Chapter 9.2: Excitement

9.2

The words had not registered to Lunara yet because she crackled into a soft laugh, “were you that horny?”

He looked at Lunara. She was beautiful and she knew it. There was no denying that. She was a slut. That was sure but he had no intentions of being faithful anyway. It would be a perfect marriage so long as she did not give him a bastard.

“We're getting married,” Theron found that he had to repeat himself these days in order to be actually heard.

Lunara had heard him the first time but she had convinced herself that he was joking or she had misheard. Because it was unbelievable. Why would Theron want to marry her? She had always dreamed that it was possible in a perfect world but she was not the kind of girl any noble man wanted for a wife.

“Married?” she laughed. It was a beautiful sound and yet, it was Cæl’s angry voice that made him smile.

“Theron,” she said playfully, her eyes twinkling with laughter, “you cannot joke about these things.”

Theron was quiet but his silence said it all. Lunara's expression turned from playful to serious.

“Oh my goodness!” she squealed from a mix of excitement and horror, “you're serious?”

“I'm most certainly not joking,” he returned, interlocking his fingers behind his head. She turned to look at his face. Perhaps, this was some elaborate scheme of a joke? But his face held no smile. She could see the frown lines on his face. He was waiting for an answer from her.

She swallowed.

He had said, ‘we are getting married.’

That did not leave her much choice now, did it?

Besides, it would be incredibly insane to refuse the Alpha. And why would she refuse anyway? This was her dream, the dream of every noble lady in her circle.

She could imagine the faces of the other ladies in court, especially Betty who was convinced that when it was time for the Alpha to choose his Luna, she would be the first choice. She smiled, her eyes shining brightly, imagining just how big of a diamond ring Theron would sit on her finger in weeks to come.

She frowned a little though, looking at Theron's lazy frame. It would certainly not hurt if it had been a little romantic about the proposal. But who needed romance?

She was going to be Luna!

Theron watched Lunara quietly, wondering what the holdup was. Why was she taking so long to tell him she would be honoured?

“You idiot!” his wolf chided harshly, “that is not how a proposal is done.”

He cleared my throat, prepared to tell her all the words she would love to hear—that she was the most beautiful woman in the world; that her grace held him in awe; that he loved making love to her; that he believed she would give him beautiful children but the words stuck in his throat. Who was he fooling? The entire time he had been with her, he had not succeeded in fooling himself. He had only thought of Cæl.

“I cannot lie to her,” Theron told his wolf. He also did not want to mislead Lunara. He wanted it to be clear that he was doing this more out of duty and convenience rather than love. He wanted to set no expectations of love or romance in their marriage. An image of his unhappy mother watching him with longing for her husband flashed his mind but he pushed it away. He had chosen Lunara because she was unlike his mother. His mother had waited endlessly for his father to become her husband. She had waited for him to stop cheating and to love her but all her waiting had only led her to become depressed. But he knew Lunara was different. She understood politics and knew their union was not for such fickle emotions.

“Lunara?” He called her name softly because she had said nothing more since she last spoke.

“It's just that,” she started, “I always assumed that our relationship was only physical. I mean… you know very well that despite being the delta’s daughter, I have a reputation for…” she allowed her words to trail off.

“I do not care about such things,” Theron said, “I want you to be my Luna. I do not care for any of those rules and,” he paused, “you have never struck me as someone who gave a fuck about what the rules are. I like that about you.”

“I do not,” she spoke with a hardened tone. She loved men and she had never been ashamed about it. Her promiscuousness caused her father great pain but that had never stopped her.

It was his fault. He caused it for her.

Within the next three hours, word spread throughout the fort that Alpha Theron had announced his intentions to get married. It was still unclear who he was getting married to but many suspected that it was to Lunara because maids had leaked that he had run off to her quarters after informing the council of his intentions.

It was impossible for Mæra not to have heard as it was all anyone could talk about. Somehow, it reached the war grounds.

It stung a bit to hear but she realised it was for the best.

Perhaps, the Alpha would keep his hot lips to himself now that he was making a commitment to a woman.