Chapter 2

Avery Elise’s P. O. V.

The moment the signing was done, I was officially introduced to everyone as Duke’s wife. After the introduction, my husband needed to attend a meeting with those businessmen and Alpha to spread the word that the new Lycan Alpha King had finally married and will officially succeed to his throne.

Later, once he gets back here, we will need to consummate our wedding according to our traditions. My parents had already left so I was now alone here with Morgan. Duke also forbade them from coming here from time to time to visit me without his permission, my father just agreed to him. He has no means of visiting me, anyway.

While I'm following Mrs. Morgan Myers inside the mansion, I couldn't help but to feel strange around me. Everyone's looking at me and watching my moves with disappointment in their eyes. I even heard that they were really expecting Valerie to be here instead of me and that they had prepared everything according to Valerie's likeness. 

I understand them though because even I didn't expect that Dad would offer me instead of his precious daughter.

"Morgan!" I saw a woman coming from the left side of the mansion with worry in her eyes. "How did the wedding go?"

"Well, you tell me," Morgan looked at me from head to toe and I immediately lowered my gaze. 

I can't act so weak in front of them, but that's what I really am. I can't even stand for myself right now. I heard when the woman gasped loudly and disappointedly.  

"Is this her? But I thought it'll be Valerie that Duke's marrying?" There was an insult in her tone when she asked Morgan about me.

I secretly clutched the hem of my coat while listening to them.

"Tiffany, we have forgotten the part that Kenzo's love for his real daughter is unbreakable, so instead, he sent his b*stard here to repent for his mistake," Morgan's tone was sharp as she looked at me. "A mistake for a mistake. Fantastic, isn't it, Avery?"

I looked up at them with no emotion in my eyes. I wanted so much to say the worst words to them, but I know that if I do that, Chairman Myers would have my head for disrespecting his wife.

"I apologize that you didn't expect me to be here, but I hope you will accept the fact that I am your son's wife now, his Luna Queen. So, any kind of humiliating words would be a crime the next time you use one on me." I saw when their eyes widened and their mouths parted in shock and anger. "As the former Queen, shouldn't you be aware of that?"

"H-How dare you to talk to me like that!" Morgan pointed her finger at me while gritting her teeth.

"I'm sorry if the truth's hurting you, Morgan." I lowered my head to apologize sincerely to her. 

That was the truth anyway. I overheard from the maids that talking rudely about the Queen is a serious offense.

"Please, don't stress yourself, Morgan. I'm sure, Avery didn't mind what she said," Tiffany said in a sweet tone as she calmed Morgan. "Do prepare yourself for dinner instead. I'll take it from here and will guide Avery to her room."

I was just watching the two of them when Morgan looked at Tiffany with appreciation in her eyes. 

"I can really always rely on you, Tiffany," Morgan said before she gave Tiffany a peck on the cheek and left us.

When Morgan was finally gone, Tiffany looked at me with a burning anger in her eyes.

"Follow me, I'll send you to your room." She said emotionless, her sweet smile that she gave Morgan was gone now.

I didn't mind her reaction anymore and I just carried my luggage to follow her. We went upstairs and I saw that she went to the corner of the third floor. There was a metal door there and Tiffany went to open it before she stood in front of the door.

"Go in. This will be your room," she smirked at me.

I nodded at her before I walked past her and entered the room, but I stopped in front of the door when I saw what was inside. I was about to turn around to face Tiffany when I felt her hands on my back and I immediately fell in the middle of the room as my body directly met the floor.

"Argh!" I grunted in pain and closed my eyes tightly when I hit the metal from my luggage. I clutched my stomach as pain engulfed me.

While I'm feeling the pain, I heard Tiffany laughing beside me. I tried my best to get up, but with the pain in my stomach, I can only sit down on the floor.

"Do you really think that you'll live a lavish life by being married to Duke?" She asked me with a mocking smirk on her lips. “I heard your father never cared about you. Tell me, Avery. Did you do something to your sister that’s why you end up being here instead of Valerie?”

“W-What?” I asked her in disbelief.

How could she ask me that about my sister? It’s true that my father never showed any affection for me and he always prioritized my sister and it’s also true that Valerie never treated me well and I always feel jealous of her for being the perfect and favorite child, but I wouldn’t come to the point that I will hurt her just to grab an opportunity like this.

"P-Please, don't speak like that. I would never do something horrible to my sister!" I told her while still grunting in pain.

Tiffany scoffed at me, "Yeah, right." She sounded like she really didn't believe me. “But it’s okay if you really did it,” Tiffany smirked at me. “I didn’t like Valerie in the first place, And also…” She looked down at me. “At least I wouldn’t have to go the hard way to have Duke for myself, don’t you agree? I mean just look at you... a weakling!”

While looking at Tiffany and seeing her obsessive eyes, I suddenly remember what Valerie told me last night.

“W-Was it you?” I asked before I slowly tried to get up. “When the n-news came out that Duke’s ex-fiances’ died before marriage, was it you who killed them?”

Tiffany’s eyes widened while looking at me before she slowly burst out laughing. Her laughter scared me because of how horrible it sounded. I needed to take a step back to calm myself and not to cry in front of her.

“That was the funniest thing I’ve ever heard, b*tch!” Tiffany looked at me again with her sharp eyes. “Didn’t you know that it’s against the Lycan’s law to kill without an approval from our Alpha King?” She scoffed at me. “Even Alphas’ can’t move right away without him agreeing. The law was implemented when human technology started growing rapidly and the Lycans needed to be protected from everything.”

“I-I didn’t know..” I wasn’t educated by our law. In fact, I’m more aware of the education that humans have than my own kind.

“You’re not just weak, you’re even ignorant of everything. What are you, a damsel in distress?” Tiffany stood in front of me before she grabbed my jaw. “Don’t you dare try to seduce Duke, because he’s mine to end up with!”

I held her hand and tried my best to push her away.

“I’ll keep my eye on you!”

It was a relief for me when Tiffany finally left my room. I fell to the ground as I hugged myself in fear. I felt when my tears rolled down from my eyes while I’m looking at nothing.

Great! It’s my first night here and yet I’m already making enemies. My father was right when he told me that no one would want to have me.

I was sobbing on the floor when the door slowly opened and an old woman came in.

“Oh, dear!” She immediately went to me and helped me up. “What happened to you?” She checked my body and her eyes widened when she saw the bruise on my arm and even under my jaw. “Who did this to you on your wedding night?”

My lips tremble when I sense pity and worry in her eyes.

“N-No one,” I tried to calm myself before I wiped my tears.

“The Alpha King should know about this!” She creased her forehead while looking at my bruises.

“N-No, don’t tell him.”

“But---”

“Please, don’t tell him.” The least that I want is to make a scene right after getting married to Duke.

If I want a peaceful life in this marriage, then I should make my way to have it. 

She let out a deep sigh before she walked back from me and took my luggage to the floor.

“Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes,” she offered me a smile when she looked back at me. “I should help to prefer you for dinner and for your first night with the Alpha King.”

“Why do you have to help me?”

“I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.” She bowed her head to me. “I’m Lory, and from this day on, I’ll be your nursemaid while the Female Beta, Beta Tricia, is still not here to help you out.”

After Lory introduced herself to me, she guided me into the wardrobe to ready myself. I learned from her that Duke and I won’t be sharing a room, just like his parents, but if Duke would want it, then, that’s only when I can move into his room. The only thing that confused both of us is why I am placed in this room instead of somewhere comfortable.

I heard from Lory that they did prefer a grandiose room, but it’s for Valerie.

“Later, I will ask the maids to bring your luggage there,” I saw her furrowing her brow while braiding my hair. “There’s no way our Luna Queen would stay in this small and dirty room!”

“I-It’s fine with me…” I’m used to this kind of room anyway.

When I was still living with my grandparents, my room was the same as this one, but when I moved into my father’s house, it did change a bit, though it’s still small.

I’m now looking at myself in front of the vanity mirror. I looked like an educated and fierce woman, but behind my looks is a fragile and shy me.

“I don’t know why almost everyone in this house is disappointed that it was you who came here, but I think it’s a blessing for us.” Lory looked at me through the mirror’s reflection. “You look more beautiful than your sister, you just need a little makeover like she always does.”

“T-Thank you..” I politely smiled at her.

After getting myself ready, we went downstairs and I found everyone in the dining hall, even Chairman Myers was there, except for Duke. He’s probably still in the meeting.

“Good evening..” I greeted them when I reached their side.

I was taken aback when they all stood up after noticing me and they bowed their heads to greet me. I gulped because I was nervous, even the once Alpha King who’s feared by many Lycans and humans in the underground for being a known mafia boss, also bowed his head at me.

W-What should I do?

I’m not Valerie, I don’t know what to do here! I took a glance at Lory and saw her glancing at me too as she lowered her head. Lory stood up straight and pulled the chair to the side before she motioned me to sit down.

I moved in a hurry to sit down, thinking that I might anger them. Though, one thing I notice is that my seat is chairs away from them. I don’t know if it’s because they hate me or if is it just one of their traditions, too, that I should sit chairs away from them. Or maybe Lory was also in a hurry when she pulled the chair for me to sit in.

Lory put food on my plate while another maid is serving my drink. Once they’re done, I smile at them and thank them before I look at my plate. I was about to eat when I noticed that everyone was staring at me and no one was eating.

I looked at them with confusion in my eyes and I even saw Morgan and Tiffany secretly grimacing at me.

I put down the fork that I’m holding, thinking that it would be better if they would eat first before me, but Tiffany rolled her eyes when she saw me while Morgan let out an exhausted sigh.

“My Queen, you should eat first before them or invite them to eat with you,” Lory whispered to me.

I felt my cheeks burning in embarrassment. So, that’s why they’re looking at me!

“P-Please, enjoy the food with me,” I told them and that’s only when they started moving.

I release a sigh of relief and touch my own food, too.

“I’ve noticed that you don’t know much about the Lycan’s traditions, Luna.” I heard Chairman Myers say, but I didn’t mind him and I only continued my dinner.

But when Lory cleared her throat beside me, only then I realized that the Chairman was talking to me. I shyly faced them and saw him looking at me with a blank expression.

“Discuss this matter with my son and he’ll give you whatever you need for your education,” He seriously told me.

“As the Luna Queen, you should stand as a role model to everyone. You should be respected, brave, smart, and well-educated, but you don’t seem to possess any of it, Luna.” Morgan’s insulting voice echoed in the whole dining room.

I lowered my gaze as my hands started shaking. ‘Everyone heard what she said. Great! I’ll be the dessert of their meal from now on.’

I cleared my throat and look back to them, “I would be honest with all of you.” I looked at each of them. “I didn’t study at any wolf schools for I am a daughter of a Rogue and it’s forbidden for my kind to attend schools.”

“That’s not an excuse,” Tiffany said as she was sitting beside Morgan.

Why is she here, anyway? She’s not a family member.

“Valerie, your sister, managed to learn without attending school as she grew up and everyone admired her for her wit and hard works.” Tiffany smirked at me. “Is this the Luna Queen being lazy to attend a school or to study her cultures and traditions?”

The whole dining room went silent after Tiffany’s question. They’re obviously waiting for my answer, even the maids are secretly taking glances at me.

“Tiffany, you’re not a Rogue. You can attend school---No, let me correct it. You attended school for Lycans, right?” I asked her as I picked up my fork and played with the pasta on my plate.

“Yes, I did!” There was confidence in her voice when she answered me. “I was even a scholar.”

Unlike in human schools, scholars didn’t mean free studies in private schools in werewolf or lycan worlds. For us wolves, scholar means a very intelligent wolf.

“That’s amazing!” I told her with a genuine smile on my lips. Tiffany looked at me in a boastful manner. “This is my first time meeting a scholar. However, I am disappointed.”

“W-What?” There was disbelief in her voice.

I slowly raise my eyes at her from looking at the food on my plate.

“Oh, Tiffany. You’ve disappointed me because you’re claiming yourself as educated and a scholar, but you didn’t know that dining with the Luna Queen is inappropriate for someone like you and only family members can eat with me?”

It was a good thing that my father would always mention about this rule before whenever the Alpha King, Chairman Myers, would invite him to dinner but he was just watching him to have his meal and waiting for him to finish because it was against the Lycans law to join a royal in a meal unless it’s a party.

“What are you saying?” Tiffany asked with threatening tears in her eyes.

“Tiffany is a part of my family. She’s always joined us for every meal since before!” Morgan’s angry voice growled in the room.

I tightly smile at her, “But she’s not my family..”

What I said made her shut up as she looked at me in disbelief. I stood up and faced them.

“I lost my appetite, but I hope you’ll still enjoy your meal.” I nodded at them before I turned my back and walked away.

I can feel Lory following me from behind. She’s not saying anything so I just let her follow me around.

“Please, guide me back to my room, Lory. I still need to prepare myself.” I told Lory and she immediately did what I said.