew cold once more.
“Family?”
She looked directly at Rex.
“You threatened to kill me if Caroline spoke the truth.”
Rex froze.
Jessica turned toward Melissa.
“You accepted my money while allowing my daughter to be treated as a slave.”
Melissa’s lips trembled.
Then Jessica faced Reva.
“You humiliated her.”
“You starved her.”
“You beat her.”
Each accusation struck like a hammer.
Finally, Jessica looked at Sarabeth.
“The evidence.”
Sarabeth stood and nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Mina stepped forward and activated another recording crystal.
The banquet hall filled with Caroline’s painful memories.
Reva screaming,
“You’re nothing but a slave!”
Rex threatening,
“If you tell your mother, I’ll hunt her down and kill her.”
Melissa demanding money while pretending to care for Caroline.
The guests watched in stunned silence.
Every lie…
Every act of cruelty…
Every crime…
Played before the entire kingdom.
When the recording ended, Alpha Hunter’s expression had completely changed.
He slowly turned toward Rex.
“So…”
His voice was colder than ice.
“You lied to me.”
Rex opened his mouth.
“My Lord, I—”
Before he could finish, Hunter struck him across the face.
Crack!
Rex crashed into a banquet table, sending dishes flying across the floor.
“You dared use me as part of your filthy scheme?”
Hunter’s Alpha aura erupted.
“If General Sarabeth hadn’t arrived…”
His voice filled with disgust.
“I would have become your accomplice.”
Rex lay on the ground, coughing blood.
“No… please…”
Jessica didn’t even glance at him.
Her attention remained on Caroline.
She noticed bruises covering her daughter’s wrists.
Old scars on her arms.
Marks left by years of abuse.
Every bruise felt like another blade piercing her heart.
She carefully took Caroline’s trembling hands into her own.
“I’m taking you home.”
Caroline looked up through tear-filled eyes.
“Really?”
Jessica smiled sadly.
“Home.”
“The place where you belong.”
For the first time in years, genuine hope appeared in Caroline’s eyes.
She nodded.
“Okay, Mom.”
But just as Jessica prepared to leave with her daughter, a Royal Guard rushed into the hall.
“Your Majesty!”
Everyone turned.
The soldier knelt hurriedly.
“We’ve intercepted an urgent message.”
Sarabeth frowned.
“What is it?”
The guard looked toward Jessica.
“Our scouts have confirmed that Lord Killian Darkmoon has begun gathering rogue armies.”
The hall instantly fell silent.
“He knows his allies in the Russo family have been exposed.”
The soldier swallowed hard.
“And according to our intelligence…”
“He has declared war on every pack that refuses to submit.”
Jessica slowly lifted her head.
Her expression became calm once again.
Not the calm of peace…
But the calm before a storm.
She handed Caroline gently to Sarabeth.
“Protect my daughter.”
Sarabeth bowed.
“With my life.”
Jessica turned toward the terrified nobles gathered in the hall.
“The traitors will face justice.”
Then her gaze shifted toward the distant horizon.
“As for Killian Darkmoon…”
Her golden wolf aura flared brilliantly, shaking the entire banquet hall.
“I’ll finish this war.”
Once.
And for all.
