Chapter 4

Elena's POV

The first thing Marcus did was explain how it had happened.

The Luna Queen, he said, had taken his phone call as an insult. The royal did not appreciate being told three days before a royal wedding that the bride had changed her mind. Marcus had stammered his apologies. Then the Luna Queen asked, in a tone he did not seem able to repeat without flinching, whether Marcus had any other daughters.

When Marcus said yes, the Queen had said: Let her be the bride instead.

When Marcus said the second daughter was wolfless, the Queen had said: bring her anyway.

"So the date holds," he told the room. He had not moved from the doorway. "Saturday. As planned."

For a long moment, nobody spoke.

Vivienne's mouth opened and closed twice. Nothing came out.

She had been ready, I think, to spend the afternoon being cooed over by Derek for her courage in turning down the Luna Princess position while I was left with no one cared about me.

Instead the royal family had taken me, which means Vivienne was more replacable than she thought she was. She never had to marry the Prince in the first palce.

Derek probably realized that too and lost in his thoughts.

I watched Vivienne's face turn three shades of red. I had not known faces could do that.

"Well — well, it's obvious," she said finally. Her voice climbed back into the safer register. "The Queen isn't even Prince Adrian's mother, you know. Selene. She's his stepmother. They hate each other. Of course she'd jump at the chance to push some — some random Alpha daughter on him. The lower the better. The more wolfless the better."

Cecilia made a small approving noise.

"And the Prince," Vivienne went on, "Adrian is cold and cruel. He will eat you alive, Elena. "

She wanted me to flinch, but I didn't.

I doubt if Vivienne was telling the truth about the Prince.

In my last life, Prince Adrian had saved me at the southern front. Derek and I had been on a trade convoy when a rogue group attacked us. The rogues had taken me by the wrist when a tall man with a wolf the color of iron had pulled them off me without saying a word. I had not known his name then. I had learned it later, when Derek shook his hand on the steps of the medical tent and said Your Highness, thank you.

Prince Adrian had also visited once to Derek's pack. Derek walked him through our territory and stopped beside me in the barn when I was planning a more efficient storage with staff. He had said, You are a good Luna.

Ten years from now in the last life, when Derek got the chance to participate the King election, Adrian would already have been a year dead. And Adrian's brother somehow decided to not inherit the crown

I wouldn't believe a prince who led the army himself and devoted his life to the battlefield would be that much of a horrible person.

Vivienne did not care about any of that, because Vivienne had spent her life focusing on her own benefits and feelings.

"Well," Marcus stopped Vivienne. "Viv, stop scaring you sister with that nonsense. Elena, you will be married on Saturday." He paused. "Frankly, this is more than your wolfless luck deserved. You should be grateful."

He threw the royal marriage at me even after he heard what Vivienne said. There was nothing to be grateful for.

But deep down, I knew the Royal Pack would be a far better start than staying here with Marcus and Cecilia.

Adrian was the Alpha prince. In the royal pack, resources were plentiful, and respect came naturally. I probably never have to worry about saving every penny or face dismissve looks when talking to potential allies.

After all, I wanted things to be different this life.

But even if I accepted this, it wouldn’t come without a price.

I cleared my throat, ignoring her mumbling. "Cecilia."

"Yes, dear." Cecilia looked up.

"I can accept the royal marriage but-," I paused, acting hesitantly. "you told me that everyone would have to attend Vivienne's wedding, because hers was the royal one. So I assume, by the same rule, all of you will be coming to mine now."

The room went still.

"What?" Vivienne said.

"My wedding is the royal one now. That is, the wedding everybody attends. I'm sorry you all had to miss Vivienne's wedding."

I tipped my head at her, civilly.

"You cannot skip a royal wedding," I said. "Can you?"