Lycan King’s Nemesis

“This is your morning gown, and this is for the afternoon and then this… is your evening gown in case you and the King are__”

“I want to be alone, Kora,” I sighed, finally fed up with pretending to listen to her even though my mind was elsewhere.

“It is part of my duty to make sure you are in the right clothing at every point of the day… your highness.”

I shook my head from side to side, noticing her hesitation to use my title. This woman thinks I don’t know how much she resents me. How can I allow someone like her to work with me when she might easily poison me and I will be unaware of it? I decided to confront her. “Look, Kora. You don’t have to come here and do anything. I know you hate me and that’s why I don’t think… this will work.” I indicated both us.

“Only me agreed to serve you,” She uttered curtly, looking at me pointedly. “Others said they will never serve a werewolf. ”

“And that’s because?” Anger was building inside me.

“Because… the King hates werewolves.” She said with indifference.

“But your King married me.”

“Because he was forced by the Queen mother.”

“So, you disrespect me because you think your King was forced to marry me?”

“I try my best to obey you,” She grumbled, going to move the draperies aside as the evening approached. “It’s my obligation.”

“I don’t need you anymore, Kora. Thanks for accepting to work with me. But I don’t want you here if you don’t want to be. Just go.”

“The queen_”

“Where I came from, I am not a nobody, I am the daughter of a Beta and when I speak, people like you obey. So, I am not going to accept your ill-treatment because you think I should. Go.” I stood and pointed at the door at the same time it opened and Ashton walked in.

She bowed her head and scurried out with a low huff that didn’t escape my ears.

I blinked rapidly to contain my anger before I fell back on the bed. Why is he here? I thought he will avoid me till night and then come and force himself on me again until I carry his heir.

He didn’t speak to me. He went in the direction of the closet and started undressing. Like a fool, I started drooling. It was as though this man had a spiritual hold over me. It makes me sick.

Well, if he won’t speak to me, I will speak to him. I want peace, yeah?

I stood and went to sit down on the couch by the fireplace so I can have a good view of him. “I-I am sorry about breakfast, Ashton.” I slurred in a sultry voice.

“…”

“Look, I was only mad at the way you made it look as though I am incompetent to those people. Imagine what they will think of me.”

“…”

“Such a dickhead,” I mumbled under my breathe, flicking my nail.

“What did you just say?” I jerked, my eyes dilating as my head swung to him.

My shoulder bounced up and then down. “Nothing. Just saying I know you hate me, but can we not fight in public?”

He threw a black shirt on and began buttoning up. All the while, his biceps flexed under the shirt. My mouth went dry. He looked up at once and caught me. I looked away and scratched the nape of my neck.

“Ashton…” I stood and made my way to him. He became alert, stopping what he was doing to pin me with a stern look. I stopped three steps away, tottering on my feet. “I want us to give this a try, believe me. We don’t have to tear out each other’s throat for something the goddess herself had ordained.”

His lips stretched in a dubious smile. “I haven’t even begun and you are already shaking.” He zipped his trouser which he had to adjust his manhood before it would agree to zip through. “You will feel my heat soon. Just wait till the guests are gone.”

“Ashton_”

“It is ‘your majesty’ to you, understood?”

“I_”

“Understood?” He asked calmly, but the danger underneath couldn’t be misplaced.

“Yes.” I swallowed the bile forming in my throat, turned and walked out of the room.

I didn’t know where to go so I just walked out of the palace and just kept walking. I walked until I got to the gate and stopped. “I need to run errands,” I said to the guards when they didn’t open the gate.

“You have to leave with the guards, your highness.” The chief of the guards said.

“I need to leave the palace at once, I am not your prisoner.” I was fast losing my patience.

“That’s the King’s order, my lady. Only him can give us an adverse order before we will let you go.”

“But I’m the Queen.”

“Only in name.”

“What did you say?”

That was when the arrogant pisspot looked at me and then he took two steps to stand in front of me, bowed his head until he was within an inch of my ear before he said, “I’m sorry, my lady, but the King only married you. Until you drink the blood of the red moon under the bright light of our goddess; Abyshama, we won’t accept you as our Queen. It’s tradition.” He moved back.

I was aghast. So, there are more rituals to be performed and no one told me of this? What was Ashton thinking not carrying out the ritual? And what kind of people are these with so many rituals and traditions? Since I came here it’s tradition this, tradition that. How many more before I lose my mind?

“Argh!” I pivoted and walked out of there back to the palace. I think I need to see the Queen. I have questions to ask. I believe she is on my side, therefore I deserve to know everything to be done so that these people can finally give me the respect I deserve.

The front door slammed as I hastened in, the butler hurrying from wherever he was and I waved him off before he will say a word, then stopped and turned to him. “Where is the King’s mother?”

“In her private chamber.”

“Okay, thank you.” I was about to climb the first step, then it occurred to me. I don’t even know her private chamber. I turned once more. “Can you take me there…” I don’t even know his name.

“Mousy.”

“Mr… Mousy.” Mmn… what a name.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“Of course, your highness.”

When we reached in front of her door, he bowed and left while I knocked once and waited. Soon, I heard a soft voice from behind the door and pushed it lightly and walked in.

“Oh, it’s you, Gwendolyn,” she quibbled at seeing me, her excellent smile branded on. She looked… different. Possibly because I am seeing her without her total getups.

“Yes, it’s me, your highness. Pardon my disturbance.” I bowed and when she waved me on, I went to seat down.

“I hope my son has not been too unruly?”

I chortled lightly, placing my hand over my mouth to quell the sound. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, you_”

“Call me, mother, Gwendolyn.” She stood up and made her way to sit down beside me on the couch. “I know you feel so out of place here, and also, I might not be your real mother, but consider me one. I don’t know why you came to this place from your Kingdom, but I believe it was all the plan of the great moon goddess and I want you to feel at home.”

“Mother_” I choked with tears at her kind words.

She shifted close to take me in her arms. “You have to fight your way to my son’s heart, child. And to be the Queen these people deserve.”

“How come you don’t hate me?” I’ve been meaning to ask that.

She sighed and relaxed back. “I don’t even know, child. From the moment I saw you, I just knew you are the one for my son. Call it motherly instinct.”

Hearing her say those words to me died every question I came here to ask to be replaced by courage. She was on my side. To me, that was enough.

Well, that was what I thought for the remainder of the week as we hosted the guests. I smiled more often, laughed at everything the King or any of the guests said. I just pretended to be unfazed. I wanted to make him believe I was immune to his antagonistic attitude towards me. That I owned my emotions.

But the day the guests left the palace, I was struck with what might be the biggest challenge of my life in this new Kingdom.

My husband left the palace with his female Delta.

…