The Lycan's Contract LUNA

CHAPTER 15: Some Backbone!

Aviana

This is what being nosy gets me.

I had heard that Damian was home, which was odd since I didn't hear the front door open.

He was supposed to come home with me, but he disappeared after a while, and I wanted to check up on him.

I stopped by the kitchen, spotting a maid who was ferociously scrubbing the counter, he's back to me.

“Um, he-hello…?” I stuttered out, biting down on my lower lip nervously.

I had seen the look on their faces when I showed up, and I'm sure they're gossiping about me.

I know I'm supposed to be strong and fierce since I'm going to be their Luna, but this is uncharted territory for me, and I need to be careful.

Since she didn't hear the first time, I spoke again, only much louder.

She eventually turned around, and I asked for a meal to be prepared for Damian.

Even though this was going to be a cold, loveless marriage, we still had to keep up appearances. Or that was what I thought anyway.

We had barely been ‘engaged’ for hours, and Damian was already kissing someone else?

“Damian…” I staggered back slightly when I saw him passionately holding her, oblivious to my presence.

My voice penetrated their s****l haze, and they pulled away.

“Aviana…” Damian's lips parted as he twisted around in my direction.

The girl whom I’d barely looked at sized me up with her eyes, a sneer forming on her lips. “So you're the mate, huh? Gosh, you look so plain!”

“Mina!” He hissed, turning to reprimand her before looking over at me.

I took another step back, shoving my feelings deep down. “It's fine, Damian. I'm sorry I interrupted you. Please carry on!”

And without creating a scene or breaking down in front of them, I turned around and elegantly walked away from the door. My heart was pounding so fast, but I refused to let this hurt me.

He was upfront about what this union would hold, and it's my fault for hoping or believing that this could be different.

“Hold on, Aviana,” Damian called out, but I didn't stop walking, placing one foot in front of the other.

I managed to get back to my room in one piece, after which I flipped the locks and leaned against the door, slamming my eyes shut for the next few minutes.

You've handled worse things, you've handled worse things… I repeated the words in a chant in my head constantly until I felt my breathing even out, and I was much calmer.

Straightening my shoulders, I pushed off the doors and started walking towards the bathroom.

I'm guessing the room I was placed in is similar to Damian's because it was big and furnished with the best furniture and equipment.

I bent over the sink, flipping the faucet on to wash my hands. Then I proceeded to splash warm water on my face.

I looked up and glanced at my reflection in the mirror.

The woman staring back at me looked confused and lost. I realize that this must be how Damian and everyone else see me… as some delicate, little flower.

My hands trailed down to my stomach, my eyes fluttering closed as I heard the soft pump of my growing baby's heartbeat.

This is my opportunity to rebrand myself and grow even stronger while becoming the Luna our people need.

With that decision firmly implanted in my mind, I stripped off my clothes, stayed in the shower until my body practically melted off, and climbed into bed.

The next morning, I was woken up by the soft twitches of the birds.

Pushing off the covers, I padded over to the window to soak up the morning air for only a few minutes, and then I got to work.

I went downstairs and was greeted with a fresh spread of food, the maids and guards bowing as I passed by.

I half expected to see Damian, but he had conveniently disappeared.

I quickly scarfed down my meal, thinking that I had quite a hectic day ahead, only for everyone to disperse once breakfast was over.

I kept waiting for someone to hand over a list of items that needed attending to, but it seems the town works perfectly well, and I might as well be a guest.

With nothing to do, I wandered the grounds, and luckily for me, I stumbled into Lucas.

He saw me and immediately scrambled towards the other side, but I stepped into his path, blocking his route.

“Are you trying to avoid me, Lucas?” I asked, c*****g my head to the side.

“No.” He said with a strained smile. “I'm just busy, and I need you to move.”

“Good! That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.”

I stood my ground, ensuring that he listened to me. “I've been here for almost a full day, and I've not done anything except eat and look pretty. When do I start doing some work?”

His eyes went wide, and he let out a muffled snort. “Oh, wait… you're serious?”

He pressed upon seeing my face. “Look, it's nice that you're taking your role seriously, but come on, you should know that your title is strictly performative?”

My muscles stiffened. “I’m sorry, performative?”

He looked away. “I think you should speak to Damian about this.”

“Well, he's not here right now, and you are,” I say with forced politeness. “I need answers, and you're gonna give them to me.”

Lucas sighs deeply. “Okay, fine. We needed a Luna so that the Council would get off his back. You're here for more or less… a decorative position. All you need to do is look good, show up with Damian at public events, and be a nice, sweet mate.”

“Hmm…” I pursed my lips while I mulled over his words.

“I thought he told you about this. Look, most women would kill for your position, so if I were you… I would sit back and enjoy.” He smiled at me as though that would take the sting off being called an arm candy.

“Well, you're not me, so…” I take another step forward, watching his smile fade as I get all up in his space.

“I'm not going to be some glorified blow-up doll for you guys to jerk around with and use however you deem fit. I'm sure that there are people out there that needs help, and I'm going to help them.”

His jaw tightened, his eyes going dark.

“You don't understand, I don't think that's the right step to take.”

“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But why don't you leave that for me to decide?”

“Aviana, you-”

“It's Luna now, not Aviana.” I cut him off with an icy smile, smoothly taking a step back.

“First things tomorrow, I want a list of documents and an itinerary waiting for me at the breakfast table. Don't forget!”

And with my heart pounding like a drum, I spun around on my feet and majestically walked off without looking back.

If he and Damian wanted a puppet, they made the wrong choice because I refused to be used again.