Forbidden Lovers

His Wife

Only one hour separated Princess Evelyn from the ball, Queen Antoinette, the cousin of her father, had organized for her twentieth birthday. Which was extremely strange because never in these thirteen years that queen Antoinette had ruled the kingdom after King Evander's death — a kingdom that was rightfully Evelyn's to rule, because she was the only heiress left for the throne — had ever done something nice for Evelyn. Or even treat her like a living being, for that matter.

Nonetheless, that wasn't what had hurt Evelyn the most these past thirteen years. It was the hate of her people what had her devastated. Unhappy. Her heart shattering in million tiny pieces every time they blamed her for all of the royal family's death.

Not that she wasn't to blame. Her being born had caused the life of her mother and her twin brother.

And her father had too died seven years later... still because of her.

Evelyn tried thinking about anything else but not her lost family. It hurt too much, the guilt hurt too much. But today it was her twentieth birthday; today her father would want her to celebrate and be happy.

The last one unfortunately, she couldn't do.

Looking at the mirror in front of her one last time, she put the beautiful thin crown on her forehead, inhaled deeply and headed outside her room— the only place she felt a little bit still at home. Because the whole other part of the castle was now Queen Antoinette's home, no matter her childhood happy memories in it.

"Evelyn." That voice would never fail to ruin her day.

She turned back, forced a smile on her face and bowed down to the queen. "What is it, my Queen?"

"Ah, you look beautiful. Perfect," Antoinette commented and Evelyn couldn't help but narrow her eyes at her. Did the queen just compliment her? There was definitely something strange about that. "I want you to meet someone." Queen Antoinette looked strangely satisfied, which had rarely ever happened before. "And ah... behave!"

Evelyn frowned. Behave?

They just entered the throne room and immediately, Evelyn felt something out of the usual. Something that made her uneasy but she shook that thought out of her head.

Then, her eyes fell on someone. Someone she had never seen before. She didn't have to approach him to take his strong scent that had filled the entire room and realize that he was a wolf.

What was a wolf doing in their territories? In her castle? They were banished from entering.

Evelyn observed him. The man looked probably in his fifties, his short hair turning grey, an almost scary face, big black eyes, his aura of the strongest she had ever felt. It gave her chills immediately.

"What is a wolf doing here?!" She turned to her queen whose face just held a dead threat in it for Evelyn to stop talking.

Ignoring what Evelyn just said, or the hate behind her voice, the man bowed down in front of her and took her hand in his, giving it only a peck with his lips. "The rumors seem to be indeed true, my Princess. You truly are the most beautiful thing my eyes have ever laid on."

Evelyn stiffened. No one called her 'my Princess' anymore. Mostly, 'the rejected Princess', which obviously she was.

But that was supposed to be a compliment, then why did it give her the creeps? Why did this man looked extremely dangerous? Almost villainous? 

"I'm not a thing, Sir. I'm an elf. The only princess of them by blood." She stared at her queen, showing her she'd never forget her place in this kingdom, even if she was the only one left who remembered.

"Evelyn!" Queen Antoinette scolded, and her voice sounded almost hateful. "Give the man in front of you the respect he deserves and bow down to him! His highness, the Alpha King of the werewolves, has honored us all with his presence tonight."

Evelyn made a step back. Then another. Her eyes immediately filled up with tears as the memories rushed in her head like a never-ending river. When the wolves kidnapped her. When they threatened her father to come alone if he wanted to save his little daughter. When they tore him apart in front of her as he tried to shelter her with his body.

These memories waked her up at night; nightmares never ending, making her chest ache in pain and guilt. If she only hadn't left the castle when her father forbade her to do so, he'd be alive. Here, with her.

And the man responsible for all of it, the man who had given every order to the wolves, including to leave the little princess alive, was here in front of her right now. Never punished for his deadly crime of killing the royal King of another kingdom, living his happy life while entering her territories like they were his.

"He can't be here," she chocked out, her throat burning in angry tears. "HOW DO YOU DARE COME HERE?"

"EVELYN!" The queen shouted and grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her outside of the throne room. But his eyes never left hers as he watched her almost lose control of her magic powers and shatter everything down. His eyes didn't even held a bit of regret in there; not even pity for breaking such a young soul.

"He killed my father! Our King! Why the bloody hell is he here?!" Evelyn shouted to the queen, not caring for a thing in the world anymore.

However, she didn't expect for the older woman to slap her, so hard that she felt her cheek bleeding. "That was never proven!" She had the audacity to say so confidentially. "As long as we have no proof, we can do nothing. Besides, I don't think you've forgotten I'm the one who rules this kingdom, so what I say, goes! We're trying to make peace with the wolves here, if you haven't realized by now." 

Evelyn's mouth was wide open, everything sounding like nothing but a bad dream. Peace with the enemy?

"You'll behave and do everything I order, you stupid child! If you do or say something at the ball tonight that can put the King in a difficult position, I swear you'll find yourself in the dungeons, just like always when you have disobeyed me."

Evelyn blinked back some painful tears. Yes, her supposed aunt could do that. She had done that a million times, almost leaving her starve to death. It wouldn't be anything new.

"How do you plan on making peace with them?" Evelyn dared to ask, but her voice had came out weak. There was definitely going to be some kind of deal between two kingdoms, this is how it worked.

"Easy." The smile on Antoinette's face was wicked. Evil. "You're going to be his wife."