The Craziest Wedding Night

[ Elena ]

As I stood at the center of the raised platform, draped in crimson and gold, Anya circled Lycan Nikolai and I with an elegant grace that was too smooth for her old age. Her long black robes swept the floor and her silver hair glinted under the torchlights surrounding us.

As she performed the mating rites chanting in a language I didn’t understand, I kept my gaze on Lycan Nikolai who was standing before me, his expression blank and piercing as usual. He was dressed in ceremonial black, his broad shoulders draped in a cloak that made him look even more imposing. 

Suddenly, Anya turned to me, her hand reaching out. I expected her to touch my forehead, like she had Nikolai’s, but instead, her palm pressed against my chest, right above my heart.  

The contact was electrifying and a strange warmth spread through me. I instinctively stepped back.  

Then, she leaned in, her voice so low, only I could hear. 

“There’s more to your weak heart than you think, child.” Then, with a crooked smirk, she added. “You are in for an interesting ride, girl.”

Before I could ask what she meant by that, she had already straightened, her face impassive once more. She continued as if nothing at happened before pronouncing a few minutes later.  

“You are now mated by the decree of the Moon Goddess!”

As soon as the mating ceremony was over, I followed Lycan Nikolai to the packhouse and was shown to my new room by the maids. 

A few minutes later, I was standing in front of the large mirror in my new room, with the maids fussing around me as they prepared me for my first night with Lycan Nikolai. 

As much as the idea of having my first sex with Lycan Nikolai felt like a dark, fairytale dream of having the hot dark lord make love to you, it scared the shit out of me. I felt like I was undeserving of him. I shouldn’t be in this world of his.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The red lingerie they had chosen clung to my body, leaving little to the imagination. My skin burned with embarrassment.  

“Stop squirming.” One of the maids snapped, tugging at the lace straps.  

“I’m not squirming.” I muttered, although my voice lacked conviction.  

The maids didn’t like me. That, I had known right from the moment I stepped foot inside of the packhouse. I had seen them gathered around, whispering to each other and laughing. Laughing at the weakling imposter who was acting as the Lycan’s mate and Luna. 

I lifted my gaze as the head maid entered the room. She was a middle aged woman and her sharp features twisted into a scowl the moment she saw me. Her eyes raked over me with disdain. 

“I still don’t understand what the Moon Goddess was thinking, mating you to the Lycan King.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head pitiably at me.

“There are better girls out there.” She continued. “Girls like your sister, who you probably orchestrated into that coma to steal her place.”  

I opened my mouth to protest, but her sharp laugh cut me off.  

“Don’t bother denying it.” She said. “You’re weak. Useless. The Lycan King deserves someone strong by his side, not a sniveling little thing like you. Once your sister is out of her coma, the Lycan King would do away with you right away."

I heard the other maids struggle to stifle their laughter. But I could still hear them. 

I swallowed hard, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill. I wouldn’t let them see me any weaker than they already thought of me. 

“Get her to the King’s quarters.” She ordered before storming off away. 

The maids obeyed her and led me down the hallway to Lycan Nikolai’s quarters. 

As soon as we reached his door, the maids stepped behind and allowed me go in alone. With a small exhale, I pushed the door lightly. It was unopened and I slowly stepped inside. But the sight that greeted me caused my feet to freeze to the ground. 

A woman, naked and beautiful, was straddling Nikolai’s face as she moved against him slowly, her soft moan filling the room as Nikolai who was laying beneath her, flicked his tongue around her wetness, licking and suckling lightly on it. His strong hands were gripping her thighs in a way that left imprints of his fingers. 

I stared wide eyed, pale with shock and unsure of what to do. This was my cue that I shouldn’t be here and that I should leave, right? But what if I made a sound trying to leave?

But before I could make a decision on what to do, Nikolai’s amber eyes flicked toward me. At first, they looked widened slightly as if surprised to see me, then he immediately switched back to his cold and detached look. 

“Shut the door.” He said to me before he continued to lick and suckle on the woman as she rode his face, his eyes still on me. The woman glanced at my way and smirked at me, as if rubbing it to my face that she was taking my place in his bed.

Not like I cared.

“Now.” Lycan Nikolai pulled his head back and commanded me sharper this time.  

I bowed my head before him and turned, shutting the door behind me with shaky hands. I shut my eyes briefly as I tried to get myself again. 

I felt like a fool. A complete and utter fool.  

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Why were you in my room last night?” Nikolai’s voice came, breaking the silence that surrounded us as we had our first breakfast together at the dining table. 

My breath caught in my throat and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. Instead, I brought the warm cup of coffee to my lips and took a dainty sip of it. 

“Are you deaf or just choosing to ignore me?” He asked me again, his tone a little sharper now. 

Taking a deep breath, I lifted my gaze to look at him. His eyes were focused on the meal in front of me as if I didn’t exist. 

“I… uhm, I…” I stammered, raking through my brain for a proper response. But nothing was coming up. 

“You what?” He sounded a little impatient even though he still had his attention on his plate.

I swallowed hard, my hands gripping the fork tighter. I could feel a little anger flowing through me now but I held it back.

“I was… I didn’t know… I mean, I was told to go…”  

He finally lifted his amber eyes to look at me as he dropped his cutlery and leaned back in his chair. The faintest smirk tugged at his lips. But it wasn’t kind. It was cruel and mocking. Yet, it looked so good on him.

“So, you thought you could just walk in and propose that I fuck you, like some desperate little fool?”  

My cheeks burned with embarrassment. 

“No! That’s not…”

He cut me off at once without giving me a chance to defend myself. 

“Let me make one thing very clear, Elena.” His voice lowered as his smirk disappeared and his eyes pierced into mine. “I call the shots around here. If I want you in my bed, it will be because I decided so. Not because you’re in the mood, or because you think it’s your duty as my temporary Luna.”  

I felt my stomach burn at the word ‘temporary Luna.’ I was already sick and tired of being reminded of my present state. 

“You will do what I say, when I say it.” He added. “If I call you, you come. Whether you want to or not. Do you understand?”  

I didn’t give him a response this time.

“Do you understand?” His eyes shot daggers at me, but instead of replying to him, I found myself blurting, unable to hold myself back anymore.

“Why are you so mean?”

“Excuse me?” His face fell.

I blinked my eyes, shocked by my own audacity. I covered my mouth with my hand to stop a soft gasp from escaping. 

What the hell was I thinking! I was so screwed. So, so screwed!

“I’m… I’m sorry…”

Nikolai blinked his eyes, disbelief breaking through his cold walls this time. He quickly reached for his cup for tea and took a long sip of it. My heart thumped loud in my chest as I watched him with fear stricken eyes.

He was going to kill me for speaking that way to him, wasn’t he?

“You’re uhm…” He stuttered and cleared his throat before he continued. Why was he stuttering? What is going on? “In the meantime, you’ll be enrolled in Duskborn Elite Academy. I can’t have you embarrassing me in public with your lack of refinement. You’ll represent me while you’re in that academy, so try not to embarrass yourself or me. You start tomorrow.”

Then, without another word, he got up from the table and strode out. As if he was running away from something. Or rather, my dumb sharp mouth.

Did he just let me go after I had just blurted that nonsense? 

And what was that thing he just mentioned about me attending Duskborn Elite Academy?