2

Artemisia

“All that shouting doesn’t really suit a pretty lady.” My brother chuckles as he walks into my bedroom. 

 I scoff, rolling my eyes, continuing to sulk while staring outside the window. “It’s just not fair.” 

“A lot of things aren’t!” He simply states, getting me to turn around to look at him. 

“Aren’t you going to change something as the new Alpha? Will you allow them to continue to just act as they please?” I ask him, clenching the shiny surface of the sideboard I am sitting on. 

“Missy,” he sighs, putting his hands into his pockets. “There is not really anything we could do.”

Giorgio takes a step forward, tilting his head at me. “Is there something that is bugging you? To have you agitated like that?”  

Shaking my head, I raise my eyes to the ceiling, “Did you hear that they executed a wolfless She-wolf a few days ago?” 

“Yes,” he answers, the corners of his mouth dropping. “But it is only a rumor going around. The council hasn’t found anything on it.” 

“But they are still investigating, aren’t they?” My voice reaches a high-pitched tone, nearly failing me. 

Giorgio shifts his weight from one foot to another, “Yes, but-” 

“Nothing but!” I scream, jumping off the furniture. “They are animals. We should stop doing as they please. Having them treat us as puppets to pull off a show with.” 

In the blink of an eye, Giorgio is standing in front of me, grabbing my arm brusquely. “You will calm down and refrain from saying anything like this out loud ever again! Do you understand me?” 

I whimper and pull my arm up, trying to cover from his intimidating fury. As I nod shyly, he growls, making me wince. “Do you. understand. me?” 

“Yes, Alpha.” I say lowly, finally getting him to release me. 

I rub the spot pulsating painfully on my arm, pouting. “It’s not just us, Missy.” 

Looking up at him, I see that his rage-filled expression has now morphed into the usual caring one that I normally get from my big brother. “It’s important that you know that all of us are in danger. Even if we were to attack them all together, the chances would be high for them to crush us with a tired smile on their faces. You can’t grasp the things that we saw, so please. Don’t risk it. Especially not in your condition.” 

“My condition,” I murmur feeling crushed while still caressing my arm with my thumb. 

He flashes me his canines as he grins at me. “So, care to change the subject, and act like the shy, weak, and cowardly sister everyone supposes you to be?” 

I chuckle, clearing my throat as if I were to impersonate an actor on stage. 

“On a scale from one to 10, how nervous are you?” Giorgio acts pensively as he sighs deeply. “Maybe an 8?” He answers indecisively, making me chuckle.

“Are you asking me?” I sit back onto the sideboard, while he moves to stand next to me, and we look out of the window watching warriors train on the grounds below.

“Diana chose a really beautiful dress, I gotta tell you.” I say in a whisper, my stare directed into the void. 

Seeing him smile in the reflection of the glass, my heart feels so happy that it could burst.

“9 then.”

“Mom is already calling her Luna.”

“That’s actually cute.”

“Yeah.”

Giorgio turns around slowly, his shy smile still present. “You will be coming, right?”

I wrinkle up my nose and shrug, “Sure. Wouldn’t miss it for no reason.”

“Thank you. I’ll set Zeno and Zack to your side. This way he will not dare to come close to you again.”

“That would be awesome, thank you. But I can defend myself, he is just a wimp, let the Zs enjoy their evening with their girlfriends.”

He sighs again, holding me by my shoulders. “We are a family, and they will understand. He has to learn that he lost you and has to let you be.”

Shaking my head, I grin up at him. “You are already such a stubborn ruler. Don’t worry. I’m unmated and there must be some residues of our bond because of that.”

“Still not a reason to be an asshole.” He grunts, releasing me with a tap.

My heart bleeds as I think of how stupid I have been and am now even troubling my family. They know about everything as I have told them.

Well, nearly everything.

Just my brothers and my sisters-in-law know that he is still obsessed with me and whenever he sees me, he tries to get close to me.

My parents only know that I’m still hurting at seeing him, and that is not even a lie.

But just my best friend knows that, a few years ago, I let myself get wrapped around his finger and even spent the night with him. His cheating on his family with me had me feeling sick for days. And until this day, I feel like a piece of shit for my behavior.

At least it was a lesson for me and since then I was cured of feeling attracted to him.

The ick was just too strong.

Thank God.

“I’ll be alright. Don’t worry!” I say, with a grin.

He nods, and is already standing by the door as he turns around, “You aren’t wolfless, Missy! Don’t punish you for something you can’t control.” 

I remain looking at the training ground, as I sigh, the first tears falling fastly. 

***

Joyful laughter fills the air while a rustling rises from the floors below us. The preparations for the ceremony are running smoothly and still, my mother manages to hyperventilate constantly about the guests who have to be arriving at any minute.  

“Do you feel comfortable?” I ask Diana as she is taking deep breaths with her hands on her stomach.

“Yes. But no. God, I think I’m going to faint.”

“Relaaaax.” Caterina yells from her vanity, while she is concentrating on drawing her eyelid line straight. “Everyone has already accepted you as their new Queen. Everything is going to be OK.”

“I’m more nervous than on my wedding day.” She breathes out, “Is that shit normal?”

I chuckle as I pinch the train of her wedding gown. “I guess so.”

With a swift movement, she turns around and grabs my cheeks with her hands gently. “Aren’t you a beautiful creature?!”

She presses a smooch on my cheek, making me gasp. “Your red lips will destroy my make-up!” I skyrocket out of my sitting position and stand behind Caterina to look in the mirror. “You cruel woman. I sat hours for it.”

Diana and Caterina laugh, and Caterina stands up to remove the traces of lipstick from my cheek. I pout as she rubs her thumb on my face, and she dabs the spot carefully with a beauty sponge to recover my make-up flawlessly.

“All set!” She exclaims happily just as my mother’s voice resounds in our heads.

“Ladies and Gentlemen. Let it begin.”

I get released out of the mind link and turn to Diana with a chuckle. Squeezing her hand, I wish her good luck and assure her one more time that all will be fine before I leave the room with Caterina.

“She shouldn’t be left alone.” She whispers as we scurry down the stairs.

“I know, but it will be alright. Tradition asks for her to join us just at the time of the coronation.”

As we reach the ground floor, I halt just behind my mother and feel Zeno laying his arm around my shoulders.

I can feel how everybody is anxious but also extremely excited. My brothers and I stand there to face the first guests with a smile while my parents welcome them officially on our pack grounds. I stare in awe as the elegant representatives of other packs walk in dressed elegantly.

Everybody seems to be working tonight. The organization of the guards, the escorts from the boarders, and the logistics for the party bear witness to my mother’s skill as Luna.

We decide to move with the crowd and go to the back of the house. The big patio leading to the large meadow is now decorated lovingly with garlands and flowers. At the end of the field that is fenced with rose bushes, there has been set up a huge stage where the coronation will be held.

I squeal excitedly as I follow Zeno out to a few bar-high tables that are still free and start snacking on the hors d’oeuvres that are being served.

Zaccaria reaches us with fast steps, and I groan.

“Really, I don’t need your pity. Just leave me alone and go enjoy the evening with your mates.”

Zeno grins as he munches on pretzel sticks. “No can do, sis.”

“I brought you champagne.” Zaccaria beams as he stretches out his arms for me to get my glass.

“Thank you, Zack.”

Even before Zeno can take his glass from our brother’s grip, his expression darkens.

“The assholes are here.”

Zaccaria’s and my head whip to the patio, just in time to see five members of the Blood Fang Pack scanning the crowd with a frown.

Well, no, let me rephrase that.

One of them wears a frown. I couldn’t tell what the others were doing.

And what a frown.

His strong frame lets all the others pale in comparison. Even surrounded by the strongest wolves in the Southern Hemisphere, he seems to tower over everybody. He has his squared jaw clenched as he stares us lowlives down with his glacial eyes and I guess I could cut myself if I was to touch his face, due to his high cheekbones.

And why the fuck would I want to touch his face?!

For the first time after what seems an eternity, I feel my wolf stir and I gasp, tearing myself out of my trance.

My brothers look at me concerned as I grab the material of my dress.

“What's wrong?”

“Cassy… She… I think she just moved.”

“Really?” Their sparkling eyes have my heart bleeding as I think that it might be for an entirely wrong reason.

“Yeah,” I say with a chuckle, straightening my spine with a deep breath.

As my brothers resume bickering playfully, I risk another look at the Adonis that even got my wolf to react, and I must be blushing horribly as our gazes meet.

Oh, my Goddess.