The Girl He Sold Returned As The King’s Mate Chapter 01
When I was nine, the boy I’d grown up with sold me to a traveling carnival.
He said that if I, his family’s recognized daughter, disappeared, then my half-sister wouldn’t have to live in my shadow.
He returned to Riverbend Pack soaked to the bone, telling my father I’d chased a paper boat during the Summer Riverside Festival and fallen into the rapids.
After that, my sister took my place as Father’s only acknowledged daughter and became his fiancée.
As for me, I was stripped of my name, branded with a number, and trafficked through an illegal labor network for thirteen years.
Then I saved the Alpha King from an ambush on the northern border. I followed him back to the capital and became a royal medical investigator.
The new list of administrative candidates from the Royal Academy arrived at the Castle.
I saw his name on the list, and I drew a line straight through it.
“Adrian Cole trafficked a nine-year-old girl.”
“I don’t care how outstanding his grades are. A man like that has no place serving the Crown.”
…
The councilor in charge of personnel appointments went pale.
“Watch yourself, Naomi.”
“Adrian ranked second in this year’s assessments. His policy report was vetted by five evaluators. There isn’t a single irregularity in his file.”
“He comes from the poorest district in Riverbend Pack. It took him thirteen years of scholarships and side jobs to get this far.”
“If you block his appointment without evidence, every student who fought their way through the Royal Academy’s exams will question the Crown’s integrity.”
I set down my stylus.
“I’m not questioning his report.”
“I’m questioning the hand that wrote it—the same hand that pressed a drugged child’s thumb onto a bill of sale.”
The King’s private strategy room fell silent.
Several members of the Royal Council exchanged uneasy glances, clearly assuming I was running with some unsubstantiated rumor.
An inspector spoke up. “Royal Academy appointments are not to be influenced by the King’s private relationships. Adrian’s residency records, school files, and Pack background have all been cleared.”
“Naomi, you’ve just accused him of human trafficking. If an investigation proves you’re lying, what consequences are you prepared to face?”
Alpha King Elliot Vaughn sat at the head of the long table, his gaze fixed on me.
He didn’t answer for me.
“Naomi,” he asked, his voice low and even. “Do you know him?”
Since entering the Royal Castle, I’d been Naomi Sutton.
It was the name the Healer who saved me had given me.
Very few people in this world knew the name I was born with.
I met Elliot’s eyes.
“I do.”
“And because I do, I am formally requesting that the Royal Justice Office reopen the Riverbend dock disappearance case from thirteen years ago.”
The councilor frowned.
“What does a thirteen-year-old cold case have to do with Adrian’s appointment?”
“It will, once the investigation is complete.”
He looked ready to argue, but I was faster. I unclipped the identification badge of a royal medical investigator from my coat and set it on the table beside the candidate list.
“I’m staking my position and my reputation on it.”
“If this is a malicious lie, I will resign from every royal post I hold. I’ll leave the Royal Castle and never ask the King for a single favor again.”
Elliot stared at the badge for a long moment.
He knew this wasn’t about favoritism.
Three years ago, he’d been ambushed by rogues at the Blackridge Pack border and shot through the shoulder. The wolfsbane on the bullet suppressed his healing, but I was the one who identified the compound toxin from the wound and traced it back to a mole in the Royal Guard’s medical supply chain.
If all I wanted was to destroy a man who hadn’t even been appointed, I wouldn’t be demanding a public investigation.
Finally, Elliot’s gaze landed on the list.
“Adrian Cole’s appointment is suspended.”
“Seal his assessment materials and background file. The Royal Justice Office and the Royal Council’s inspection team will conduct a joint reexamination.”
“In seven days, a public hearing will be held at the Royal Castle. Academy representatives, media observers, and Riverbend Pack officials may attend.”
The councilor had no choice but to accept the ruling.
After everyone else had filed out, Elliot pushed my badge back across the table to me.
“You still can’t tell me?”
“The key witnesses are in transit.”
“I’m afraid if I say their names too soon, someone will get to them first.”
He was quiet for a moment.
“How many Royal Guards do you need?”
“Twenty.”
“You’ll have forty. The witnesses will be placed under royal protection, and all travel logs will be restricted to lead investigators.”
I put the badge away.
“Thank you.”
Elliot took my hand. His Alpha power wasn’t a weight; it was a steady, grounding warmth.
“This isn’t about us. This isn’t me helping my mate settle a score.”
“This is the Crown vetting a man who is about to wield public power.”
I nodded.
I had waited thirteen years to hear those words.