“What do you think?” I asked Claude as I showed him the list of the knights and the high ranks of the knights. I sighed. “I know that we already talked about that I will be in charge of the military activities while you are in charge of the knight’s activities but…”
“I’ll arrange them.”
“What?” I parroted, blinking from his sudden agreement.
Claude raised his gaze to meet my eyes. His expression softened. “You are right. I can’t just have the knights slack off while you are in the war.” He opened his palm and beckoned me. I smiled and placed my hand on top of his. Then he brought it to his lips that sent tingles down my spine. “This is a good suggestion, love.”
My heart leaped and my stomach somersaulted from his gesture. I suddenly felt shy. I cleared my throat to hide my face that was already flushing. “T-Thank you…” I said shyly.
“Can you come here?” He patted his lap.
I looked at him in disbelief. Then I looked at the knights who were with us. Even Felix, Philippians, and Silver were also here. “There are people around us!” I scolded him in an almost whisper tone.
He gave me a mischief look. “Is that even a problem?” he asked smugly with a grin on his lips.
All of a sudden, they started leaving. “Did you just order them to-”
“Yes.” He butted in and didn’t let me finish. Then he suddenly pulled me and made me sit in his lap.
“Claude!” I said, blushing from his sudden movement. He snaked his arms through my waist and leaned his head to my chest.
“I want you…” he whispered and buried his face in my chest. I gasped, moaning softly when his lips were trailing to my neck, most especially the weak spot in it. I shivered when I felt his canines grazing it before he licked it. “This is where I am going to mark you.”
I exhaled sharply and held onto his shoulder when he kept kissing it. “Claude…” I moaned softly.
“Oh, Rachelle… I really want to take you here…” he said in a difficult tone and had my face buried to his neck. He held me tightly in his arms like he was stopping himself to make any movement. “I need to control my wolf when I am around you… Damn it…” he said through gritted teeth.
I bit my lower lip as I lowered my gaze to see his exposed neck right in front of me. I suddenly felt my chest getting heavy just by seeing it. I have this urge that I want to mark him, too. And my wolf as naughty as she was, shared how she wanted to mark him just as I wanted to mark him, too.
I moved my hand up to his hair and gently clutched it before I placed my lips near to his ear causing him to stiffen. “We can do foreplay,” I suggested in a whisper, feeling aroused right now. I want to express how proud I was right now for expressing my boldness today. Claude was teaching me how to be like this and it was making me feel powerful.
Claude didn’t say anything but I felt how he tightened his hold to my waist. I took that as an opportunity to stand up and saw a questionable expression in his eyes. But I sat back again, only to straddle him.
Claude chuckled darkly and whimpered when I moved my hips. “You are playing a dangerous game, Rachelle,” he warned and stopped me from grinding myself towards his hard bulge underneath the apex of my thighs.
I arched my eyebrow and stretched out a teasing smile. “Perhaps, who started this game then?” I asked, challenging him.
“Very clever, woman.” He smirked.
I was feeling hot when he said that and I felt bolder even more. With my wolf who was feeling excited, she was urging me to do something with Claude. And now, Claude was looking at me like he was waiting for me to do something. I could tell that he didn’t want to make his first move knowing his wolf could hardly be controlled by him.
I hugged him and placed my lips in the crook of his neck. I felt his husky breathe fanning in my ear as his hold tightened in my waist.
“Let’s do foreplay,” I murmured to his ear as I gently clutched his hair and started nibbling his earlobe, copying how he seduced me with his skillful lips.
His chest vibrated as he growled. “You’re really such a tease, my seductress…” He hissed in my ear. I grinded my hips, feeling more and more how hard he was underneath his pants.
I started kissing his jaw and heard his sharp intake of breath. I copied every movement he had done on our wedding night and how he teased me before I reached my peak. I looked at Claude and saw the hunger in his eyes. I could probably foretell that I had the same expression right now.
I inhaled sharply when Claude started massaging my flanks just below my breasts. I shivered from that touch, feeling wet down there. I licked my lips to distract him which was a victory when I managed to grab his attention. I felt my chest rise up and down as fire started to tingle me. I swear, I would be willing to have us do a dirty play here.
If we will do the mate ritual right here, I am willing to do so.
“Grand Alpha King has arrived!”
Claude and I halted when we were about to kiss. Then we turned our heads to Grand Alpha King Claudian III who was surprised by our position but he recovered and grinned afterwards.
“I was told to be summoned here but it looks like I chose the wrong timing to arrive,” he said. His voice was laced with teasing.
I suddenly felt embarrassed by what the Grand Alpha King said. I was about to get up when Claude held my waist tightly. I turned at him and saw his disapproval written in his eyes.
“We don’t need some decency even if Father is the Grand Alpha King. We can stay like this as they all know we are mates and married so it is pretty normal to do this,” he said with a frown.
“At least let me sit properly.” I frowned back. It was awkward that I would speak with the Grand Alpha King, which I must call Father, sitting in a straddle position, facing Claude.
Claude grinned and let go of my waist. I sat on his lap and had his arms snaked from behind.
“Happy?” I asked, arching my eyebrow.
“Very,” he answered with a smirk on his lips before he turned at his father who was smiling from ear to ear. “Have a seat, Father. Have you had your lunch? I would call a servant to-”
“Nonsense. It’s already late to eat lunch,” he butted in. He checked his pocket watch and looked up at us. “It’s the first time that I have heard you two eating your lunch at this time.”
“Well-” I pinched Claude’s arm when he was about to say that it was my fault. I sent him a warning glare. He would know the consequences if he ever ditched on me. He irked from my pinch and chuckled nervously. “It doesn’t matter, Father. The important thing is Rachelle and I are happily enjoying each other’s company.” He placed his chin on my shoulder.
I shuddered from that touch and felt aroused a little because I could still feel the bulge of his pants in my bottom. I shifted sitting on him to press where he should eat me later. With my action, his breathing became heavy.
“So, why must I be summoned here? Is this about my daughter-in-law’s brigade again?” I jumped to my feet when Father spoke in irritation.
I secretly clenched my hand with the way he sounded. There was bitterness in it. Until now, he still expressed how he disagreed with Claude’s decree of allowing me to go to the war.
“You-”
“No, it’s not about that, Father.” I flinched when Claude gently pinched my side to halt me from spouting sneer remarks at his father. “Calm down, love,” he whispered to my ear.
His soothing words made me feel calm. I leaned on his chest and waited to see what business Claude brought his father here.
“Remember about the time when I told you that Rachelle had met the Moon Goddess in her dream?”
I composed my back from Claude’s question. I glanced at him and saw his earnest expression before he turned his head at me and kissed my cheek. That made me and my wolf feel giddy as my stomach somersaulted.
“Did she really visit you, my dear daughter-in-law?”
I turned to Father who also had an earnest expression. The way he was looking at me right now seemed like he knew something about it.
“Yes. And I also heard from the first time I saw the late Luna Queen Beatrice’s image in the antechamber the conversation of agreement between the Moon Goddess and the late Luna Queen.” I also told him the painting was painted by his late wife and was transported back to the lavender field. That was why I managed to speak with her. “What sort of agreement did Her Majesty, Luna Queen Beatrice, make to the Moon Goddess, Father? The Moon Goddess even expressed that Claude and I were somehow connected about this. The agreement is for the sake of Claude. Why is that?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.
We were enveloped with a deafening silence. My eyes lingered to Father whose eyes shifted.
I narrowed my eyes. “You know about it, do you?” I asked suspiciously.
Claude’s father looked at my eyes before he sighed.
“Have them leave here, Claudian,” he said in his serious tone.
Claude and I looked at each other from what he said. “Felix, you heard my father,” Claude said, raising his voice.
Felix showed himself and bowed before us. “As you wish, Your Majesty,” he said and left with the other knights.
“What do you know about it?” I asked the moment when I felt that no one was around. “What sort of agreement did Her Majesty and the Moon Goddess have, Father?” I emphasized calling him Father because he is my father-in-law anyway.
He sighed. “That… I cannot tell,” he said in a difficult tone like something was hindering him to speak. “The Moon Goddess forbade me to tell the truth. I could never say anything…”
I clenched my hand and scoffed. “Then it’s useless you even told your knights to leave, Claude,” I said bitterly, huffing one more time. “Your father wouldn’t say anything anyway.”
Father scoffed, smiling. “Time will tell when both of you will know the truth. The Moon Goddess itself will lead you to the truth that you have been looking for. But one thing I could say to the both of you is I already know that you two were meant for each other from the very start. I pretended that I didn’t know that you two are each other’s mates.”
“What?!” Claude and I exchangeď glances as we both spoke loudly in unison.
Father raised both of his hands like he was already surrendering. “I can only tell this part but I cannot tell the agreement your Mother,” he paused and glanced at Claude. “And to the Moon Goddess.”
“Wait… Wait…” Claude spoke. It was good for him that he found his voice while I was too stunned to speak right now. “What do you mean you are pretending that you do not know Rachelle is my mate? You know this in the first place?”
His father rolled his eyes. “Son, I already said that I already know you two are meant for each other from the very start, right? How many times do I have to repeat it?”
“I… I just want to hear it again…”
“Does this mean you know my name before?” I asked, thanking myself that I finally found my voice.
He looked at me and nodded. “Moon Goddess said that my son’s mate is named Rachelle.” He clasped his hands together and placed his elbows on the table. “An orphan named Rachelle who is bound to set foot in my palace will be a remarkable woman in history. That is how she describes you.” Then his expression softened. “And she is right… You are a remarkable woman who is fit to be my son’s mate.”
My eyes widened. My tongue got tied inside my mouth and I couldn’t even utter anything. The only thing I could do was hold Claude’s hand tightly and he did the same.
“I-Is that the reason why you are matchmaking Rachelle and me, Father? Because you knew that Rachelle is my mate after all?” Claude asked in a shaky voice. Not in a nervous way, but something more about feeling blessed.
Father chuckled and nodded. “Yes! Yes! Correct,” he said enthusiastically. “But even if I didn’t know that Rachelle is your mate, I already grew fond of her treating her like my daughter. She reminded me of your mother. A very brave and outspoken Beatrice has the same personality just like Rachelle.” His voice croaked as he pursed his lips into a thin line. He must’ve tried to stop himself to shed a tear but the longing in his eyes would never lie.
Grand Alpha King misses the late Luna Queen. That is for sure.
“I missed Mother, too, Father,” Claude stated in a soft tone.
I turned my head at Claude and caressed his hand. There was also longing in his tone. He really adored his mother so much.
Father cleared his throat and smiled. “Anyway, do you remember the time I ordered that you need to pay a visit to Cassey at the Reinsor?”
Claude nodded. “Yes, what about it?”
I stiffened my shoulders when they mentioned the town, Reinsor. It was where the Dark Soul pack was located.
“That is also the time I first met Rachelle and my wolf and I knew she’s our mate.”
I shivered from his words. When I looked at him, his eyes were shining like a diamond. I wouldn’t forget that time when we first met back in the forest. My wolf and I smelled this mint and after rain that was so alluring, we couldn’t get over it.
“Yes.” Claude and I snapped back from looking at each other before we turned at his father. “Actually, the Moon Goddess told me that it is time for you to meet Rachelle at that moment.”
“Huh? What?” I said in shock while Claude gasped in surprise. “So that wasn’t a coincidence after all? The Moon Goddess planned it after all?”
He nodded and smiled widely. “That’s why you two cannot fool me from those times you two are being awkward on each other after you, my daughter-in-law, rejected Claude because of my son kissing Duchess Amelia which in the end resulted in misunderstanding.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Have no fear. I am not blaming you. It was my son’s fault after all.”
I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t utter a word. I was left stunned by the realization that all this time Grand Alpha King Claudian knew everything from the very start. He knew that we were each other’s mates because of the Moon Goddess.
“Well? Are you two too surprised by what I said? You two fell silent?” Father asked with a sly smile on his lips.
“I…” Claude and I looked at each other when we both spoke in unison.
“Perhaps, you two need some time alone to reassess the situation.” He rose from his seat. “It’s so fun to reveal this now. I’d been dying to tell this to the two of you.” He sighed in relief. “I can finally be revealed.”
He was about to leave when I stopped him. “W-When was the last time you associated with the Moon Goddess?” I asked, wanting to hear more about the Moon Goddess.
“Associated with the Moon Goddess?” He stroked his chin, trying to remember when it was. “Ah! Before the day you and my son married! That I shall not defy what will happen between you two and let you lead the brigade.” He shrugged. “I am still against it but she told me the right time is coming for you two to know why Claude and you are so special.” He formed a smile before he made a bow. “I shall take my leave, my children.”
But before he could walk away, he halted and turned around. “And son?”
Claude snapped back. “Y-Yes, Father?”
“Lead Rachelle to the forbidden library. She is now part of the royal lycan family and deserves to know the prophecy of the Moon Goddess bestowed to us years ago.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “What prophecy?” I exchanged my glances between them when Claude tightened his hold on me.
Claude glanced at me. “It’s about the birth of the Moon Goddess’s daughters to the mundane world,” he said, which made me gasp.