The Substitute Bride of Lycan King

I woke up early in the morning and got up. My heart flutters in excitement because today is a special day. It's my eighteenth birthday and I will be meeting my wolf! I couldn't wait to shift for the first time!

Rumors had it that it was painful for them, but I couldn't care less about that part. Probably, it will just be for a second and it gets easier later. 

A little bit of pain is nothing compared to the physical abuse I get from my foster family. I just wish my parents were here to see me shift for the first time, but they died in a rogue attack a long time ago.

"Happy birthday, Margareth!" My one and only best friend, Zen, pops out of nowhere in my room and proceeds to give me a birthday cake. I laughed and hugged her tight.

She even placed eighteen candles on the cake! What a lovely girl!

The corner of my lips formed into a smile as I hugged her. 

"Thank you, Zen,” I whispered and patted her back. “But you don't have to do this, though," said I while blowing out the candles on my cake. 

She giggled and said, "Why not? It's a special day! You're gonna meet your wolf for the first time! And…”

Both of us stared at each other, thinking about the same thing, and we both ended up giggling and blushing like teenagers. 

Once the sun sets, we go to the woods and do the ritual. 

"You see that groundwater well over there, Marga?" Zen pointed to a deep well near where we are. 

I nodded and asked, “What am I going to do?”

She summoned me to just walk past that well and feel the emotions building up. After that, I'm going to shift my wolf. It was a simple task. 

My heart feels like exploding. I was smiling ear to ear while walking slowly in my white, silky dress, to feel this moment special. While walking, I saw a silhouette of someone, but I didn't mind who that was because I concentrated on my feelings.

I closed my eyes and felt the electrifying sensation running through my veins. 

This is it! I'm going to shift! However, the sensation died instantly and I could feel my world crumbling into pieces. 

Opening my eyes, my vision blurry for a second and I fell to my knees. Someone was calling me, but I had no energy left to respond.

I didn't shift. 

Does that mean I belong to a shameful category called wolfless she-wolf? 

"What happened?" I asked Zen while massaging my forehead.

"You just fell on the ground! Are you okay?” Her eyes looked so worried, but I was distracted by Megan’s irritating presence. She was the one who laughed at me. 

I remember that voice!

"Gosh, you didn't shift? That was so embarrassing!” Megan said while pointing at me.

I was lying on the ground. She was holding her stomach because she couldn't seem to stop herself from laughing.

No, no, no. This can't happen!

I was so excited to meet my wolf, but I just became a wolfless she-wolf! That's a nightmare! It's like a part of me is killed!

The next morning, my father was so agitated because of the news. I was right. Megan did the evil's work already. Everyone in our pack already knows I'm a wolfless she-wolf. My mother was disappointed, but she couldn't do anything to console me. 

After all, I'm not her biological daughter. 

My step-sister, on the other hand, tried communicating with me, but I didn't let her in my room.

"Tanya! You're just wasting food! Don't feed that brat if she doesn't want to eat!” I heard my mother's shout one time when my step-sister brought me food again inside my room. 

She heaved a deep sigh and brushed my hair using her fingers while I pretended to be asleep. "Do you want to talk about it, Margs?”

I shook my head. Shoot! I'm pretending to be asleep, yet I just moved my head! I heard her chuckle and said, "If you want anything, just call me, okay?”

 She went out after that immediately. Tanya may not be my biological sister but she was kind and good to me. I'm blessed to have her and Zen in my life. They were the only ones who kept me living my life.

That night, Zen knocked on my window and told me to doll up because there are royalties coming in our Red Blood Pack. 

"If it's a party, I'm not going," I told her.

"What? You've gotta be kidding me!”

"You know from all people in my life, Zen, that I particularly hate parties!”

"But these are royalties, Margareth! Who knows we could marry one of the Princes!" She giggled at the thought and I rolled my eyes at her. She has this fetish of daydreaming to marry a rich, noble husband one day. 

I know that no one wants me. I'm alright with anyone as long as it's my mate and he could give me a happy family. I didn't wish to marry royalty because they wouldn't even glance at a weakling like me. I just want a man who's going to love me purely. One who will shower me with kisses every night and the morning I wake up.

***

Zen told me that a big event is happening tonight. It's called Treaty Peace Celebration where all packs gather around in one place. 

Basically, it's a party for the lower and higher ranks to interact with each other and make connections. It was created by the Chancellor to maintain peace in the neighboring packs and to avoid wars and conflicts. Now is the time to negotiate and seal business deals. 

And my father is clearly participating in this, together with his family. 

I should not be seen!

"Laying low, huh? I told you. That angelic face could get every man to fall on their knees—”

"Shut up," I hissed at Zen and grabbed her wrist because I spotted my sister in the far left corner of the room.

She was alone and drinking wine. I followed her gaze and saw her eye-fucking her boyfriend, Daniel Smith, on the adjacent table. 

Daniel is my sister's long-term boyfriend and they love each other so much. My father doesn't approve of them because as the oldest daughter in the family, she is bound to be arranged marriage to a stranger my father likes. 

Zen and I sighed in relief after we found an empty table. It's dimmer in this area compared to the front, so this must be okay.

"Are you really sure about this?”I asked Zen because I get scared of doing things like this. It feels so illegal to wear a red dress, sneak out of my room, and go to an uninvited party.

"What? Are you chickening out right now after all I've done to your hair, makeup, and dress-"

"Fine,”I stopped her before she could name all the few good things she had done for my life. 

Zen grinned and pointed to someone behind me. "Hey, you see that man over there?”

Oh my Gosh, she's embarrassing me! I pushed her finger down before anyone could catch us.

Slowly, I turned my head to the other side and saw what she was talking about. 

I nodded, a sign of approval because she really has good taste. 

The man is so handsome! He looks old, though, compared to our age, but that didn't stop me from drooling over him. 

His long and pointy nose, dark and deep eyes, pouty and reddish lips… Is he even for real?!

"That's the gentleman I was talking to you! His name is Lycan King Thomas. If you want good genes for your kids, he is the best candidate for you. Well, I heard bad rumors about him though."

I ignore her nonsense remarks. My eyes couldn't stop looking at his stoic face.

"I heard he's the youngest Lycan King in town!" 

A Lycan King? He must have royal blood in his veins, then. Royalties like him marry a princess, or duchess - just anyone as long as they have royal blood. They wouldn't marry a peasant like us. 

"What did you hear about  him?" I asked Zen while gaping at the young king. His broad shoulders looked stiff as he sipped on the glass of his wine. He licked his lower lip and turned to me. 

My body froze for a moment. I wanted to look away, but something about his gaze made me not.

I could feel my skin burning.

"Uhm, he is known to be a ruthless man who takes advantage of the businessmen in town as long as he gets what he wants. He was cursed to not bear a child by the Moon Goddess because of his cold and disgusting personality."

Zen continued talking but I wasn't listening to her anymore.

His heated gaze sends millions of voltage to my body. 

Swallowing, I looked away and returned my gaze to him after a couple of seconds. My cheeks blushed because he was still looking at me. His eyes squinted at me.

I couldn't move in my seat while hearing Zen's blabbering. Really, I didn't understand what she was saying because I was too immersed in making eye contact with the stranger. 

The night came to an end and I wanted to go home because my family would kill me once they found out I wasn't. However, Zen was being stubborn again and decided to follow the Lycans. We arrived in a small garden of the venue and hid behind the bush.

"Is this him?" Lycan King Thomas asked, his voice as deep as the ocean, and it literally gives me chills. Zen looked at me, and she was grinning, but I couldn't. I could feel the heavy atmosphere around the men in front of us. I could feel my heart thumping so fast… as if something bad will happen right now…

"Yes," his beta replied to his boss. He grabbed the gun from his back pocket and gave it to Lycan King Thomas.

"Sir! Please! No! I still have a family to feed! Please don't kill me!” The man whimpers and begs on his knees in front of Lycan King Thomas. Zen wasn't grinning now. Both of us were shocked at that moment because we knew we were about to witness a murder scene.

"Damn it. We gotta go before they spot us, Margareth!” Zen hissed and moved from where we were hiding. I immediately grabbed her hand to stop her when someone noticed us.

"Who is it?" One of the men in suit shouted.

We gasped.

I clamped my hand at Zen's mouth. We stared at each other and prayed that we were not going to get caught. For sure we will be shot, too, if they caught us. I squeezed Zen's hands and weakly smiled at her to assure her that we were just going to be fine. 

She nodded and closed her eyes. We heard footsteps approaching us not until Lycan King Thomas commanded.

"I'm already wasting a lot of time. Kill him.”

A gunshot was heard right after that.

"Lycan King Thomas," I whispered, shaking and still shocked at what happened.

I hope I will not cross paths with him ever again.