The Lycan King's Substitute Wife

Chapter 7

HOPE

My room wasn't locked the next day. I was scared about the fact of it not being locked from the outside after that day. Yes, the blond Lycan's words stuck to me, no matter how much I wanted them not to.

Commander was the one who served me meals throughout the whole of yesterday, and I knew that she was not happy about it in the slightest manner. She ensured to sneer or indirectly insult me anytime she got a chance to.

I wanted to call her out for being immature but I knew that I couldn't. She was the almighty commander of the Lycan army who was turned into a food server for the Lycan King's human wife. I somehow felt empathy for her situation. But that feeling didn't last long.

"You think being holed up in this room is going to change the fact that you're married to the most powerful person alive?" Commander asked me as I ate slowly, seated on my bed while she sat cross-legged on one of the chairs inside the room, watching me with her hawkish eyes.

She and the blond Lycan always seemed to remind me that I was married to Darius, as though I could ever forget about that fact. Every single second of the day I thought about it. I thought about him. It was kind of hard not to.

Even though I hadn't seen him since the morning I had breakfast with him and the others, I could just feel him around. I didn't know how to explain that. It was like he was always close by but I just couldn't place my finger on how close he was. And it irritated me a lot.

"I didn't say anything like that," I mumbled before I shoved a spoonful of fried eggs into my mouth. Yes, I was now well acquainted with the meal.

"But I'm sure you were thinking about it. You must hate him, Darius, that is. I felt your fear while you were being dragged to the altar that day." I froze up at the Commander's words, then snapped my neck towards her.

"What? You were at the wedding?" I inquired in a curious tone and she nodded. Her high ponytail bobbed as she did.

"I was among the guards. Every Lycan heard how fast your heartbeat was racing and the loud sound of it, urgh. It was the most annoying thing ever. Do you know how upsetting it is to hear the sound of a thumping heart? Very, very upsetting.

"And yet, Darius shoved down the urge to kill you right there and then. You've been annoying him ever since he knew you existed. You're lucky to even be alive after what that bitch of your sister did. If I was the one, I would've killed you and your parents. Then I would've hunted Light down and killed her as well." Commander said viciously and I gulped down on my saliva as I tried to register her words.

She hated me. She hated me so much. I couldn't tell if it was because I was me, or if it was because of what they thought Light did. Something told me that it was the two options. Commander looked like the type of person who didn't need a valid reason to hurt anyone she didn't like.

The only thing restricting her from torturing me and trying to pry out information from me was the fact that I was married to her king. Safe for that, I would've not been alive to have an entire inner monologue.

By the time the sun was almost down, I was wiped out due to boredom. Imagine having absolutely nothing to do all day. I was forced to have conversations with myself and take brief naps throughout the day. At least in my dreams, I had a better life.

Time for dinner was fast approaching, and I was beyond famished already. I wanted food. Funny how doing nothing all day could cause a person to be incredibly hungry. I heard a knock on my door seconds later and I quickly stood up to my full length to answer the door.

I didn't get a chance to do that because women paraded into my chambers. They were Lycans. That was beyond obvious but they didn't possess that strong Lycan aura. They seemed closer to humans—all three of them—but I was still cautious about them.

One of the three slammed my door shut and ambulated towards me, she kept her gaze on the floor as a sign of respect. I appreciated that.

"My lady, the King requested to dine with you privately in the garden outside." She spoke in an unwavering voice and my lips parted.

"What?" I asked in an incredulous tone. Darius wanted to have dinner with me. Privately? Was something wrong?

"We are to get you ready for him." With that said, she lifted her gaze and snapped her fingers. The other two behind her quickly came around me and started to nudge me towards my bathroom.

I wanted to ask questions but I was sure they wouldn't answer me. The three of them looked like they'd rather be anywhere else than with me, so I kept my mouth shut. They bathed me neatly in rose water and cleansed my skin. After that, I was led out of the bathroom with a silk robe tied across my body.

The girls moisturized my skin and clothed me in their traditional Lycan attire. I wore a dark blue long tunic which had several buttons. It was sleeveless with high collars. Then I wore bright amber-colored, fitted trousers with high sandals. One of the girls styled my hair in a top messy bun, leaving a few wavy strands in front of my face.

They adorned my hair with pins and pieces of jewelry along with my ears, neck, and wrists. The enhancement done on my face was light and my lips were painted blood red. They made me look like the queen that I was supposed to be.

Once they were finished with me, they left my chambers without a word. They didn't even give me a chance to appreciate their efforts. I guess they hated spending extra time with a human like me.

I knew where the garden was, so I led myself in that direction. I passed by a few Lycans who thought it funny to snicker at me or whisper gossip about me. I paid them no mind as I kept on walking. All my life, I had always been inferior and so I got to bear harsh treatment from people around me.

I was already used to it.

When I got outside, I realized that the moon was incredibly bright because tonight was a full moon. I knew that Lycans were sensitive under the full moon. I had to not make Darius mad tonight because if I did that, there was a chance that he would transform into his beastly form and rip me to shreds.

Once I got to the garden, I smiled in awe. It was a beautiful sight with incredibly bright flowers all around and lamps that lit up all the sides of the walkway. Not talking about the fact that the bright moon made the whole scenery look aesthetic.

I spotted Darius as I walked on the straight pathway ahead of me which was lined with smooth rocks. He was seated on a circular table which was situated inside an altar-like temple with a lamp hanging over it. As I got closer to him, I noticed the scowl on his face and it made me grimace a little as I sat down on the beautifully, intricate designed chair across from Darius.

He didn't look pleased to see me, so why invite me for a private dinner? What was this all about? Something in the back of my mind told me that it was about Light, so I asked the question outright.

"Have you found Light?" I settled on the chair after I spoke.

If he heard my question, he didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed the glass set in front of me and poured in red wine, then set the glass back.

"Have you found Light?" I repeated my question, just in case he didn't hear me the first time.

"That is none of your business." He said through gritted teeth and I felt so small. He always made me feel small.

I turned to look at the dish in front of me. Of course, it was meat. The Lycans liked it. It was always part of everyone's meals. I picked up a fork and started to dig into the meal, feeling Darius' heavy gaze on me.

Why was he watching me so intently? What did he want from me? Was getting married to him not enough? Did he still want to bed me? So many questions but I had no answers to them.

"Who are you?" he asked, all of a sudden and I raised my head to match his gaze.

His expression wore nothing, and I couldn't tell if it was a trick question or if he had misspoken.

"Excuse me?" I cocked my head to one side. The scowl on his face reformed.

"Who are you?" he repeated in a much slower tone.

He hadn't talked to me in weeks and suddenly he wanted to know who I was. I took a sip of the wine glass and cleared my throat.

"I am your wife."