Cullen stood in front of the full length mirror as the maid dressed him up in his full regalia for the feast that was almost at hand.
Degar has asked that he attended and since it was a customary tradition, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
He had attended the feast held in Lady Natalia’s honor so he definitely cannot sit back on this one even if he wanted to. The maid brushed through his long and silky hair and tied it up into a neat bun.
"Has anyone of you seen Moira this evening?" He asked the maids who were in charge of dressing him while his eyes were fixed on the mirror in front of him.
"She is with the new Luna in her chamber Your Majesty." One of them answered and he forced himself not to break out into a loud groan of irritation.
Why would Moira leave him to tend to someone else instead of being here with him?
She was supposed to help him get ready. He wasn’t used to the closeness and touch of people that he wasn’t acquainted with in any type of way.
"She had asked us to take charge of getting you ready for the feast tonight, My Lord." She added when he didn’t make any comment on what she had said earlier.
"Leave it!" He stopped the maid who tried to pick up his robe from his bed "I will get it myself. You may go, all of you." He ordered and they immediately fled his chamber.
Picking up the robe from his bed, he threw it over his shoulders and went ahead to adorn his fingers with his rings and gold jewels.
The door creaked open and even before the person made his way inside, he could already tell who it was.
"The ceremony has begun, My Lord." Degar broke down the news to him. His eyes gleaming with newfound excitement.
"I was tasked by the council to fetch you and bring you to the hall."
"If I didn’t know any better then I’d say that you are excited for your own marriage ceremony Degar." He blurted out and adjusted the hem of his shirt.
"Of course I’m excited, you’re my best friend and not only that, you are finally married to your mate. I’ve been waiting for this day for my entire life so why wouldn’t I get excited? Today is a good day Cullen and as your friend, I am happy for you."
Cullen turned to face Degar. If he were the type of man that smiled and showed appreciation for words and compliments when they are issued out to him, he would’ve definitely basked in delight at all the happiness and joy flying around but he simply wasn’t that type of person.
He was a broken and damaged soul. His entire existence has been nothing but chaos and all through his life, he had been bruised and battered.
He has lost his sanity to the point of complete madness. But he wouldn’t complain though.
He had learnt to live with the nightmares as they constantly invaded his dreams. He had given up hope of finding healing or peace.
Those two words, weren’t for him and they certainly don’t exist in his world.
But he was grateful about one thing though. He was grateful to have a friend like Degar who had stood by him despite everything.
He never says it but Degar was like the ray of sun that he couldn’t hope for on a rainy day. He was the happiness he couldn’t feel and the laughter he couldn’t share with the world.
"Are you ready to go?" Degar asked and he nodded once. He let him lead the way out of his chambers till they got to the hall where the feast was situated to take place.
"Greetings Lycan King." Alfonso bowed his head at him and Cullen acknowledged his greetings with a nod.
"Good evening My Lord, and congratulations once again." Another said.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty." And another, till the entire hall was filled with different echoes and voices of ’congratulations’
Cullen thanked them all even though deep down he wanted nothing more than to be in the confinement of his bedroom. His only wish is that this feast goes according to plan so that he could leave immediately.
The feast kicked off immediately and an open announcement was made for the Luna to make her entrance but she wasn’t there.
When she was called out for the third time but never surfaced, Cullen felt his blood boil inside him.
How dare she embarrass him? How dare she degrade his authority in the presence of the other council members?
From where he sat, he could feel their eyes on him while he struggled to reel in his anger.
He felt insulted and looked down upon and he would make sure that she gets what’s coming for her.
*.*.*.*
"Is it fixed yet Moira?" Adria cried out desperately as she watched the older woman work. Why did it have to happen today of all days?
The last thing she wanted to do was to get on the Lycan King’s nerves unintentionally and without a good reason too.
Would he even believe her if she told him that she couldn’t make it on time because her dress ripped?
Oh goodness!
"It is almost done My Dear. Have a little bit of patience!" Moira tried to offer comfort but so far, it wasn’t helping.
Patience? Patience was the last thing she had at this point and even if she did have it, she was slowly running out of it. She was pretty certain that the feast had started already. She just got married and it hasn’t even been a day yet.
"It’s done now—"
Adria didn’t let her finish. She quickly snatched the dress from her grasp and began to put it on as quickly as she could.
"Should I escort you to the hall?" Moira offered and she nodded almost immediately.
She had no idea why the woman was so nice to her to the point of helping her out. They had just met and they barely knew each other so it baffled her but still, who was she to complain?
Besides, she genuinely loves the affection that she bestowed on her. It made her feel safe in a certain type of way. She was a long way from home and she needed all the genuine affection she could get.
"I don’t know but I’ll feel a certain type of peace if I went with you." She told the woman sincerely and with that, she let her take her to the feast with the other maids trailing behind her.
When they arrived, Adria walked in gracefully with her head held high and a smile on her face. She felt the tension in the air and the awkward mood but it was quickly replaced into a happy and vibrant one.
Everyone welcomed her and made sure to congratulate her as they complimented her beauty at every chance they got.
Just then, her eyes met the cold and dark ones of the Lycan King for a brief second and she saw rage, unsheathed rage and anger registered in them.
She didn’t need a soothsayer to tell her what she already knew. He was upset with her, she could tell just by looking into the ocean of those expressive but hard eyes.
Something inside her stirred awake. Her stomach fluttered and clenched in words that she couldn’t describe and she felt her wetness pool in between her legs.
She bit down on her lips as a slight gasp escaped her lips. There was something about those eyes that always got to her whenever she stared at them.
She snatched her eyes from his when she found herself staring a little bit too much and took to her seat just next to him.
Aria will pay a big price for putting her in this sort of mess.
"Tonight’s feast is made in honor of our Luna to welcome her into the household of Valtheris and to thank her for making this alliance with our pack possible..."
"She didn’t make anything possible," Cullen snapped at the man who was speaking. "She is my wife because the council demanded it, nothing more."
The room fell silent while the others forcefully nodded in unison at his words.
He was trying to embarrass her and it was pretty obvious but she wouldn’t let his words get to her.
It’s not like she married him out of love anyway. She also married him because her father had demanded it, nothing more so if he thought that his words would make her sad then he was in for the shock of his life.
The man finished his speech with a bow and declared the feast open for all with a toast which everyone partook in.
The ceremony went on as planned and even though Adria didn’t want to admit it, she enjoyed every bit of it and it felt refreshing to be a part of something as wholesome like this.
Everyone was kind and open to her and it made her feel a certain kind of connection between them.
The ceremony came to an end as expected and after thanking them for welcoming her, into their pack and her new home, she excused herself and walked out of the bouquet hall.
She met Calla who was supposed to escort her back to her chamber. Adria instructed her to and she did so almost immediately.
"Stop!" Someone called from behind her and she froze, her heartbeat accelerated ten times the normal rate.
She felt the hairs on her back stand in alert as the Lycan King approached her from behind. His shrill voice sent bolts of electricity that rippled through her at once.
She breathed heavily and turned to face him with a straight face.
"Leave us!" She said to her handmaid who immediately dispersed from the scene to give them privacy.
"You asked me to stop My Lord, why if I may ask?" She questioned, eyes holding him down.
He walked towards her until they were only few feet away from each other.
"Why were you late to the feast Aria?" He asked, his eyes hardened as she forced herself to remain calm and not get intimidated by him or his presence.
"Give me one good reason why you chose to insult and degrade me in the presence of my council or I will show you exactly how far my patience can be pushed before it snaps!"