Chapter Eight

Chloe’s POV

Aiden and I sat in his fancy Mercedes C class, even as his convoy drove both in front and behind our car. Our journey was really quiet.

Mason tried all he could to stop it, but all the important papers have been signed, and now I am officially Aiden's wife. But the trip to his pack was way too silent; we didn't say much to each other, and it made me feel uneasy.

"Why aren't we talking?" I thought to myself that I was a bit disappointed. I had hoped for a more exciting journey. I tried to stay calm and enjoy the ride.

"Probably, Mason might have pissed him off real bad, and he's trying to cool down," I suggested to myself.

As we approached the borders of the Lycan Pack, my breath caught in my throat at the sight before me. The outskirts structure was stunning, with the lighting, structures, and layout all beautifully arranged and perfectly complementing each other.

Trying to start a conversation, I said, "The outskirts of your pack look really nice. I wonder how beautiful it is inside."

Aiden just smiled, looked at me, and then looked away.

“He will come around,"  I assured myself.

Suddenly, Aiden turned to me, his face serious. "Chloe, there's something important I need to tell you," he said, his voice low and serious. My heart skipped a beat at his words, and I couldn't help it, nor could I even guess what he was about to say.

I nodded, pushing him to continue.

Aiden took a deep breath before speaking again. "I need you to understand something," he started, his look fierce. "I will respect you as my mate, but I cannot promise you love."

His words hit me like a ton of rocks, and I felt a lump form in my throat.

"What do you mean?" I asked with my voice barely above a whisper. Aiden sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I mean that I cannot love you the way a mate should," he explained, his tone tinged with sadness. "My heart belongs to someone else, and I cannot change that."

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as his words sank in.

I had hoped that our bond as mates would be enough to overcome any hurdles, but now it seemed like a terrible twist of fate.

"Who is she?" I asked, my voice shaking with emotion.

Aiden paused; his eyes darkened with guilt. "I can't tell,"  he said softly. "However, please understand that it has nothing to do with you." It's just... complicated."

I felt sadness wash over me as I realized the depth of his feelings for this unknown woman.

Despite the pain eating at my heart, I knew that I couldn't force him to love me. Love was something that had to come freely, without pressure or influence.

I nodded. "I understand,"

"I said, forcing a small smile despite the tears threatening to spill over." "I will respect your feelings, Aiden."

He just looked away, as if we hadn't had a delicate conversation.

“What’s really happening?”

“Am I sure that this is what I wanted?”

“Hope I haven’t made the wrong choice?”

******

As our car passed through the open gates of the Lycan Pack, I peered out, trying to see everything in the fading daylight. I could see the lit-up houses scattered around, indicating a lively community within the pack.

When we reached Aiden's palace, I was completely amazed by its size and beauty. It was so huge that I couldn't even find words to describe it.

The thought that soon I would be the Luna of this incredible kingdom filled me with a mix of excitement and disbelief.

As our car stopped in the palace garage, some maids came over. "Welcome, Prince Aiden!" they greeted together.

Aiden just waved back.

"Do I have any appointments scheduled for tomorrow?" he inquired, sounding all serious.

One of the maids nodded. "Yes, Your Highness," she said. "You have a meeting with the council of elders, and your twin brother will be there too."

“Twin brother??” I said aloud.

I was literally shocked and surprised at what the maid just said.

“How come I have never heard of any twins of the famous Aiden the Lycan King?”

Before I could think more about it, Aiden looked at me and asked, "Is everything okay?" I quickly replied, "Yes, I'm fine." "Great," he said, then pointed at an exact maid and said, "Take her to her room" as he walked away towards the main courthouse.

The maid led me through the palace corridors, saying, "This way, ma'am," as we went along.

As I walked through the corridors, I was surprised at how beautiful the palace was. It was way bigger than I ever imagined.

"Ma'am, this way,"  she said.

“What's your name?"  I asked the maid even as she walked before me.

“My name is Ashley, ma'am,"  she answered.

“Drop the ma’am, okay. Just call me Chloe, alright?” I said, trying to ease her a little bit.

“Okay, Miss Chloe,"  Ashley said, smiling.

“Chloe is fine; there is no need for Miss,"  I said, insisting.

Ashley just smiled and kept on walking.

We finally got to the room.

As I walked into the room, I couldn't believe my eyes. Everything is so perfect and beautiful.

The walls had fancy pictures on them, and the furniture looked really comfy. The colors in the room were so bright and lovely.

I couldn't help but gasp in amazement, and the maids noticed.

Ashley smiled as she said she was happy I loved the room.

As I walked towards the bed, I felt the curtains with my hands, even as they swayed softly in the breeze from the open windows. When I reached the bed, I had to touch the soft sheets. They felt like silk!

"This is amazing," I said, turning to Ashley with a big smile.

“I’m glad you like it, Miss Chloe,” Ashley replied.

“Would you like to take your bath now?” Ashley asked.

"Not yet... I'll wait a bit before I take a bath," I said, smiling back at them. "But thanks for asking."

“You are welcome, Miss Chloe. Prince Aiden requests that you eat something before you go to bed, so I will instruct the chef to prepare something light for you.”

“Thanks so much, Ashley,” I said.

“You are welcome, Miss Chloe.”

Did Ashley just call Aiden “Prince Aiden”?

“Isn't he the Lycan King?” I thought.

“Ashley, one more thing,” I quickly said as Ashley was walking out of the room.

“Sure, what would you need, Miss Chloe?”

"I won't need anything; I just wanted to find out." Why did you call Aiden Prince Aiden?”

“That's what we call him here, Miss Chloe. He is the son of our king, so we call him our prince, ma’am.”

“Do you mean Aiden isn't a Lycan King yet?” I asked, and surprise was written all over me.