I woke up the next day feeling refreshed and uncertain of where I was. My memory came back gradually as I yawned. The unfamiliar setting had confused me for a moment. I wasn't waking up in my bed. The Lycan king had carried me to the hotel he had booked for his stay here in the upper part of town.
I looked around the expansive room, it exuded wealth and opulence. No doubt the stay here was very expensive. The sheets were so soft and had a feathery warmth to it. My wolf, Ryka was loving it as I felt our insides curl at the treatment we were receiving. It had been a long time I had slept this long. My failing marriage with Alpha Jax had always been on my mind these past days. I reflected on the events of the past day, my life had changed so quickly that it was becoming a blur in my mind. After the shocking twist at the grove, I had gone home to get my belongings. I expected Nikini to feel triumphant at getting Alpha Jax all to herself. That wasn't what had happened. If anything, she was more angry at the turn of events."You know you're a two- faced slut right?" She had said brazenly as I left the house with my suitcase."What now" I had fired back."You just keep getting the good ones. First an Alpha, now a Lycan king. How lucky."I could hear the jealousy in her voice and I stopped in surprise. "You ruined my marriage and I've no doubt become a laughing stock in the pack after being rejected and you stand here and talk about luck.""Quit being pathetic for once" She said, silencing me with an upraised hand. "If you're yet to realize your new position now, let me spell it out for you. You now lord over all the packs in the whole region. Hopefully you don't get rejected by the Lycan king when he sees how incompetent you really are." She said with a smirk.A knock on the door startled me and knocked me out of my train of thoughts."Room service. May I come in?""Yes, you may" I said, raising the sheets around me unconsciously.The door opened and an elderly matronly looking woman came in balancing a breakfast tray on her hands. She was dressed in a blue uniform and had an air of professionalism in her carriage, her scent indicated that she was a human. I recognized her from the previous day. She had been the one who had shown me to my room."Good morning miss," she said with a broad smile on her face as she came forward and settled the breakfast on the glass table besides the bed. I could smell coffee and what looked like an English breakfast."Morning ma'am" I replied, smiling back at her."I hope your stay has been pleasant so far" She said still smiling broadly."Yes it has, I had a most refreshing sleep.""That's nice to hear, we hope to see more of you at Hilton Hotel"."What about the gentleman I came with yesterday?." I asked, steering away the conversation."Oh, he went out this morning but he requested your presence by 10 am down at the receptionist hall so you can both depart."I looked around for the clock I had noticed earlier. It was already 9 am. I only had an hour left."Thank you," I said in dismissal as I reached for the tray to begin eating."No problem, miss. If there's anything more you need, give me a ring" She said gesturing to a telephone I had not noticed on a far off counter in the room as she left the room."I'm sure I can manage but thank you" I said as I focused on the meal in front of me. I found out to my surprise that I was in fact ravenous as I wolfed down the meal. The baked beans, fried eggs and bacon disappeared in a matter of seconds.I took my time sipping on the hot coffee, relishing its warmth. The delicious breakfast had done wonders to my appetite, and the lingering aroma of the coffee was comforting. As I cleared the tray I couldn't help but think about how the day would turn out.With a sense of determination, I finished my breakfast and quickly got ready for the day. The bathroom was equally posh and I found myself staying in the bathtub longer than I usually did. The hot water was soothing to my stressed body.I freshened up and threw on some of the clothes I had packed in my suitcase. I wore a flowing, emerald-green chiffon dress that cascaded gracefully to the floor and matching jewelry. I glanced at myself in the mirror, I wasn't sure how to dress for the occasion but it was certainly okay. Better to be overdressed than underdressed.By the time I made my way to the reception area with my suitcases, it was a little past 10 am. I found the Lycan king waiting there, looking as regal and imposing as ever. He cut a striking figure in his dashing blue suit, the color reminiscent of the deep ocean. The suit was impeccably tailored, hugging his broad shoulders and trim waist."Good morning," he greeted me with a warm smile, a stark contrast to his fierce appearance. "I hope you had a pleasant morning. You look refreshed, there's color in your cheeks.""Good morning," I replied, blushing at his words. He had a way of making me feel uneasy in his presence. "Yes, thank you. The hotel staff has been quite accommodating. You look good too.""I had business elsewhere this morning, so I had to look the part. Let's be on our way then" He said with a flourish.Outside I found a limousine waiting for us, and a porter took my suitcases to the boot. The Lycan king held the door for me, and I gracefully entered the limousine, still trying to wrap my head around the sudden extravagance of it all. The interior of the car was just as luxurious as the hotel room, with plush leather seats and a minibar stocked with various beverages.I felt his gaze on me as we drove for a while in silence. We were practically alone as there was a partition between us and the driver."I can hear your heart racing wildly. What are you worried about?" "Nothing" I said quickly.The Lycan king turned to me with a reassuring smile. "We have a long drive ahead of us, so ask away and I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have," he said, his voice soothing.The limousine smoothly glided through the city, and I watched the passing scenery in silence, lost in my thoughts. The events of the past days had been a whirlwind, and I had so many questions about his world and my new responsibilities.After a while, I finally gathered the courage to ask, "Can you tell me more about Lycans and what it means to be the one who lords over all the packs in the region?"The Lycan king nodded, his gaze fixed on the passing cityscape. "Of course, you know in the supernatural world, there are various packs and clans of beings like werewolves, Lycans, and other supernatural entities. Each pack has its own territory and leader." He paused to see if I was following."Yes I know that" I said in response."Yes, Lycans are indeed different. While both Lycans and werewolves can transform into wolves, Lycans have greater control over their transformations and can shift at will, even partially. It's a unique ability that sets them apart. They are considered a rare and ancient breed, and I am the current leader of the Lycan Kingdom. Our leadership is more sophisticated than the simple Alpha head that werewolves have."I nodded, there was nothing I did not already know. I figured I'll know more with time."One more thing, you would tell whoever asks you that we're true mates. It would be easy getting around my mother but be careful around my father." He added after some moments of silence."Your father is still alive?" I asked in surprise."Yes, he's very old though" He said off handedly. It seemed this was a sire point for him."How are you King then?.""The council made me ascend the throne when he couldn't perform his duties like before.""I see" I said and he nodded. That explained his age. In every version of stories I had heard about Lycan Kings. They were ruthless old dictators. But King Magnus wasn't old. I wasn't so sure of the ruthlessness just yet though.After that, we drove in silence the rest of the way. I studied the scenery as we sped on. It changed gradually to lush greeneries and the hillsides spired higher than I was used to seeing."Ah, we're here finally" King Magnus said to me just as i saw a huge majestic castle come into view in the distance.This should only be in fairy tales, I thought to myself as we got down from the limousine. The castle was straight out of a Gothic story. Its towering spires clawed at the darkening sky and was shrouded in an eerie mist that seemed to have settled over it for centuries. The black stone walls rose ominously from the earth, casting long, twisted shadows in the daylight."I know that look, it's ugly" King Magnus said with a chuckle, joining me to study the place."No, I wouldn't say that, more like Gothic" I said lamely trying to praise the place."Blackwater castle was built by the first Lycan King, King Grimwick. Not much has changed in the structure since then". He said, then turned to talk to the driver.He must have mind-linked his pack members because just then three young men opened the heavy metal doors of the castle which creaked open with an eerie groan, as if warning us of its mysterious depths. The entrance was adorned with grotesque stone gargoyles, their twisted forms addin
The massive doors swung open, revealing a hall that was as grand as it was intimidating. I looked sideways to see the guards' implacable faces. I took a hesitant step into the room, feeling like a rabbit surrounded by wolves. Gleaming tables were arranged neatly in three rows. They indicated that banquets were held here sometimes. One of the guards pushed me forward roughly."You bow in front of royalty," He hissed at me."Treat her gently, she's yet to learn our ways" A high feminine voice piped from the far end of the hall. I realized my mistake, in my eagerness to study the hall, I had failed to recognize the people sitting there. The lighting at their end was poor too, they saw more of me than I did of them. Slowly my wolf abilities made my eyesight get accustomed to the light and I could pick their outlines clearly.The Queen mother sat on a lavish throne-like chair with a regal air about her. She was a woman of striking beauty despite her age, her silver hair cascaded framed he
Magnus POV.Another sleepless night as usual. The rhythmic ticking of the clock in my room was the only sound around. It was early dawn of another day and I had not slept a wink because my mind was occupied.The events of the past days has been nothing short of unexpected. I had gone to the Blood Diamonds pack for the Gala event alone but had unexpectedly brought back a mate. The Blood diamond council had been surprised but no one had been more surprised than I was. I took the decision in a spilt second. I'm usually more logical than that. My business successes and conquest as the Lycan King are a result of thinking through on decisions before acting on them. I had first taken an interest in her at the party. Even then, I had seen the tension in their marriage. I saw it as providence or the workings of the moon goddess when he later rejected her.My first instinct when Jax had talked insolently to me outside the party was to rip out his throat. Elena had been the only person who coul
The days had been monotonous, nobody told me that a castle could be so boring. But then, I was always inside so I couldn't complain much. For the past two days, my routine was mostly reading novel paperbacks, eating and sleeping.It was the early hours of the morning and I knew that my maid would soon be here to get me started on my day. I had asked the housekeeper for another maid since I couldn't get along with the previous one. I had not gotten into details about it, I just told her I wasn't comfortable with her. Whatever her fault, I didn't want Daisy sacked because of me. The new girl, Sarah was more polite and quiet. We had gotten along just fine.Technically, there was no law against me going out, I just assumed I wasn't to leave. From what I had gathered, King Magnus was always busy. We didn't see much of each other which was strange for people getting married in a few days. But then, the circumstances surrounding our relationship was different.I got out of the bed and went
"You two know each other" King Magnus said as Luke and I were still transfixed on seeing ourselves."Yes," he mumbled. "I never thought I'll see her again."King Magnus looked at me and I knew he wanted an explanation. His eyes narrowed as he looked at both of us."We were childhood friends," Luke said before I could open my mouth. I nodded confirming his words.I knew I needed to add more details to what he said for his benefit but I was still stunned on seeing him. Life was so unfair."Right." King Magnus said. "I'll leave you two to catch up. Luke, show her around too. I need to finish up training," He said and walked back to the training room.We watched him go and I twisted a lock of my hair as I stood hesitant.I didn't want to be left alone with Luke, my insides were in a turmoil. His face had matured over the years to a more sharper profile but he still retained his boyish look."How are you…" I started to say to fill in the silence. It was strange just standing there."Not he
It was a bright morning. I was in my room with the housekeeper, Miss Prisca and we were both poring over a magazine that featured wedding dresses. We were trying to select my outfit for the wedding and we had been at it for an hour now, i was so indecisive because they were all beautiful. There was a knock on the door. Three rapid knocks, I knew it was one of the guard at the door. The three knocks was their trademark."Come in" I said tearing my eyes away from an especially seductive curvy wedding gown.Ever since the incident two days back in the training arena, King Magnus had increased security outside my door."You have a visitor, Luna" The guard said, popping his head halfway through the open gap."Alright, send the person in,"I said, wondering who it was. Maybe Luke had come to see me. I hoped that wasn't the case, I didn't want wicked rumors circulating around."How long would I be kept waiting. Out of my way" I heard someone say, pushing roughly past the guard.The magazine
It was the morning of the wedding and I had just woken up. I felt overwhelmed by the fact as I glanced at the clock in the dim light. It was 6 am. As if on cue, there was a flurry of knocks on the door just then.Miss Prisca and my personal maid Sarah walked in to prepare me for the day. I wasn't ready to stand up though, I had not gotten much sleep in the night since I had been tossing around the bed thinking."What a glorious day. " Miss Prisca said as she drew the blinds open. She was whistling a tune which was uncharacteristic of her."Why are you still in bed" She said, throwing off the covers from me. I grumbled sleepily as I got up. I couldn't get annoyed at her. That was just the way she was around people. There was a joke around that Sarah told me. It was said that the housekeeper mothered everybody into submission .I could see that they were happy for me, Sarah who was usually expressionless had a smile on her face too. She carried a large basket and was bringing out the co
My heart was pounding as I bolted out of the room, leaving Nikini behind. The knowledge that the dress I was wearing had belonged to Elena annoyed me more than it should. A wave of grief and responsibility crashed over me, leaving me stumbling through the halls with tears blurring my vision."Luna! Please wait" I heard Sarah shout behind me but I didn't care. The entire thing was a sham and I didn't see a point to the wedding.I got to the room stumbling as I fumbled with the doorknob. It finally gave way and I collapsed in a heap on the bed.I hastily removed the wedding gown swearing as I did so. I heard a commotion outside the door Miss Prisca and Sarah stumbled in. They looked like they had been running after me all the way."Why did you run off suddenly, they just called the bride. Your gown! You removed it" She said, shocked to see me out of the gown."I'm not going out there,"I said through blurry eyes which were now becoming puffy."What's the matter?" She asked coming to sit