10

Livia POV

The Moon Goddess must have been completely deprived of sleep when she created Alpha Tarian Kai-Edwards, because the man clearly possessed little to no joy in his entire body.

I only got to know his full name today at the marriage registry. To show you how little I knew of the man I was marrying.

Can you actually believe it?

I was just beginning to genuinely enjoy myself at the grand wedding reception—there was good music, a glittering crowd, and incredible food.

Especially the food!

Although Livyana had asked me to eat a little as it would be razz to eat much.

But they looked so appetizing, I was tempted the whole time.

Just was about to consume a hot plate of nicely prepared beef sauce, this insufferable man decided that we had to retire for the night.

Who on earth voluntarily goes to bed at seven o'clock in the evening?

I am a twenty-one-year-old woman, not a chicken returning to its coop!

We had just arrived at the imposing gates of the Tarian Kai-Edwards Villa. Naturally, I spent the entire drive sitting in the back of an armored limousine with his mother because Tarian had flatly requested to travel in a separate vehicle alone.

The whole ride over, the Queen Mother talked on and on about the glorious, complicated lineage of the Kai-Edwards family history.

Even the Moon Goddess knows I was least interested in whatever ancestor birthed who in their royal family tree. It was truly the absolute least of my concerns—mostly because my bladder was dangerously full, and I desperately needed to pee.

"We have arrived, my dear!" the Queen Mother announced cheerfully as the car glided to a smooth halt in front of the main mansion.

We alighted from the vehicle into the cool night air. Standing in double rows along the marble entryway was an entire army of house servants, handmaids, and uniformed guards.

They all bowed their heads in synchronized, flawless unison as we walked past them.

Is this what true luxury actually looks like? I thought, my eyes widening slightly despite myself. Wait... Livia, is this really going to be your life for the next three months? No endless house chores, no cooking, no scrubbing floors? Oh, thank you, Moon Goddess!

I tried so hard to admire the breathtaking estate quietly, keeping my head high and sweeping my gaze across the towering vaulted ceilings, priceless artwork, and glittering chandeliers, while Tarian trailed along behind us in silence.

"All of you, I would like you to step into the living room for a moment," the Queen Mother instructed the gathered staff.

We assembled in what I presume to be the massive main living area. By this point, I was nearly losing my mind because my bladder felt like it was about to burst wide open. I held it in with every breath left in my body, my knees shaking under the suffocating layers of my wedding gown. I was so tempted to interrupt and ask for the nearest bathroom, but I quickly checked myself. It would look completely classless and razz of me to just go bolting for the toilet without properly meeting the household staff first. A typical Livia would have damned all consequences and sprinted for the restroom, but I was currently playing the polite, well-mannered Livyana.

Oh moon goddess it hurts to Livyana right now, I moan in my mind.

The Queen Mother turned to address the staff with a proud smile. "Everyone, this is my son’s new wife and the Luna of this household. You will accord her with the utmost respect and help her settle in nicely."

She began gesturing down the line of senior staff. "This is Walter, the butler."

Walter, a beta, stepped forward, offering a slight bow. "Welcome, Luna."

I forced a gentle, sweet nod. "Thank you, Walter."

"This is Maris, the head housekeeper," the Queen Mother continued, "and Victor, the head of security and gate guards."

I greeted them both, along with the rest of the core staff. As I scanned the faces of the junior maids standing near the back, my eyes caught a young Omega girl. Her uniform collar was folded inward awkwardly, and her silver nametag was pinned sideways. She looked terrified, shy, and terribly nervous. Probably a new recruit because the queen mother had mentioned earlier that they had recently recruited new staff members to help with my adjusting to the royal family.

Without thinking, I took a step forward, walked straight up to her, and reached out. I gently flipped her collar right-side up, smoothing out the fabric, and adjusted her nametag so it sat straight across her chest.

"There you go," I offered her a reassuring smile.

The young maid looked completely shocked, her jaw slightly dropping. In fact, as I glanced around, I realized the entire room had gone dead silent. Walter, Maris, and even the guards were staring at me as if I had just sprouted a second head.

"No, no, no, my sweet child," the Queen Mother cooed with an amused smile, stepping forward and gently pulling my hands away from the maid. "You are a Kai-Edwards now. You don't have to do things like that." She turned to the staff and waved her hand dismissively. "You are all dismissed."

The whole time this was happening, Alpha Tarian had been sitting lazily on the central leather couch, his ankles crossed, entirely unbothered by the world.

At this point, my endurance level had hit a hard wall. I couldn't hold it in for another single second. Thankfully, Tarian stood up from the couch, buttoning his suit jacket. "Mother, I am heading to my room," he said flatly. "Good night."

As he turned to stride toward the staircase, I immediately fell into step right behind him.

Tarian stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, raising a single, skeptical eyebrow as he looked down at me. "Where do you think you are going?"

"To our room, of course," I replied, pointing a hand toward the stairs. I turned my head toward the Queen Mother, looking for her to corroborate my obvious statement. Where else was a newly wedded bride supposed to sleep on her wedding night?

"Oh, no, no, my dear," the Queen Mother interjected quickly, stepping between us with a subtle smile. "You will be having your own separate room. Silvia! Please come and show our new Luna to her quarters."

I was so tempted to scream at the Omega maid, Silvia, to hurry up her pace, but I bit my lip, swallowed my impatience, and took several deep, centering breaths.

I followed her up two flights of stairs and down a long, lavish hallway. The very second we reached the door of my assigned suite, I didn't even wait for her to open them. I pushed the door open myself, bolted inside, and practically tumbled over the king-sized bed in a desperate, frantic scramble to unhook the back of my abysmal wedding dress.

Dragging the heavy satin behind me, I scampered straight into the adjoining bathroom.

Finally! A loud, glorious squeal of pure relief erupted from my throat as I finally peed. Oh, Moon Goddess, sweet freedom!

Only to step back out into the bedroom minutes later and find nearly half a dozen handmaids filling the room with baskets, steaming bowels of milk and towel.

I stopped in my tracks, my eyes wide with shock. "Wait, what is going on here?"

The Queen Mother emerged from behind the group of maids, wearing a warm smile. "They are here to get you ready for your conjugal night, my dear. It is almost a full moon."

Was that why he asked us to come home early?

My heart instantly dropped straight into my stomach. My brain went completely hyper-alert. Wait... WHAT?! Conjugal WHAT?!

I need to call Livyana! I need to call Livyana RIGHT NOW! This was NOT part of the deal! This is NOT happening! my mind screamed in absolute panic.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I blurted out, holding my hands up defensively.

Before I could protest any further, the maids circled around me like they were a practiced task force.

They gently but firmly unzipped the remainder of my gown, lifting the fabric off my shoulders, and guided me directly toward the adjoining spa bathroom which was apparently different from the one I just peed in.

I stared in horror at the massive, sunken marble bathtub. They were actively sprinkling handfuls of fresh red rose petals across the steaming water and pouring whole carafes of rich milk into the bath.

Moon Goddess, save me! Save me from this nightmare!