The Alpha Kings And Their Stripper Mate

Chapter 175: Chapter 174: Lady Seraphine is coming

Maya was looking between them with clear curiosity about what made the last twenty-four hours so eventful, but she didn’t push. Just offered Eve a warm smile and said, "Listen to the lady. Rest. We’ll catch up more later."

Eve watched them walk toward the house together....her human best friend and the omega who was feeding her uncle....and felt something settle in her chest. These were her people. Different worlds, different lives, different levels of knowledge about what was really happening. But her people nonetheless.

She lay back on the bench, let the afternoon sun warm her face, and felt the bond humming contentedly in the background of her awareness. Her mates were scattered across the estate....working, patrolling, managing the thousand details that kept a pack territory running....but present. Always present through the connection that now linked them permanently.

She could rest. She could trust. She could just...exist....for a moment without constant vigilance.

It was a gift she hadn’t known she needed.

Eve closed her eyes and let herself drift, not quite sleeping but not quite awake, somewhere in that peaceful in-between where thoughts moved slowly and the world felt far away.

She woke to the sound of voices....Elena and Maya returning with cookies and what sounded like lemonade as well, chatting easily about something that made them both laugh.

"She’s asleep," Maya whispered, seeing Eve’s closed eyes.

"No, I’m awake," Eve said, not opening her eyes. "Mostly awake."

"Here," Elena said, and Eve felt something pressed into her hand. She opened her eyes to find a cookie....chocolate chip, still slightly warm, absolutely perfect.

She sat up and took a bite, and it was quite possibly the best cookie she’d ever tasted.

"The cook is a magician," she said around the mouthful.

"She really is," Elena agreed, settling onto the bench with her own cookie and a glass of lemonade.

Maya sat on Eve’s other side, and the three of them ate cookies in the garden like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like Eve wasn’t a succubus princess. Like Elena wasn’t being fed on by an ancient incubus. Like Maya wasn’t a human trying to make sense of a supernatural world she couldn’t quite see.

Just three women, eating cookies, enjoying the afternoon.

Eventually, Maya sighed contentedly. "I needed this," she said. "Just....normal. No weird energy surges, no cryptic conversations, no feeling like I’m constantly missing something important. Just cookies and friends."

"We can do more of this," Eve said. "I’ve been so caught up in everything else that I haven’t made time for just...this. We should fix that."

"I’d like that," Maya said. freewebnσvel.cøm

"Me too," Elena added, somewhat shyly. "I don’t....I don’t have many friends in the pack. Most people see me as just an omega, just kitchen staff. It’s nice to...." She paused. "....to be seen as more than that."

Eve looked at her with genuine warmth. "You are so much more than that. Anyone who can’t see it is an idiot."

"Agreed," Maya said firmly.

They finished their cookies and lemonade as the afternoon stretched toward evening, the three of them talking about nothing and everything. relationships, work, dreams, the peculiar challenges of their very different lives.

At some point, Silas appeared at the edge of the garden, his presence announced by the bond before Eve saw him. He didn’t interrupt, just stood watching with that particular expression of quiet contentment that meant he was pleased to see her happy.

Eve caught his eye and smiled, and he smiled back....a small, private smile meant just for her.

"I should go," Maya said, noticing the exchange even if she didn’t fully understand it. "Let you get back to your..." She gestured vaguely. "....your life here."

"Thank you for coming out," Eve said, hugging her friend tightly. "For being patient with all of this weirdness. For staying."

"Always," Maya said. "You’re stuck with me, remember?"

After Maya left, heading back to the guest wing with promises to meet for breakfast the next morning, Elena stood as well.

"I should get these herbs to the kitchen before Mrs. Chen sends someone looking for me," she said, picking up her basket.

"Elena," Eve said, and the omega paused. "Thank you. For taking care of Maya while I’ve been distracted. For being....for being my friend."

Elena’s expression softened. "It’s been my honor, Eve. Truly."

She started to leave, then turned back. "And....your uncle. He’s...." She paused, clearly searching for words. "....he’s remarkable. I want you to know that. What’s between us....it’s not just....it’s real. For me. I don’t know if it is for him, but...."

"It is," Eve said gently. "I can tell. The way he talks about you, the way his energy changes when you’re mentioned....it’s real for him too."

Elena’s face lit up with a smile that was almost painful in its hopefulness. "Really?"

"Really," Eve confirmed.

After Elena left, Eve finally allowed Silas to approach. He settled onto the bench beside her, and she immediately curled into his side, fitting perfectly against him the way she always did.

"Good afternoon?" he asked, his arm coming around her.

"Really good," Eve said. "Normal. I needed normal."

"I’m glad you got it," Silas said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Though I hate to ruin it...."

"But?"

"But there’s something you should know. About the Court situation."

Eve sighed but didn’t move from her comfortable position. "Tell me."

"Isadora sent word about an hour ago. She’s made contact with Lady Seraphine, delivered her initial report. Seraphine wants to arrange a formal meeting with you directly....not through intermediaries. Within the week."

Eve processed this. "That’s faster than I expected."

"Your impression on Isadora was significant," Silas said. "Seraphine wants to assess you herself. See if you’re really as formidable as her ambassador reported."

"Am I ready for that?" Eve asked.

"Yes," Silas said without hesitation. "You are. But we have time to prepare. Raphael will want to brief you on Seraphine specifically....her particular abilities, her likely approach, her specific pressure points."

Eve nodded against his chest. "Okay. But not tonight. Tonight I just want to..."

"Exist," Silas finished. "I know. Come on. Let’s get you inside before you fall asleep out here."

He helped her up, and they walked back to the house together, his arm steady around her, the bond humming warmly between them.

Inside, the estate was settling into evening routines. Pack members moving through their various duties, the kitchen preparing dinner, the comfortable sounds of a household that functioned with practiced efficiency.

Eve’s absurd, impossible, perfect life.

And somewhere beyond the estate borders, in a formal Court residence, Ambassador Isadora was delivering her report to Lady Seraphine, setting in motion the next phase of what was coming.

But that was tomorrow’s problem.

Tonight, Eve would rest.

She’d earned it.