NOT THE SAME DIEGO

FIBI'S POV

“Leave her.” The voice was calm but commanding. It could only be one person: Elder Queen Diana, Alpha Diego's mother.

Both my new maids and Ethan withdrew from me in immediate obedience. With a flick of her wrist, she dismissed them totally and they all dispersed as she came to sit beside me.

She took my hands in hers while my tears kept flowing unchecked. She sighed.

“Child, I'm sorry it had to be this way, but trust me, it's the best way.” She began.

“You see, my son wasn't always this way. But there's only so much tragedy, betrayal and bitterness that a soul can take before it turns dark. Deep inside, the sweet soul I birthed is still there, but only a special she-wolf can get him out again.”

I bawled harder at her words. I couldn't understand my place in all of this and why I had to be sold into a union I never asked for.

She patted my back as tenderly as one would do to an infant. “Cry out all the tears you need to shed, my darling. Because after this, you're going to suck it all up, go to your husband, and do what I know you're capable of doing; bring back the real Diego.”

I sniffed, wiping my snot with the back of my hand before I finally spoke. “But I'm nobody, Elder Queen. He doesn't even want me and I don't want him either.”

As I heard my own words, I realized it could sound offensive, so I quickly added, “Not that I don't want him personally, I just don't want marriage with all its drama and pain. How can I be of any use here when we both have no interest?”

The classy queen only smiled mysteriously, like she knew something that I didn't.

By now, my river of tears had subsided. It already sank in after the wedding ceremony, that I was stuck here and there was no way back. However, my spirit still grieved over it. Now, acceptance was settling into my spirit.

It seems the queen mother knew the exact moment my mind shifted. “From when I first laid eyes on you, my insides told me you are the one I have been waiting for. I'll be here to support you all through, but I also know that you're a strong girl who can hold her own. Nevertheless, I'm here for you.” Her assurances warmed my heart.

I sighed from the depth of my belly. “Oh Elder Queen…” I breathed.

She cut in. “Diana. My love, you can simply call me Diana until you're comfortable enough to call me Mother.”

I smiled and embraced her. I said, “Thank you… Mother.”

She looked even more beautiful as her smile stretched across her face. “Now, go to your husband, my child. Your maids will take you.”

…….

Following Diana's instructions, my maids had dressed me in a simple yet alluring white nightdress, that clinged to my curves like my own skin.

I knocked timidly, not sure of what exactly I was expecting. My palms grew sweaty and I tried to wipe them on the soft fabric of my gown. With my heart pounding loud in my ears, I'm not sure I would even hear if there was a response from within.

My emotion was a tangled mess of fear, anxiety and… excitement. To be sure, I would rather not be here. It was Diana who insisted that I had to do this. Yet, I couldn't help feeling just the tiniest bit of anticipation for what would be my first intimate act.

Diana's voice rang in my memory saying, “It’s your room now as well as his own. Just go in and make yourself at home.”

Eyes closed, I breathed in and out, counted to three, and pushed open the door.

The enormous room was empty.

I didn't know I was holding my breath until it burst out of me with a loud ‘whoosh’. The pure relief of not having to face that wolf yet, made me just stand in front of the door for several minutes.

When my heartbeat became normal again, I could now admire the room; our bedroom. I was surprised to see that it was tastefully furnished, not what I would expect from the mad Alpha King that everyone rumored about.

But then, I think I was already finding out that the Diego Leo Santos that the entire werewolf territory whispered about, was at least slightly different from the real one. I don't know about his fierceness and ruthlessness, all I've ever gotten from him was fury and hateful words. However, he was not the ugly beast that rumors painted.

Despite his hard countenance, it was easy to see that Alpha King Diego was an attractive wolf with breathtaking features that any she-wolf would swoon over. His only physical flaw that I could see, was being stuck in a wheelchair.

I ventured further into the bedroom. A soft moan escaped from my throat as I sank into the comfy bed that took up an entire section of the room. Never in my life had I felt such ecstasy just from being on a bed. Who even knew that such softness could exist in a mattress?

I was so lost in my personal version of heaven, that I did not even hear the telltale signs of his presence, until his voice interrupted my reverie.

“What the fuck are you doing in my room?” He boomed.

I jumped so high off the bed that I thought my spirit had left my body. My chest almost tore out of its place with the spike in pounding that it got. Dear goddess! How did I lose my guard so much?

He was obviously not going to wait patiently for me to regain my composure. He roared at me, “Are you deaf and mute? I asked you what you were doing in my fucking room and on my fucking bed!”

Summoning enough courage to face him, I turned and managed to raise my eyes away from the ground that held them down. My already ragged breath got trapped in my throat as I beheld him.

I guess he came out from the bathroom because his dark hair glistened with water. All at once my eyes devoured his naked chest; his smooth tan skin, the bulging biceps and chiseled abs.

I think I tried to speak but only a gasp escaped my parted lips. The same lips that I found myself licking as I imagined running my hands over the manly frame before me. Yes, I didn't ask to be married to him, but I was obviously not immune to the rugged charm of his body.

Next thing I know, he was right beside me. My butt hit the bed as I stumbled backward. Through the haze of desire, I wondered if he took his bath while sitting on his wheelchair, but all thought quickly fled my mind when he put his hand on my lap. Goosebumps immediately covered me. I felt my nipples harden in reaction to it all.