Damien Green may have been attracted to Lyanna at first sight but I knew just how to get a man. Poor, innocent Lyanna, she'd always been quite rigid. I wonder if anyone would like her.
The dance was over, and Damien and I had retired to the courtyard when we came across Lyanna looking like she'd just lost a parent. She looked so pitiful, and it pierced my heart to see her badly punctured, but what had been done, had been done. I couldn't relinquish my position as the future Luna, not even for her. This was an answered prayer, I expected her to understand that.
Earlier when I'd found her building castles in the air, I'd wanted so badly to tell her to limit her dreams, but I thought it wouldn't be fair to do it myself. Someone else had to burst her bubbles, and it pleased me that Damien did it. I didn't have to get my hands dirtied.
"You're making this difficult for everyone, Lyanna." I scolded her immediately and we both rushed into the waiting room after her altercation with Damien in the assembly hall.
She swirled around violently and I thought she would have knocked down ceramics if she were the wind.
"I'm making this difficult for everyone? What does that even mean?" She asked, furrowing her brows.
"Look, I know you're disappointed that Damien chose me, but shouldn't you be happy for me? That's what friends do, right?" I said, shifting the focus from me to her.
"You're really good with this thing." She said with a hint of sarcasm.
"What thing?"
"Gaslighting."
"Oops, you caught me."
"You manipulative, and ambitious wretch, did you think you could use those petty lines on me?" She said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, my fragile, little thang. You should be grateful you weren't marked, how would you survive such a mean alpha whose wolf is untamed? Count this a blessing, at least you do not have to deal with Damien." I whined, making a face that infuriated Lyanna.
"Is that supposed to be a consolation?" She asked, pained.
"Depends on how you take it, but yes, it is a consolation from me to you," I replied and began to wisp out of the waiting room.
"I can't believe I trusted you as a friend, Vina." She scoffed, with her voice barely above a whisper.
Twirling around, I took two majestic strides towards her but stood two feet away from her. You couldn't trust an enemy.
"I was, but it's obvious you do not want me around anymore because you're uncomfortable with my breakthrough. That's not an attribute of a friend, you know, Lyanna. I expect you of all people to know this." I answered, holding her gaze fiercely.
"A friend?" She scoffed bitterly, then toughening up, she asked, "Where were you last night?"
"It's none of your business what I go around doing," I replied, shrugging.
"But I tell you everything, Vina." She cried.
"That's your problem, Lyanna, I'm under no obligation to tell you that. You only told me things because you were comfortable talking to me about them, but now as the soon to be Luna," I said that part with so much pride and indignation. "I can't go about divulging secrets to just anyone."
"Just anyone? I'm just anyone now huh?" She asked, still playing the victim's card. "I know you had sex with Damien."
That hit me like a shock but I couldn't let her see that. "Oh, that? If you knew about it then why did you ask? Besides, he's now mine so that's not a problem. My problem is you, I can't have an acquaintance who'd smashed my mate around. I think you'll have to skedaddle."
"Damien would have been mine if you hadn't seduced him." Lyanna accused, unconsciously raising her voice, she did that all the time and I was growing agitated by her outburst.
"Seduced him?" I repeated, clamming my lips together in a gesture of disapproval. "Call it seduction if it makes you comfortable, at least I got the alpha without wiggling my body futilely on stage."
"What did you say?" Lyanna quizzed, obviously unable to take it anymore.
"Look, let's not hurt each other's feelings, Lyn. I'm not the enemy here, and you can leave the Evergreen pack if you're not comfortable seeing me happy." I suggested, with a straight face.
"Just put it as it should be, Vina, I know you want me gone because I'm going to be a threat to you," Lyanna said, chuckling sadly.
"Well, you caught me, but that changes nothing. I'm still Damien's mate, something you'll only always fantasize about." I knew I was pushing my luck, but Lyanna was only an omega, she was no match for me.
Her hands beside her wound into a ball, the corners of her lips twerked angrily, and her entire body shook frantically but that meant nothing, she couldn't hurt a fly.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk pathetic!" I mouthed, walking away, but I swerved at the door, took a last glance at her fragile silhouette, and said, "you can take my advice, or you can drown in your misery, hater."
That must have hurt, it was intended to.
I walked back to the assembly hall where I'd left Damien with his warriors, feeling like I'd won a battle. He ordered that I enter the hall as soon as the maid outside announced my presence.
"Leave us!" He commanded, and the rest of his soldiers except his right hand man sauntered out of the hall.
"You look upset, Vina, is the twat constituting a nuisance to you?" He asked, glaring, not at me though.
Twat? I loved that, coming from him. Lyanna needed to know her place, and oh, I wished she heard the way Damien addressed her, she meant nothing to him. An alpha would always bed multiple women, but he always went home, to his mate, and she was his only Luna.
"Lyanna thinks I snatched you from her," I started, hoping to stir more hate in his heart. "I fear she might try to incite negative rumors about you and me," I added, keeping a worried look.
Damien scoffed, "She won't. She knows more than to test my rage." he said vehemently like he knew something I didn't.
I hoped he had some plans already laid out concerning Lyanna. He did, or maybe not, the impassive expression on his face made it impossible to tell, but he too, had no idea what I had in mind for him.
"I hope so too," I said, after a while.
"Get your head in the game, Luna, you have a wedding to prepare," Damien ordered, his face taking on the stony look it always bore.
I was soon to teach him to not treat me like he treated everyone else. There was Luna's treatment and as his mate, I expected that from him. But not so fast, I had to put up the obedient facade until after the wedding, then Damien would see me for who I truly am.
"Yes, alpha," I answered, bowing slightly.
"The maids will assist you in planning for the wedding, I want everything ready before the ceremony and no bluffs. Nothing pisses me off like an aberration in the way things should go." Damien went on and on.
Love was never going to be enough and if I was really going to settle with him as a mate, I needed to do to him the things only witches knew how to do.
"Be rest assured alpha, there'll be no discrepancies," I replied, cursing beneath my breath as I whooshed out of the assembly hall leaving him with his gamma.