After Rebirth, I Refused the Cruel Alpha and Married the Dead Alpha King

Kelli Nelson POV:

"Your Majesty, in the name of the fallen Nelson Pack, I humbly beg for your royal decree." The smooth voice of Demonte Wiley, a young Alpha lord of the Ironfang Pack, echoed through the grand ballroom. "I am willing to take Kelli Nelson as my mate, alongside Lady Baylee Snyder, so that our noble bloodlines may protect the Nelson territory together."

The sharp, stabbing phantom pain in my chest ripped me awake.

I gasped, my fingers flying to my sternum. There was no gaping wound. No freezing silver blade tearing through my heart. My hands were intact, the skin unblemished and warm under the brilliant glow of the crystal chandeliers hanging from the vaulted stone ceiling of the royal palace.

I was back.

I was seventeen again, standing in the Great Hall of the Silvermoon Kingdom during the sacred Blood Moon Banquet.

Just two paces in front of me, Demonte knelt on the polished marble floor. He wore his tailored midnight-blue noble tunic, his broad shoulders squared in what appeared to be a posture of supreme chivalry.

To his right stood Baylee, the gentle maiden of the Snyder house, his latest paramour and the beauty of the court. Her eyes were rimmed with delicate red, a silk handkerchief pressed lightly to her quivering lips, portraying the picture of a selfless noblewoman ready to share her future husband out of sheer charity.

High above us, seated upon the twin obsidian thrones beneath the royal banner of the silver wolf, sat Alpha King Adrain Navarro, the sovereign of the Silvermoon Kingdom. Beside him, his mother, the revered Dowager Luna Erla, watched the assembly with sharp, assessing eyes.

"Demonte," the Alpha King rumbled, his voice thick with royal dominance that made the lesser wolves in the hall bow their heads. "You show remarkable grace. The Nelson Pack's warriors died valorously defending our northern borders. To take their orphaned daughter under your protection honors our sacred traditions."

A wave of admiring murmurs rippled through the gathering nobles.

"What a noble Alpha!" a countess whispered behind her feather fan. "Taking a Wolfless girl who cannot even shift, just to preserve her family name."

"And Lady Baylee is so gracious to allow a second bride," another chimed in.

I stared at the back of Demonte's neck, my stomach turning with pure, unadulterated revulsion.

In my past life, I had believed this disgusting charade. I had wept tears of gratitude, accepted the humiliation of being a second-class mate, and handed over the Nelson ancestral lands and military seals-only to be poisoned with silver in a dark cellar once they squeezed every drop of power from my lineage.

Demonte turned his head toward me. He offered a practiced, tender smile and reached out his hand, expecting me to place my trembling fingers into his palm as I had done before.

"Come forward, Kelli," he coaxed softly, loud enough for the court to hear. "Do not be afraid. I will shield you from the harshness of this world."

As his manicured fingers came within inches of my skin, I took a deliberate, frightened step backward.

His hand froze in midair.

A flicker of irritation darkened Demonte's amber eyes before he quickly masked it with gentle concern.

"Kelli?" he murmured, a faint warning edge beneath his tone.

"Look at her," Lady Serena Navarro, the King's haughty niece, sneered from the front row. "She is so broken and useless she cannot even accept a blessing properly. A Wolfless orphan should be kissing the floor for such an honor."

I ignored Serena. I dug my fingernails deep into the meat of my palms, letting the sharp physical pain draw tears to my eyes. My breath hitched in my throat, sounding suitably pathetic and overwhelmed.

Then, I gathered my skirts, stepped around Demonte's outstretched arm, and dropped heavily to both knees before the royal dais.

The hall fell dead silent.

"Kelli," the Alpha King addressed me, his brow furrowing slightly. "Do you have objections to this union?"

I bowed my head until my forehead brushed the cold marble. When I rose, my vision was blurred with genuine tears, but my voice carried clearly to every corner of the vast hall.

"Your Majesty, Your Grace," I cried, my voice trembling with practiced despair. "I am only a weak, Wolfless orphan. I could never bear the weight of such profound generosity from Lord Demonte."

Demonte shifted on his knees, his jaw tightening. "Kelli, stop this nonsense. We spoke of this. It is for your pack's survival."

Baylee rushed forward, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Sister Kelli, please do not feel burdened. I am more than happy to welcome you as a co-mate. We only wish to honor your brave father."

I jerked my shoulder away as if burned by pure silver, retreating another inch.

"Lady Baylee," I wept openly, looking directly into her wide, innocent eyes. "How could I ever be so cruel as to tear apart two lovers who have already bound their hearts in secret? I cannot steal the man you adore."

The entire hall erupted into a frenzy of shocked gasps.

Kelli Nelson POV:

The whispers in the grand hall swelled like a gathering storm.

"Did she say secret lovers?"

"Lord Demonte and Lady Baylee were already involved?"

"So this so-called marriage of two brides, both sworn to protect the Nelson territory... was it nothing but a farce to seize the land?"

Demonte's face drained of color. He shot to his feet, his composure cracking around the edges. "Your Majesty, this is absurd! Kelli has lost her mind from grief! She has been shut away in her manor for months, confusing nightmares with reality!"

Baylee stumbled back against her maid, clutching her chest as tears streamed down her porcelain cheeks. "Kelli... how could you defame my maidenly honor before the entire court? I have done nothing but pity your misfortune!"

High on the dais, the Dowager Luna leaned forward, her silver hair catching the chandelier light. Her sharp gray eyes locked onto me. "Speak plainly, child. What are you implying before the throne?"

I kept my spine ramrod straight, though my shoulders shook with feigned weakness. "Your Grace, my father and brothers died drenched in northern snow to protect this kingdom. Every night, their spirits visit my dreams, bleeding and weeping. If I accept Lord Demonte's proposal under the guise of an honorable pack union while he harbors another woman in his heart, I would be dragging the Nelson war banner through the mud."

I turned my tear-streaked face directly toward the Alpha King.

"Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to grant me a different path. Allow me to fulfill a true sacred oath."

The King tilted his head, his golden wolf eyes narrowing with intense scrutiny. "What oath do you speak of?"

I drew a long, steady breath into my lungs. Every beat of my heart hammered against my ribs with icy clarity.

"I request permission to wed the late true heir of the Ironfang Pack," I declared, my voice ringing without a single tremor. "Let me enter a sacred honor-mate bond with Lord Edward Wiley."

If the hall had been noisy before, it was now as silent as a graveyard.

Demonte stared at me as if I had grown a second head. His mouth hung slightly open, his fists trembling violently at his sides.

Across the aisle, Lord Karson Wiley-the reigning Pack Alpha of Ironfang and Demonte's supposed adoptive father-slammed his goblet onto the wooden table. The dark wine splashed across the white linen cloth.

"Insolence!" Karson roared, his heavy brow drawn into a thunderous scowl. "My eldest son Edward fell in the northern wasteland a year ago! His body was never even recovered! Are you mocking the dead, girl?"

"I am honoring him, My Lord!" I countered instantly, raising my voice to meet his fury. "Lord Edward died holding the line so the Royal Crown Prince could escape the rogue ambush! He is the greatest hero this kingdom has seen in a century! Since Lord Demonte is so eager to manage the Ironfang succession and my pack's heritage, why should the true heir be forgotten?"

I looked directly at the Dowager Luna.

The old queen mother had personally raised Edward in the royal nursery alongside the princes. The grief of his loss had caused her severe chest ailments for months.

As my words echoed through the arches, I saw the Dowager Luna's withered hands grip the armrests of her throne. A look of fierce, protective emotion flashed across her aged face.

"A maiden willing to hold vigil for a fallen hero," the Dowager Luna murmured softly, her voice carrying a deep resonance. "That is an ancient tradition of the First Wolves. Rare in these cowardly times."

Demonte panicked. He could see his entire plan slipping through his fingers. If I married a dead man, the Nelson territory would be locked under the late heir's estate, governed directly by the Crown until a proper heir was designated-leaving him completely empty-handed.

"Your Majesty, she is lying!" Demonte shouted, stepping between me and the throne. "Kelli has always harbored feelings for me! She gave me a private token of her affection only three nights ago! She is only throwing a tantrum because she refuses to share my affections with Baylee!"

With a theatrical flourish, Demonte reached into his inner breast pocket and pulled out a delicate square of folded white silk.

He held it high above his head for all the court to witness.

"Behold!" Demonte proclaimed, his chest puffing out with triumphant arrogance. "Her own personal silk handkerchief, embroidered with the silver thread unique to the Nelson household! Explain this, Kelli, if you truly intended to remain faithful to a ghost!"

Kelli Nelson POV:

A collective murmur of scandalized excitement ran through the assembled nobles.

Serena let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "I knew it! A scheming little Wolfless snake! She threw herself at Demonte in secret, and now that she realizes she has to share him, she puts on this pathetic display of false virtue!"

Baylee lowered her handkerchief, a tiny, venomous smile tugging at the corners of her lips before she quickly masked it with sorrow. "Kelli... if you had only told me you wanted him entirely to yourself, I would have stepped aside. Why must you humiliate us all like this?"

I stood up slowly from the cold floor. I didn't rush. I didn't scream.

I walked toward Demonte, stopping three paces away. The faint, rancid scent of his cheap musk and foul ambition made my skin crawl, but my expression remained sorrowful and serene.

"Lord Demonte," I said softly, tilting my head. "Are you absolutely certain that handkerchief was given to you as a pledge of love?"

Demonte sneered, leaning in slightly so only I could see the malicious gleam in his eyes. "Do not try to wiggle out of this, Kelli. You gave it to my servant at the city gates. The Nelson silver embroidery is unmistakable."

"Then let the court examine it," I replied, turning to the throne. "Your Majesty, since Lord Demonte claims this is proof of an illicit romance between us, I beg the royal herald to inspect the cloth. Let the truth be spoken under the light of the sacred moon."

The Alpha King gestured with two fingers. "Bring it forward."

A royal attendant stepped down from the dais, holding a polished silver tray.

Demonte tossed the silk square onto the tray with smug confidence, believing he had backed me into an inescapable corner.

As the attendant carried the tray past the front row of nobles, Serena reached out and snatched the handkerchief. "Allow me, Uncle! I shall read the shameful verses she undoubtedly stitched for her lover!"

Karson sat back in his chair, taking a slow sip of freshly poured wine, looking at me as if I were already a crushed insect beneath his boot.

Serena unfolded the delicate silk with an exaggerated flourish. "Let us see what sweet, desperate words our tragic orphan wrote-"

Her voice abruptly died in her throat.

The smug grin on Serena's face froze, then shattered into a mask of pure disbelief. Her fingers clenched the edges of the silk so tightly that the fabric strained.

"Well, Serena?" the King prompted, his voice laced with growing impatience. "Read it."

Serena swallowed hard, her throat bobbing. She looked frantically from the handkerchief to Demonte, and then to Karson, her face draining of all color.

"I... I..." Serena stammered, backing away.

"What is the matter, Lady Serena?" I asked, taking a calm step forward. "Did you find my name on it? Or perhaps you found the secret oath of eternal devotion?"

"Silence!" the Dowager Luna commanded, striking her silver-topped cane against the stone platform. The sound cracked like thunder. "Herald, take the cloth from her hands and read the inscription embroidered within the silver wolf-head pattern!"

The herald swiftly retrieved the handkerchief from the paralyzed Serena. He held it up to the candlelight, squinting at the micro-embroidery woven into the corner of the crest.

Then, the herald's eyes went wide. He dropped to one knee before the King.

"Your Majesty... the embroidery does not bear Lord Demonte's name."

Demonte flinched. "What? That is impossible!"

"Read the name aloud, Herald," the King ordered coldly.

The herald cleared his throat, his voice carrying clearly to every ear in the room:

"To the Unconquered Blade of Silvermoon, Lord Edward Wiley. May your spirit rest in the embrace of the Moon Goddess."

A chilling silence descended upon the grand hall.

I looked at Demonte, whose face was now the color of curdled milk.

"That handkerchief was a funerary offering I spent three months sewing for the late heir," I said, my voice cutting through the silence like a frozen dagger. "Lord Demonte stole it from my family's memorial altar. And now, he stands before the King, brandishing his dead brother's funeral shroud as a trophy of conquest."