Marriage proposal

Eirlys Lumi,

"Where have you been in the last three months? Aren't you getting reckless day after day?" Mom snapped, her voice sharp as glass as she scanned me slowly from head to toe. Her gaze paused at my bare legs, climbed up to the male shirt, then back to my face. The hint of disgust was there, faint but unmistakable. Her upper lip twitched. "What the hell are you wearing? This is so inappropriate and disrespectful to our family."

I didn't say anything. I simply stood there, my weight resting on one leg, watching her lash out. The muscles around my eyes barely moved. The more she talked, the quieter I became. The sight of her anger rising like steam from boiling water should have amused me, but it only made the morning heavier than it already was.

Seeing me standing there without a single response, she eventually quieted down with a frustrated sigh. Her fingers rubbed against her temple before she straightened her posture.

"Let's talk," she demanded.

"Now?" I tilted my head slightly, one brow lifting a fraction as I glanced down at myself, brushing a strand of messy hair behind my ear. My shoulders rolled once, as if easing an invisible stiffness. "I need to take a bath. I had a wild night, you know."

My tone was calm, almost tired. I wasn't lying.

Dad's expression hardened immediately. The corners of his mouth tightened and his jaw shifted slightly.

"No wonder I can't tolerate her," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the room to hear. His fingers tapped once against the armrest of the chair.

A small smirk touched the corner of my lips.

"The feelings are mutual, Dad." My eyes darkened a shade, though my voice remained even. I walked past them slowly and dropped into the chair in front of the couch, leaning back as if I had all the time in the world. One ankle crossed over the other. "Let's just finish the conversation. Either way, we both don't want to share more oxygen here."

"Lumi!" My mother snarled. Her shoulders tensed, fingers curling tightly together before she forced them to relax. "Can you stop being so..." She hesitated, clearly searching for a word strong enough to throw at me. Her hands lifted helplessly before falling again. "Be... a bit ladylike?"

I scoffed softly, the sound barely louder than a breath.

"Aren't I being ladylike?" I asked, resting my elbow against the armrest and lightly tapping my fingers against my cheek. My gaze slid lazily toward her. "I am an Omega, Mom. Omegas are the queens of desire. All men want us. What else do you want?"

Her expression shifted instantly. The anger faltered. Her eyes flickered away for a brief second before returning to me, stiff and uncomfortable.

She was the one who told me that Omegas eventually turned into something worse.

And one day I would become one of them.

Throwing those same words back at her always made her uneasy. I could see it in the slight tightening of her throat and the way her shoulders stiffened.

But I did become one of them.

Except they played with men's bodies.

And I played with blood.

My face remained blank as the thought passed quietly through my mind.

However, they didn't know my little secret. My family still thought of me as the weak, easy-to-bully, ungrateful little brat.

"Enough, Mom and Dad!"

Pearl finally spoke. Her voice cut through the tension like a soft ribbon. Gentle. Careful. Almost fragile.

She stepped slightly forward, her hands clasped loosely in front of her waist. Her posture looked small, delicate, like someone who didn't even know violence existed.

"She is still young and trying to understand life better. We should support her no matter what."

Then she looked at me.

Her smile was gentle. Her eyes were almost innocent.

"I just hope... you aren't carrying some diseases, right?"

Her voice remained soft, sweet enough to pass as concern.

But those eyes.

They were sharp.

Like an eagle watching from the sky.

I rested my elbow on the armrest, supporting the side of my head. My fingers pressed lightly against my temple as I studied her for a moment.

"Why?" I asked quietly. My lips curved faintly. "Do you have plans to sleep with my clients?"

Her eyes widened instantly. The color drained from her face. Her lips parted slightly before she snapped them shut again. Embarrassment flashed across her expression, quickly chased by annoyance she tried to hide.

"Enough, Lumi!" Mom snapped again, her patience clearly thinning. Her fingers pressed against the edge of the table as if restraining herself. "Let's get to the point! Talking to you is like talking to a wall. Still ungrateful."

I didn't respond.

Arguing with them had never been worth the effort. My fingers lightly rubbed the side of my knee where a dull ache lingered from the constant work during the last three months. The movement was small, almost unconscious.

"That's a good choice," I said calmly after a moment. My gaze lowered to my bare knees. The skin there was faintly bruised, hidden beneath the dim light of the room. "Let's just get to the point."

As I sat there, staring at the faint marks on my knees, my parents exchanged a look.

At first, they had seemed eager. Now there was hesitation.

Dad cleared his throat quietly, shifting in his seat. His fingers interlocked before resting on his lap. Mom leaned slightly closer to him, her brows tightening as if silently urging him to speak.

A few seconds passed. Then all three of them looked at me with serious expressions.

Dad finally took the initiative as always. The head of the household after all, "The announcement of His Majesty's Luna choosing has been announced."

My eyes sharpened the moment he mentioned the Lycan King.

The shift was small, almost invisible, but the focus in my gaze deepened.

"They want Caroline to be the next Luna."

I leaned further into the couch, letting my head rest against the back cushion. My fingers tapped slowly against the armrest as I processed the information.

Although I had never interacted with the King directly, everyone had heard the rumors.

He barely acknowledged his Luna. Some even said he killed a few of them.

There was no real evidence. But it was true that none of his Lunas had lasted three months.

And now they were targeting my sister, Caroline Pearl. My parents' beloved golden child.

With sleek blonde hair that looked more like melted gold than simple blonde, Ocean-blue eyes and a strong wolf, It was understandable why she had been chosen as a candidate.

My parents might be over the moon. After all, there was thousands of times when they expressed their wishes to see their beloved daughter as the Luna Queen.

"That's good news," I said eventually. My voice remained flat, uninterested. My fingers stopped tapping. "Why are you telling me?"

I lifted my gaze to them.

"You aren't going to force me to give up the inheritance I got from my grandparents again, are you?" I asked. "Like you did with my college funds. Prom. And the rest."

Their expressions hardened immediately.

" Or, Perhaps, you don't want to introduce me as your daughter. You are ashamed?"

Mom looked at me as if I had pressed on an old bruise she wanted forgotten.

Dad, however, remained calmer. His eyes shifted briefly toward Pearl before returning to me. He adjusted his posture slightly and released a slow, careful sigh.

"We were thinking..." he began.

There was a pause and this kind of pause never brought something good for me. He took a deep breath, meeting my eyes, "You should marry His Majesty instead."