4. Rejection

SELENE

I don't know what face I was making when Lucas tilted his head.

"Now, why are you making that face, babe?" He asked, leaning against one of the desks.

I shook my head, gingerly fingering the pendant. "N-no, it's nothing," I reassured him. "Just... tired of being stuck in school all day. I'm so ready to go home and get prepared for tonight."

Lucas smiled as if satisfied with my answer. He motioned for me to come close to him and I did without restraint.

He held my hand and kissed the back of it, his other hand rested on my hip. "Great," Lucas said. "I think that's a good idea."

I smiled, confused by the unsettling feeling in my stomach.

_________

[3:16PM]

Samantha and I were listening to Talia's ranting.

"But I had the ball during PE," she said. "All she needed to do was cooperate and we could have beaten the boys! But nooo~ She had to pretend to fall and pass the ball over to her crush. Great going, Brenda."

"I can't understand why you act so nice to her anyway," I said, rolling my eyes. "It's obvious you guys can't stand each other."

"It's better than fighting with her for no reason. Besides, I have a reputation to maintain."

Since it was the end of the school day, all of the students who didn't have extracurricular activities after school were in a hurry to leave the building.

The girls and I exited the school and were prepared to walk down the steps when I stopped. Samantha and Talia stopped too.

Lucas was in front of the school and a smooth black car pulled up to him, but it wasn't the family driver that usually picked him up.

This guy was much younger. His stark black hair was parted at the side of his head, combed in a way so that the fuller side gently flowed back over his ear.

He didn't turn his gaze away from the road ahead to look at anything around him. He seemed extremely concentrated in that regard, but without looking too tense.

He was dressed like he was coming from someone important, a black dress shirt and, while I couldn't see his pants, I doubt he was wearing jeans.

Lucas got into the front seat. They seemed to be talking about something.

"What's up with you?" Samantha said. She followed my gaze and smirked. "Oh~ I didn't know Ethan had enough time to come here of all places."

"You know him?" I turned to Her. She shrugged, a frown appearing on her mouth. "And you don't?" Samantha asked.

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Really?" Talia rested her arm on my shoulder. "I've never met anyone in our community who didn't. But that's not all that surprising since... you know?"

I rolled my eyes. I was more than aware that she was referring to what my mother did. "You can say it, Talia, I'm not offended. Is he someone important?"

She giggled and pulled her lollipop out of her mouth. Sometimes I swore she enjoyed making me uncomfortable. "More than important. That's Lucas' older brother, and the Crown Prince."

"And the man I wouldn't mind wetting my panties," Samantha commented.

The girls giggled while I watched the car drive away. Ethan, I heard Lucas mention him sometimes. He seemed to be really proud of his brother. I wonder if he will be at the party tonight?

______

ETHAN

Lucas took off his school bag and tossed it into my backseat, making me grimace.

"Looks like you changed your mind," Lucas said. I didn't answer him and started the car.

He knew better than to change the music I played in my own car, but that didn't stop him from commenting on it.

"What even is punk rock? What about something more, I don't know, good?"

"I won't be coming to your party tonight," I said.

I could see Lucas looking at me through the corner of my eyes.

"What? But I thought you didn't have to leave until tomorrow morning?"

I slowed the car down when we approached a red light. I took the initiative to turn slightly and face him.

"I was called in by Grandpa. Didn't want to, but it couldn't be helped."

Lucas nodded, but a frown started to form on his face. "Of course. I just thought that for once, you'd want to actually be there for my little brother."

"Lucas don't be like that. What I want doesn't matter." I relaxed once my head leaned against the headrest. "Mom is... and Dad left his post for another woman, leaving Grandpa to step in and reclaim his place as King. Grandpa is fit, but old. He can't continue to do this. So I need to learn as much as possible and take over."

He waved me off. "I know, I know." The light switched to green. "I'm sorry. Of course, I know how hard it is for you and I shouldn't be a brat."

Smiling, I released the brakes and started driving again. "Good. Now shut up and tell me what you want to eat."

Being my annoying sibling, he refused to listen to me. "Too bad you won't be here to hear me take my fianceé raw."

That comment earned him a smack upside the head.

"Ow! What did I do this time?"

I shook my head. After a while, I asked him about something that had been bugging me ever since I picked him up. "Does your school use some type of special cleaner? Something that smells like grilled pineapple and meadows after the rain?"

Lucas looked at me like I grew two chins. "No?"

"Huh..." Maybe it was someone's perfume. But from the look of it, Lucas' Lycan senses didn't pick up the scent.

For some strange reason that made me happy, like I didn't want him to. What a funny feeling it was to want to keep some random scent all to yourself.

______

SELENE

[8:33PM]

[The Lycan Vacation Mansion]

The party was booming, I could tell even before leaving the vehicle that was sent for me and my family.

There was someone there to open the door for me. He held out his hand, and I took it as I stepped out.

The light from the windows reflected off the shine of my ankle-length dress. It faded from a silvery gray at the neckline and into a deep blue at my feet. The dress fit me like a glove. I brought a white jacket with me since the dress had no sleeves. I picked out silver pumps to match the outfit.

I thanked him. Aunt Avery stood beside me and hooked her arm into mine. Soon, we started walking towards the venue.

"This is it, Selena," Aunt Avery said. "After tonight, everything that we had worked so hard for will pay off. We, from the Carp family, have not been allowed to step inside this mansion for years."

When no one was looking, Aunt Avery grabbed my chin, careful not to mess up my makeup. "Your grandmother pleaded with the Scarlett-Hearts to give us a second chance and allow us to keep our position and privileges. Someone had to pay. Don't mess things up like your Mom did."

I swallowed my spit and nodded. "Of course, Aunt."

She released me. We smiled like nothing happened and continued walking side by side. "Good. Now smile more. But don't smile too much. You'll look like a floozy."

I did as she instructed, just like always.

The rooms were lined with fairy lights, the original lighting of the house was dimmed significantly.

I recognised some of the people here as members of important families. Aunt Avery made me network with the people she was familiar with, using my planned engagement to Lucas to market herself to other perspective business owners.

It was no big deal to me at the time. If I was lucky, I would never have to see these people again.

I was analysing the finger food on the tables set out for guests when someone's hand grabbed mine and led me away from the crowd. I held back my surprise because I knew it was Lucas by his blonde hair.

He led me to the pavilion that was in their backyard and a small distance from the house. Lucas let me go and I looked at him.

He was decked out in a crisp white suit with a medium blue dress shirt underneath it, accompanied by a dark blue tie. "You look beautiful, babe. I see you're wearing the necklace I bought you."

I smiled. "Of course, and thank you. But why did you bring me out here? the party is still going on."

Lucas unbuttoned his jacket and slipped it off his shoulders. "I know, I know, but it was getting stuffy in there and I figured you and I could use the fresh air."

Lucas carefully placed his jacket down and slowly moved towards me. Within a second, he had me in his arms. "Plus, you just looked way too good in that dress, it made me want to eat you up."

I laughed but that laugh was quickly cut short by the attack of his lips. At first, it was sweet and passionate, however with time, it became as rough and destructive as a tidal wave. "Wait, stop," I muttered.

I managed to pull away from his lips but he went right back to kissing me in that same rough manner. His hand travelled to my ass and squeezed it painfully hard. It wasn't arousing at all.

"Lucas, stop!" I broke free from his kiss again. "That doesn't feel good. Plus, what if someone sees us? It would cause us both trouble."

Lucas chuckled. He leaned closer to whisper in my ear. "Oh, come on, Selene. I know you want this. Isn't this what you've been chasing after your whole life? You don't even have to do anything. Just keep that pretty mouth of yours shut and don't act up. Simple right?" Then he licked my ear.

I gasped in disbelief. Was he insinuating what I thought he was? To have me here and now? Like I was some present on Christmas Eve that he doesn't have enough patience to wait for Christmas to open?

I inhaled and tried to laugh it off. "Come on, Lucas. Besides, there's no need to hurry into it."

I might as well have not spoken at all. Lucas reached into my dress and removed one of my breasts. He licked his lips and bit me below the nipple.

"Ow! Lucas!"

This time I pushed him hard enough for him to back away and blindly bump into a pillar.

The smile dropped from his face as if it were hot coal. "Gosh," he brushed his hair back. "Don't you think it's time to stop acting so pure? You have me where you want me now, don't you get it?"

I backed away and tucked my breast in. Tears started to form but I regulated my emotions and took deep breaths so they wouldn't fall. I cleared my throat. "The only thing I wanted was to go back inside. But you're not listening to me at all."

He chuckled. "Why should I listen to what you tell me to do? Did you forget that you were given to me?"

The way he spoke, his body language, his demeanor…

I frowned.

That only caused him to laugh as he stood up straight. "You're only here because your mother is a worthless wrench, and your relatives are drooling over my family's power. So I don't know why you're acting so shy when you have the mightiest of Lycans as your owner."

"You're not acting like a Lycan. You're acting more like a dog."

Out of everything else, that seemed to tick him off the most.

_________

We went back inside, just like I wanted, but Lucas made a point of dragging me in by my hair. 

He dropped my head in the middle of the crowd. I gasped, trying to grapple with the pain pulsing through my skull. 

"This girl had disrespected the Lycan royal family!" He shouted. Lucas worked in circles around me like an angry shark, stirring the fears of the frightened fishes around it. "Such a person cannot enter our household. As such, I hereby break off this engagement. I want every member of her family to leave my party. Now."

His words travelled through my body like a lethal volt of electricity. 

No, my aunt, my grandma and my cousins. They're depending on me. 

Furthermore, the punishment for insulting the Lycans was no joke. Lucas has the power to exact any time of punishment that he wants. Since I injured his ego, who knows what he will do?

The guests looked down at me as I pushed myself up into a sitting position.

"They kept bragging about how that woman's daughter is better than all of ours."

"What? How disgraceful."

"Did she think that she could do whatever she wanted just because she was approved to be his Highness' fiancee?"

"She's quite ignorant. It's no surprise after what her mother did."

My hands clenched into fists. This is my fault. If only I tolerated Lucas' advances, then this wouldn't have happened. Why couldn't I tolerate him? We would have gotten intimate down the line eventually. But I just... it didn't feel right. 

That's right! I looked up at Aunt Avery with hope. Maybe if she spoke for me, there would be a way to rectify this. There is still a chance.

There was no way she would abandon me.