Sulk No More

Ava's POV 

Those words both scared and excited me.

Demon Luna Queen.

It only sounded right.

If he was the Demon Alpha, it was appropriate that I was his Demon Luna.

I don't know if I like being associated with him, but I can't deny the fact that I don't mind the title.

The rest of the ritual was quite easier than I imagined.

We both cut our palms and let our blood flow into the chalice.

Dravin took a drink first, and I took the next.

Everyone in the hall, except Dravin, went on one knee to welcome me as their Luna.

It was a surreal sight.

A little awkward too since I had no idea how a queen or Luna should act.

Soren was the one who gave me an out as he mouthed at me:

"Ask us to rise."

I did just that, and everyone obeyed immediately.

Dravin spoke up next, dismissing them and declaring the day as a day of celebration in honor of my presence.

A day that will be dedicated to me for my whole life in this pack.

That was another feeling I couldn't describe.

The rest of the day was long and exhausting.

I had a change of clothes, and then went down into the pack to greet my new subjects and make my face and name known to the members of the pack.

Scary.

That's what it was.

I could see my supposed subjects eyeing my scar wherever we went and even gossiping openly about me. It was fairly obvious that I was neither respected nor adored.

And I couldn't care for both.

All I needed was a life where I would be accepted.

I was already used to the scorn by now.

Maybe not the body shaming, but that can be learned too.

Now, I was back home, Lyanna was there to attend to me.

She helped me change out of my clothes, but I refused to let her bathe me.

One time was already humiliating enough.

Now, I was seated on my bed, staring at the sunset while Lyanna waited on me.

"Lyanna, can you get me some food?" I asked without turning to look at her. "I haven't eaten anything all day."

"Dinner is almost served, Luna," she replied. "You will be summoned for dinner in a second."

"Summoned," I muttered.

I'm not much of a fan of her choice of words, but I can't deny that it made me feel somewhat wealthy.

"Lyanna," I called again. "Why are you guys called the Sulk Pack? During my outing today, everyone looked somewhat normal. Happy even. I expected it was some kind of gloomy place."

Lyanna laughed at that. A melodious, wonderful sound that made me almost jealous of her voice.

"We don't always sulk in the pack, Luna," she explained. "Of course, there will be people who are unhappy, but not because of the Alpha. The Alpha is cold, distant, and most unseen by us, but he does his best for us. There's almost no poverty as we earn enough to support ourselves, and there is security and peace as we fear our Alpha just as much as we adore him."

"Then, why the name?" I asked again.

She seemed a bit hesitant but eventually spoke up with a shrug when I turned to look at her.

"I don't know the exact details, but people say that our Alpha has never changed. Never grown old, never died, simply never changed. The theory is that he named his pack according to the way he felt at the time of its creation. It was probably a place he chose to sulk or people he chose to sulk with. I can't be sure, but that's all I can say."

I mulled it over for a few seconds, but there was no sense to it, but I can't seem to deny it either.

There's no way Dravin was as old as his pack—it's been around for about 500 years—but, if his ancestor was anything like him, there's a high possibility that it might be the reason the pack was named the Sulk Pack.

Terrible naming sense. That's what it was.

"Another question, Lyanna," I said, this time staring intently at her. "Do you never get tired of standing?"

She blinked in confusion.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"But—"

"I have a lot of comfortable chairs in this room, Lyanna," I smoothly cut her off. "Why do you insist on standing?"

"I didn't think—"

"Well, now you know," I cut her off again. "Now, go sit down and get some much-needed rest."

A knock on the door attracted both of our attention.

"Dinner is ready," a female voice said from behind the door.

"Do I have to go downstairs?" I groaned.

Lyanna nodded in response.

"Can't you bring it up here?" I asked, my voice almost pleading.

"Um, I'd love to if you want, but the head maid would skin me," she replied.

"Tell her I sent you."

She shook her head at that.

"That wouldn't change a thing. The head maid is said to have worked for the Alpha's family longer than every one of us. In everything related to food and the household, she is of a higher authority than even you, Luna. Even the Alpha does as she says, and she especially dislikes having anyone eat in the room."

I was dumbfounded at that.

I couldn't imagine Dravin listening to the goddess herself. I'd never have thought he would listen to his maid.

A knock came a few minutes later, this time a different voice spoke up. An older female voice.

"I'm coming in."

The door opened, and the owner of the voice walked in.

It was an older female. She had brown, kind eyes, wrinkles all over her face, and sagging skin, a sign of her old age. She was just as petite as Lyanna with more gray than black in her hair, but she stood straight and as tall as she possibly could. I expected a woman of her age to be a little hunched but not this one.

She stood straight and poised with an air of regality about her. You couldn't even see the fact that she was a maid. I believe I saw her during the ritual too.

Her glare fixed on Lyanna who looked down the second their eyes met, then looked up at me where I still sat on the bed.

"Dinner has been served, Luna," she said calmly. "I believe you were informed?"

"I was," I replied, my voice a little more standoffish than I intended. "I was in the process of asking Lyanna to bring my food upstairs."

"That would be impossible, and I believe Lyanna would have told you that already," she replied, her voice still calm despite my rudeness.

"And why is that?"

"This house is too big and too stagnant to be spent with people eating in their rooms," she replied. "If I allowed that, then we would most likely be living in a graveyard. Everyone eats at their designated areas at the designated time."

"And if I refuse?"

She smiled at that.

"Please, Luna," she said, going down to her knees. "When you came in, I was quite happy. It's been a while since I've needed someone to join me in making this place into a household. Not just an Alpha's lair."

"I was forced here," I clarified. "This wasn't a decision I made."

She nodded knowingly.

"Forgive my rudeness, but you're trapped here as well. At least with the Alpha. Since you drank his blood, you are bound to him."

"I know that much," I rolled my eyes. "What's your point?"

"If you can't leave, then why not create a home for yourself here?" she asked. "A home you can live in and a life you can be happy about. That would be a lot better than sulking over the life you lost."

"Just in case you haven't realized," I chuckled, "this is called the Sulk Pack. I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to sulk."

"I can't deny it, but is that a life you want?" she said as she stared into my eyes. "All your life, I'm sure you must have been treated as less than human because of your size and scar. Do you really want it to always be that way?"

"Your Alpha already sees me that way," I pointed out.

"Then prove to him that you are more than that," she smiled. "You are the Luna of the Sulk Pack. If you want to be acknowledged, then you have to prove that you deserve it. You have to demand it."

"I don't need anyone's validation," I muttered.

"You don't need it," she agreed. "You own it. It is your right, and they need to realize that their Luna is one who knows her power. He needs to realize that his Luna is powerful in her own right."

I stared at her in confusion.

"That might lead to discord. Is that what you want?"

"There's never restoration without a bit of destruction," she smiled. "Wreck everything if you have to, but please come downstairs. Dinner is served."