CHAPTER TEN: VENUS

I still can't believe I was getting married, let alone marrying a werewolf. Of all the species my family could establish an alliance with, they chose the werewolves; how fucking navie could they be to trust them? Just thinking about it pisses me off.

Seriously, they chose a species where half of them rejected their fated mate just to sleep around like a dog, and my reference to them being dogs wasn't meant to be a joke. It is actually quite disgusting to be honest.

Forget the werewolves because it's not entirely their fault I'm here; my family, as well as the other two Queens of Ovithan, are also to blame. It's ridiculous to think they'd just up and leave me here with people who want me dead rather than have me as their queen, without even explaining why I'm the one marrying this bastard.

Even during the marriage preparations, I wasn't emotionally invested because I don't want to fucking get married, so I found the wedding preparations extremely annoying and as I participated in them, I never once laid eyes on my soon to be husband.

The wedding ceremony was brief and quick, and after we exchanged vows, we moved on to the reception. 

The majority of the guests were werewolves because almost half of the witches in Ovithan opposed the marriage. However, it didn't matter what the witches thought because once the queens make a decision, it is final. 

This is what makes Queen Dawn different from my mother and the other queens; she lets her subjects make their own decisions rather than forcing them to follow orders like mindless zombies. 

The festivities gradually drew to an end as King Leon blessed the marriage. From that day forward, I was taught the dos and don'ts of the werewolf world by a very reluctant teacher and was left to fend for myself. Michael, my beloved husband, was no help either because he vanished after dropping me off at my chamber on our wedding night and I never saw him again.

After two months, it was as if my will to choose had been taken away from me; I was told what to eat, how to speak, what to dress, and even how to sit; it was exasperatingly annoying. 

Oh, and Michael was still avoiding me, and it appears that he is cheating as well, because whenever he is forced to spend time with me, he smells like female perfume, but I wasn't shocked he had a mistress, if not a mate, because he, like me, was forced into the farce of a marriage. It's not like I want to cheat, but why can't I have someone like him on the side? I, too, am a female with needs.

I would have lost it long ago if it hadn't been for the great library that exists in the werewolf country. It is very outstanding in comparison to the one in Khadran.

Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years; a year has passed since I married Michael, and I still haven't heard from my mother or brother; why don't they want to contact me? I know I'm sometimes too much for them to handle, and they don't care about me, but it still hurts to think they'd forget about me so quickly. 

Since I was the crown princess, I was required to attend every event attended by the Aethelwulfs, so we're currently in a neighboring region attending a memorial service for a Duke who died not long ago during the war; from what I've heard, he was a very close friend of the King, so it was mandatory that we attend the service.

I was ignored as usual, but I'd grown accustomed to it. While the King and Prince were mingling with some important aristocrats of the vampire community, an extremely handsome man approached us, he had similar physical characteristics to the King, which made me curious who he was, perhaps a brother or relative of some kind?.

"May the king live long, hello brother," the man said, and his last sentence stunned me; I wasn't mistaken, but did this man just call Micheal his brother?

"How annoying, I told you not to call me that when we're in public, mutt," Michael says angrily, I didn't hear wrong, Michael is the handsome man's brother, that means the rumors about the King having a second kid he was ashamed of are true. 

"How else should I refer to you, brother?" The man asked as his gaze shifted from Michael to me, and I realized his eyes were a gorgeous emerald green, unlike Michael's boring black eyes, and they glowed under the chandelier lights, making him look even more handsome.

"You must be Princess Venus Pellon, I'm the Xavier Aethelwulf, It's a pleasure to meet you," Xavier said, taking my hands in his and placing a quick kiss on the top of my palms, and I literally felt my heart skip a beat because of how close he was and i don't know why but his lavender scent was driving me insane. He smells so fucking good.

"It's my pleasure, Prince Xavier, but why haven't we met before today?" I asked, earning a glare from Michael.

"I apologize for not attending the wedding, I was at the battlefield keeping the vampires out of Verna, they have become quite a thorn in our side," 

"She doesn't need to know such information, Xavier." Michael commented, dismissing me once more, but to my amazement, Xavier came to my defense, unlike everyone else who agrees with Micheal.

"Why do you say that? She is the Crown Princess, and she should be aware of what is going on in the realm." Xavier said, his brow arched and gaze fixed on Michael. The tension between them was obvious from across the room. Who am I kidding? You could feel it from Khadran 

"Enough, Xavier, why are you here?" King Leon asked, staring at Xavier as if he was gum under his feet. 

What could make a father despise his son so much that he doesn't even want to acknowledge him? I thought to myself as I continued to watch their conversation.

"I don't need your permission or a reason to go anywhere I want, father, but I'm here to give my condolences to the late Duke's third son. He's a good friend of mine."

"I see, if you'll excuse me, I see Duke Hayfield on the other side of the room, Michael and I will go greet him, Princess Venus stay with Xavier, and both of you should behave," the king warned, sometimes I think he sees me as a pet rather than a human being.

"How is your stay in Verna going?" Xavier asked when King Leon and Michael had left us alone.

"It's okay I guess, please excuse me, I would like some air," I asked, trying not to seem dismissive. I just needed some air, I was suffocating pretending everything was fine.

I curtsied to show him respect before I exited the room and went to stand on the mansion's terrace. It is pleasant to feel the wind on my skin and in my hair. As much as I like remaining indoors, I also enjoyed nature and the peaceful refuge it gave.

"It must be difficult pretending to be okay when you're not," a familiar voice said, and I turned my head slightly to find Xavier resting on the door, those gorgeous green eyes staring at me like they could see into my soul.

"How would you know?"

"Oh Vee, I'm speaking from experience, I do live here," Xavier chuckled softly as he approached me. When he came to stand in front of me, his lavender perfume enveloped me and made me feel at ease. He called me Vee, which I hadn't heard in a long time. Henry always calls me Vee, but when Xavier says it, my entire body shivers with excitement.

"So, what do you recommend I do about it?" I asked.

"Find someone to talk to or you will be consumed by your thoughts and may eventually do something you will regret."

"What if I can't find anyone to talk with?"

"Run! Whenever you get the chance because this place is like a parasite that will suck the happiness out of you until you have nothing left to live for," Xavier added, with a tiny smile on his face 

"But -" Just as I was going to say something, loud yells filled the air, and we both looked down to see guards sprinting towards the main house with something, or someone chasing them,

"Vampires are attacking," the guard yelled, and then a vampire attacked him and pulled out his heart, causing his lifeless body to fall to the ground, and hell broke loose.