Chapter 4

The day passed in a blur, and the stupid knots at the bottom of my stomach remained. After much back and forth, my uncle got me out of the dungeon and promised that I would not try to run or act out of order. My skin crawled in irritation as I watched them talk about me like I was the luckiest person in the room. I was getting mated to a monster, and nobody batted an eyelid.

Aunty Lulu massaged my head and detangled my hair; nobody said a word to each other, and the room was very silent. For the first time since I was a child, Aunt Lulu and I weren’t gossiping over some random stuff or her telling me about her plans for the next day. The silence was uncomfortable, but I wasn’t ready to break it.

My life was over; her husband had ended it before it even started, and I do not think I have the time to exchange words with her. Or act like their actions didn’t hurt me. Even when I had no reason to blame Aunt Lulu, I needed somewhere to transfer my aggression.

“Do you want me to pack it up or leave it to fall?” she asked in a tiny voice, and I kept mute. I was surprised the beast didn’t give them instructions on how he wanted me to look. She didn’t say another word as she continued to brush my hair. This simple act used to calm me before; it was our way of bonding, but now all left was this uncomfortable silence.

“I packed it in an updo; you always look beautiful when your hair is up. It emphasizes your eyes,” she continued, even when she knew I wouldn’t grant her any reply. I wasn’t going to let myself be coddled into marrying a monster. I wouldn’t give up yet; that would mean I was a very weak wolf.

Weak is an adjective that doesn’t describe me. I will fight this mate bond till I take my last breath, but for now, I won’t get the rest of my pack in trouble with me. I have declared war against my mate, and I will not back down until I win. If my uncle wants me to act like a submissive mate and act like I care about their stupid allegiance to that monster, I would act like that.

If not for anyone, Aunt Lulu, Aimee, and the rest of the pack. They didn’t deserve to die because of me.

Finally, she finished getting me ready for dinner with Alpha Lucius, and I couldn’t keep the bile rising in my throat. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I had a more solid plan that involved pretending to be the stupid mate he wanted, I still felt deep irritation at the thoughts.

“Vesta, please be fine,” she whispered before squeezing my hands tightly as if offering me some form of emotional support. I wanted to pull her back and pull her into a hug, but I didn’t. She walked out of the room, and I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked like a porcelain doll, made with the intention of appealing to the owner, and I tried to smile.

I looked horrible, and I settled for the cold, emotionless look on my face.

I raised my dress and walked slowly out of the room, and I headed towards the banquet hall where the king would be having dinner with me. All the celebration we had planned all day had been suddenly struck out, and now we were all dancing to the tunes of a monster.

The hall fell into silence as I walked in, and the smell of Alpha Lucius attacked my nose again. He was seated at the end of the table, and he was having a hearty conversation with the members of my pack. He looked so relaxed, and he fit in perfectly. I wonder if he knew more than half of those people would do anything to get his head off his neck.

He looked in my direction as if he could suddenly sense my presence, and jolts of strange feelings shot through me. Looking at me shouldn’t have that effect on me; I have to find a way to control it.

I didn’t stop walking until I got to the end of the table, and by now, everyone’s eyes were on me.

I bowed slightly with a smile before addressing him curtly.

“Your highness.”

My wolf purred in approval, and I could see the look of relief on Uncle Callum’s face if only he knew my plans.

**KING LUCIUS’S POV**

I watched the young woman sleeping on the floor of the guest room that her alpha provided for me. I still couldn’t make out the distinct features of her face, but the little the goddess allowed me to see made me wonder if I was truly ready for her. I had made sure the bed was prepared for her arrival, but I had a feeling she would choose the floor, and that’s what she did—my feisty little mate who was so hell-bent on not getting mated to me. I know so many she-wolves who will die to be in her position right now. There were so many wolves who wanted to be the Luna of the realm, but here was my true mate who didn’t even want me or the position.

The irony of life.

I could smell her fear right from where I was sitting; I barely got any sleep last night. At first, I told myself I was trying to make sure she didn’t escape, but as time passed, I knew the worry was getting to me.

Fear was a strange concept to a man like me. I had always grabbed life by its horns and done whatever I wanted. I would walk into a battle knowing I was leaving alive; that’s how confident I was in myself.

I had always wanted to have a family of my own, a group of people I would ride so hard for, but now it felt like my dreams were one step closer to happening. I was scared of the unknown, of whatever would come after it.

Last night, after Vesta tried to reject me, my wolf went into a blind rage. Somehow, he couldn’t stomach the possibility of my mate not wanting me. I tried hard not to let my emotions show, but I was failing terribly when it came to her.

It was only a matter of time before the whole realm knew I found my mate; whatever would happen after that scared me.

For someone I just met, I was already going crazy regarding her. The weakest link to the strongest wolf remains his mate, and now I knew that there was a chance that she would always be my weakness. I had yet to learn if I was ready for that. For the chance to be attacked by a woman.

“When you are done pretending to be asleep, you’d stand up and freshen up,” I called from the edge of the bed with an amusing smile, and Vesta was startled; she thought she was doing a good job still pretending to be asleep. She would probably wonder how I could see that she wasn’t sleeping, despite thinking I was blind, but I could hear her heartbeat. Every little thump against her rib cage registered in my head, and the soft sounds of her breathing sounded like music to my ears. I could hear and smell her, knowing she would be gorgeous.

She slowly got up from the floor and walked past me like I didn’t exist. She was trying to act like she didn’t care about me, but I still scared her. The way I pressed her against the wall after she tried to reject me was ridiculous. My pupils were even scarier with their haziness. She now understood why everyone feared me and no one dared to rebel against me; I looked like the devil version of a wolf. Even I knew I had gone too far with the choking, and it was hard to call my wolf to order. It was too early to apologize for my actions. Maybe if she gives me the chance to trust her, I might consider it.

She made her way to the bathroom of the guest site, and I stood up to follow her; she was starting to doubt if I was blind. I was walking straight without my cane. She tried to close the door after her, but I held the handle fast and left it open before leaning against it. She blinked back in shock.

“Please excuse me; I’d like to shower,” she said lowly, and I started laughing at her. It made her even more mad. She has to think I’m a fool if I give her the privacy she’s demanding. For all I know, she could climb down from the window of the bathroom to avoid me. I wasn’t taking any chances.

“I’m blind, dear. I can’t see whatever it is you are trying to hide, and heavens be damned if you think I will let you out of my sight for a split second. If you have every intention to take a shower, you better get to it right now,” I replied, and Vesta sighed in defeat.