Breaking Point (BWWM)

3. Cope

The days seemed to get longer and longer as the wedding day approached. Braxton mostly took care of his pack through his work, thus Lucy hardly saw him for the duration of the day. From fittings to learning the rehearsals to getting cosmetic treatments, she found herself quite busy, too. At the least, his parents and sister were with her for most of it. To an extent, she was relieved so much was already planned for her. The dress had already been decided, not to mention how she'd wear her hair. The stylist didn't want to bother touching her hair texture because she was unfamiliar with it. They simply agreed that wearing her hair down would complete the look. She remembered how important and extravagant weddings were to her when she was really young, especially for the bride. Now, though, she was just happy to not have the stress of planning everything while she's still unsure how to get through this.

The rare occasions she did see Braxton were when he joined the family for a meal at the dining table. He mostly ate in his study between tasks for work. Today, he'd had a meeting with council further down the mountain, and decided to join everyone when he returned. "Braxton, how nice of you to join us at your own dinner table." Marlene teased, pouring him a glass of water from the pitcher in the center of the table.

He huffs, and Lucy could hardly tell if it was a scoff or an amused chuckle. He takes his place at the head, naturally embodying his role as a leader without any effort. Lucy had been told that she should always sit on his right side during meals in her time as Luna. Marlene admitted it took some getting used to for her, and now she no longer had to do the same for Laurence.

Lucy felt less comfortable with Braxton there, and it didn't go unnoticed by the Alpha. She tried to stay engaged in his family's conversation - they were discussing the hair pieces the stylist was considering she wear on their wedding day. She still couldn't believe it was a mere three days away.

He studied her, and if she felt his gaze she didn't give in to it. Her head was turned away from him, toward his family. She seems to have gotten well acquainted with them all, and they constantly gush about how much they're fond of her to Braxton. She didn't interject to add anything at all, despite her engagement in the conversation. Gods, it was going to be her hairpiece, something that was likely to be kept as an heirloom for generations to come. How could she not bother to add so much as an anecdote?

Maybe it wasn't so bad; he shouldn't be so surprised by the girl's unwillingness to speak up. She's so quiet. He hears everything in the house: all her appointments, all the conversations from his family and their staff; everything. It's rare for her to so much as mutter her opinion about something unless prompted. And even then, it's only to agree with someone else's decision. She's reluctant to take charge of her own life, she's as obedient as one of those strange domesticated dogs humans tend to keep. But it could be used to his advantage.

She's reserved, and that's favorable to him. She'll do exactly as he says when he says to. She'd be easy to control, and it was one less thing to worry about in his long list of problems that always needed fixing and tweaking. He just hoped she was a good listener: defiance was one thing, but ignorance was another. Ignorance was idiotic. It's a relief that her submissiveness won't have to be trained-

Braxton hears a vehicle pulling up, it was familiar. It sounded like Seth, the servant opened the front door. Braxton hands his empty plate to a servant, standing up and ignoring his mother as she pleaded with him to finish with everyone else. Marlene sighs as the men greet each other.

"Sorry I'm late, Joo-Joo's adjusting to me leaving the house," He explained, pulling from the short-lived hug they shared. He smiles at the Alpha's family. "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Hey, Brooke."

"How's everything with the baby, Seth?" Brooke beamed, she adores babies. She goes to visit Seth and Jooyoung all the time to see baby Hyunjoo.

"She's still great, she misses me when I leave." He chuckled, Braxton brings him upstairs, and the Beta waves politely at everyone before following him. He dithered for a moment at the sight of the newcomer, but joined Braxton in his study.