"Lady Elisia, why are you so red?"
Elisia was in front of the mirror while Fina, one of the servants, asked her. The girl was around twenty years old and had been working in the castle for more than a year. She was now assigned to assist Elisia, together with six more servants.
"Hm? N-Nothing. I just remembered something." Elisia answered.
She was embarrassed when she realized she was daydreaming. Her heart started to beat fast when she thought of what had happened on the cliff.
"Is it something nice? You were smiling, and your eyes looked really happy." Fina commented.
She glanced at the mirror and saw Fina was busy brushing her hair. She bit her lips and then sighed.
"Fina, have you been kissed before? I mean, you're still young, so I'm not sure if you already had a boyfriend or if you're in a relationship now."
The girl was surprised, but her face lit up because of Elisia's question.
"I have a boyfriend, my lady. He's one of the warriors of the pack and worked from day to night." Fina proudly said.
"Did he kiss you already?"
Fina suddenly blushed. "We are werewolves, my lady. He's my mate so we didn't just kiss. We already mated."
"O-Oh! Is it necessary for werewolves to do something more than kissing?" She asked curiosity piqued.
Fina chuckled, seeing Elisia's naive face. "We can't help it. The mating pull is very strong, especially during a full moon. By the way, why do you ask, my lady? Did something happen between you and His Majesty?"
"No! Nothing happened! I-I have a friend who was asking for advice, but I am not good at that, so I want to know someone's opinion."
"I see. What happened to your friend?" Fina asked.
Elisia stared at Fina to see if there was a doubt on her face. The girl looked like she believed her, so she continued to ask her.
"Well, she had a boyfriend for a year. They were supposed to get married, but something happened. Then she met another man, and that man took her first kiss."
Fina was looking at Elisia's reflection in the mirror. "First kiss? My lady, her boyfriend never kissed her?""
"She was not ready. They only hold hands, but never too close with each other."
Fina frowned. "Is she in love with him?"
"Yes. But she believed that getting intimate with her boyfriend has the right time."
"What did she feel when another man kissed her? Did she get mad? Did she feel guilty?" Fina asked.
"That's the problem. She didn't feel guilty, and she actually liked it. So she's confused."
Fina crossed her arms on her chest. "I think she's not really in love with her boyfriend. If I were her and I got kissed by another man I barely knew, I would get mad and feel guilty."
Elisia pouted. She suddenly felt guilty for not feeling guilty. When Thane kissed her, she didn't refuse him. It was just a short kiss, but she felt she wanted more. So when he started moving his lips, she responded by copying him.
Thane was naked, so she felt something between her thighs when he pulled her closer. His body gave her warmth on that cold night, and she had never felt that safe in the arms of another.
"Are you confused, my lady? I think you are not in love with that man."
Elisia was surprised by what Fina said. She looked at her and saw the girl smiling after.
"Am I too obvious?" She asked.
Fina chuckled. "You were smiling earlier, and it made me happy seeing you smile. When you first came here, I thought His Majesty brought a girl who didn't know how to smile. I think the king did something that made you happy. I was right."
"I have someone in my heart, Fina. Your king and I had an agreement. We do not have a relationship. He needed me to help him with something. I was not supposed to tell anyone, but I think I can trust you."
"It's an honor, my lady. Thank you for trusting me. I will not ask any further details about your relationship." Fina smiled.
After a few more chats with Fina, another servant came into the room and greeted her.
"Lady Elisia, His Majesty asked you to come to his office."
Elisia's heart started pounding. What did he want with her? After kissing her, Thane transformed into a black wolf and brought her back to the castle. He never spoke about it as if nothing had happened.
She took a deep breath and then stood in front of the mirror. She looked at herself from head to toe, then turned to Fina.
"Is there an occasion?" She asked when she realized what she was wearing.
"Yes. I thought you knew, my lady. Tonight, you will be introduced as one of the members of the pack and will be named the next queen." Fina answered.
Her eyes widened. She was shocked since no one had told her about it. She had been in the castle for a week, and nobody talked to her about Thane's plans.
She didn't say a word to Fina and the other servant. She glanced at them, then turned around to run toward Thane's office.
"What the hell is happening? Why do you have to name me your queen?" She yelled when she barged into Thane's office without knocking.
Thane glared at her but was stunned to see her. She was wearing a mermaid-cut red dress with a high slit on her left leg. The front had a sheer V-shape design, emphasizing her breasts. Her long wavy red hair flowed and danced as she walked toward him. She was breathtaking. He thought inwardly.
"Calm down, princess. I was not the one who planned this party. It's the council's decision. I asked you to come here to tell you that I'm planning to go out of the castle other than attending. Would you like to come with me?"
Elisia didn't expect that Thane was planning to run from his own party. She felt like a needle suddenly pierced her heart, making her even more confused. Why would she feel hurt? Did she want to be his queen so she got disappointed when he wanted to escape instead? She thought.
Thane frowned when she didn't answer. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
She didn't know what got into her that night. She felt disappointed, and her heart was suddenly in pain.
Elisia rushed towards him, grabbed the back of his head, pulling him towards her.
"I promise I will find a way to kill you." She said before crossing the tiny space between them.