CHAPTER 4 — The King She Betrayed

Vaelora’s POV

I didn't get much sleep that night.

I left the file open on my desk close to my bed until past midnight, and though I looked away at it numerous times, my eyes always came back.

The alliance contract.

The marriage agreement.

The evidence of my life's failure.

I sat in silence and just looked at the papers for an hour and more.

Each page was like a waking up call to my former self.

Each page was a reminder of the man I had become.

Slowly, I picked up the alliance contract again.

The seal of Nightbane Pack looked back at me.

My fingers clenched around the sides.

Three years ago, I had stolen this document.

I was confident that at the time, I was doing something good.

Something brave.

Something romantic.

Kaiven had informed me that my parents were attempting to dictate my future.

He said that they didn't know our love.

He explained to me that with the alliance, he would finally be able to save his pack and prove to all that he was good enough for me.

I had taken everything he said on board.

Without hesitation.

Without question.

Like a fool.

I could still remember sneaking into my father’s office.

I recalled shaking when I was sifting through confidential files.

I recalled stealing documents which were the result of years of negotiation.

I recollected putting them in Kaiven's hands.

Now, his triumphant smile was like a smile of joy.

I now knew what it was really about.

Victory.

He had won.

Not my heart.

My usefulness.

A bitter laugh was forced out of my mouth.

What was it about me that I was so blind?

How many times had I neglected to heed the warnings?

My father.

My mother.

The pack elders.

Even Lucerian.

Many years ago, when the alliance talks had first begun, Lucerian had visited Nightbane a few times.

I vividly recalled those meetings.

He had been threatening.

Quiet.

Observant.

Never particularly warm.

But never cruel.

Not once.

But I had been judging him none the less.

I had assured myself that I would be a miserable wife if I married him.

So I ran.

I chose Kaiven.

Then there was a death in the family.

My body was permanently injured.

I was developing cancer within me.

And, I was not welcome anymore in my own family.

I lowered my head.

I was filled with embarrassment.

I was the only one to be blamed.

For several minutes I sat alone in silence.

Then, I finally finally got to the place I had been putting off going.

The only solution was to make a change.

A way to recover even part of that which I had lost.

I had to marry Lucerian Veyth.

Not because I wanted to!

Not for forgiveness, because I didn't hope for forgiveness.

Not because I thought he would ever believe me.

However, I owed him.

I owed my family.

Most importantly, I gave myself the opportunity to not sweep my mistakes under the rug any longer.

It was too fast the next morning.

They get ready a car before dawn.

My dad didn't get up to the platform to see me off.

Nor did my mother.

I partook of that part of me.

Still, it hurt.

One of the servants in the house assisted me in putting my luggage in the car.

It wasn’t much.

My possessions were now reduced to two suitcases.

A painful reminder of the changes that had occurred in my life.

When it was all set up, I joined him in the back seat.

Nightbane's gates burst open.

So I left my home, for the second time in my life.

Only this time I wasn't after love.

I was trying to find redemption.

It was a day-long trip.

As we went further, I became more and more nervous.

I started off by distracting myself with reading.

That failed.

I then attempted to sleep.

That failed too.

Then I just looked out the window.

I traveled one mile at a time, getting closer to Lucerian.

Every mile was a reminder of what I've done to him.

I had publicly humiliated him.

It was all across the kingdom.

I had turned down the Lycan King's proposal.

Not only that.

I had immediately run away and married another Alpha.

The scandal was prevalent in all of the main packs at the time.

The newspapers said no more, no less.

Nor the nobles themselves.

The headlines came to my mind.

The mockery.

The gossip.

The embarrassment.

At the time I was too preoccupied with celebrating my “freedom” to pay attention to the repercussions.

I wondered how much I did damage.

Were I to be ridiculed for this because of Lucerian?

Was it his enemies that used it against him?

Did I hurt him?

As I continued to think it, it made me more and more uncomfortable.

I had my stomach in knots come late afternoon.

What about if he doesn't? I whispered.

No one answered.

There were no guards following me, so they didn't say anything.

“What if he decides to take his revenge?”

This seemed a much more plausible option.

I wouldn't fault him, as he is just doing his job.

As the sun started to dip below the horizon, the Lycan capital at last came into view.

I sat up straight, immediately.

The city was very big.

Much bigger than I recalled. The capital was surrounded with big stone walls.

There were guard towers spaced apart.

The streets below were lit with thousands of lights.

Everything looked powerful.

Disciplined.

Orderly.

Just what I'd expect from Lucerian's kingdom! When our car came near the gates, the guards rushed out.

One of them has examined our papers. When he saw the Nightbane insignia he stiffened his back. A few words were exchanged. Then the gates opened and immediately. That surprised me.

I was anticipating complications. Questions. Suspicion. Rather, we were taken right into the city. As we went deeper, I became more and more nervous.

The king's palace was soon in sight. My breath caught. It was a huge edifice. The night sky was filled with tall stone walls. All balconies and windows were lit with gold.

There were guards at all the entrances to the Royal Palace. The palace appeared more like a fort than a house. Finally, the car came to a halt. A servant immediately opened my door. I went out slowly.

And froze. There were a number of officials waiting. Along with servants. And royal attendants.

One old woman volunteered first.

She bowed respectfully. “Lady Vaelora.”

I blinked.

Lady?

Not traitor. Not disgrace. Not fool. Lady. 

The woman was polite and smiled. Welcome to the Lycan Kingdom!

I stared at her. Completely confused. It was not what I was expecting. Not at all. I was expecting to be put up to a fight.

Coldness. Maybe even public shaming.Rather, people were all the more welcoming.

It instantly raised a red flag.

The servants led me in. The interior of the palace was even more magnificent than the exterior. Everything was immaculate.bServants swiftly traversed the hallways. Strict formation was observed by the guards.

There was no one who raised their voice. Nobody wasted movement. The whole palace was a machine. After some time I was brought into a large dining hall. And there he was.

Lucerian Veyth. 

I just looked at him for a while. This had made him different three years later. He was already scary the last time I saw him. He was now a different kind of person. More mature. More dangerous.

More powerful. His hair was combed, and it was black. He sat in his chair with his wide shoulders, filling the chair. Golden eyes looked quietly at all.

A king. There was no word to better describe him. As soon as I walked in, he fixed his eyes on me. I looked away right away. I was served with a chair!

I sat down, trying to look as though I wasn't nervous. Failing completely. Soon after dinner started. Surprisingly, Lucerian wasn't right away talking about business.

Rather, he permitted feeding to take place. The meal went on without incident. Almost normally. But at some point, I knew that I couldn't wait anymore.

I came here for one reason. I set down my fork. The move caught Lucerian's eye right away. I took a breath of my breath. Then spoke. “I would like to discuss the alliance.”

There was a very quiet moment.

Lucerian leaned back a little bit. “I’m listening.” He was quiet.

I swallowed. “ Nightbane Pack would like to establish diplomatic ties.

Lucerian nodded once.

I continued. No one should have left Nightbane after the stolen alliance.

I felt embarrassment on my cheeks and forced myself to go on. I'm going to right that wrong, I will marry you.

A few advisers glanced at each other. Lucerian didn't show any emotion. I closed my eyes and took another breath.

In return, the alliance would go back to Nightbane Pack.

The room became silent. Completely silent. Political discussions followed. Terms were reviewed. Conditions were examined. Advisors offered suggestions. Documents were requested.

Lucerian made very little conversation during all this. He simply listened. Observed. Watched. As the time went on, the more nervous I became.

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Couldn’t tell whether he was angry. It's hard to say if he was laughing or not. Didn't know if he was going to reject anything.

Eventually, the discussions came to an end, after a long time. All eyes were fixed on Lucerian. It was up to his choice. The king picked up his glass of wine and sipped it coolly. Took a sip. Then set it down. “I accept.”

I blinked.

Of course, I must have heard wrong. “What?” I blurted out before I could think.

Lucerian's face was never to change. “The proposal.” He clasped his hands in prayer. “I accept.”

The room was instantly calmed down. There were a few nods of approval from several advisors. But I still couldn't move. That was it? No argument? No negotiation? No punishment? No demands?

It made no sense. I was hoping for push back. Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would ask questions. He agreed on the spot, however. It just didn't seem right.

Far too easy. A feeling of suspicion made an intrusive appearance in my mind. I stared at him. Trying to understand. Lastly, I was unable to keep from it. “Why?”

Lucerian raised an eyebrow. I leaned in a bit. “Why did you accept the offer so soon and so easily?”

For the first time that night, something changed in his eyes. Not anger. Not amusement. Something much more disturbing. He slowly lifted his wine glass again.

Took another sip. Then turned right at me. Our eyes locked. And a shiver went up my spine. It was as if I'd stumbled into a trap – suddenly. Lucerian put down his glass.

“You'll know in due course.”