Forbidden Mating With The Alpha

Chapter 17

Lucy was beyond delighted when she was told early in the morning by Ida that they would be leaving the inn immediately after the ceremony. A temporary place like that one was no place to call home. Her excitement should so much that Ida had to tell her in advance not to bother packing as that would be handled by the maids while the future brides would be performing the ceremony.

"... not that you have much to pack anyway. You should enjoy the remaining time you have before the ceremony begins," Ida suggested as Lucy sat on the bed. She was wearing a white silky underdress while Ida searched for the appropriate dress she would wear over it. It was early in the morning, and Lucy had been woken up only a few minutes after the sun had risen.

The town woke up along with the sun when its bright rays streaked across the sky and she had the pleasure of listening to the sounds of the town getting busy through the opened window.

"You still haven't told me how the ceremony will go," Lucy asked as Ida rummaged through the wardrobe, but she rejected each dress she pulled out and it wasn't certain if there was any she saw fitting for Lucy to wear. Lucy, on the otherhand, liked each dress she pulled out, then again, she was not the type who paid attention to fashion trends and did not take note of what item of clothing was fit for which occasion. She was grateful to have Ida there to help her.

"It's a simple ceremony to show communion between families. It's usually done for weddings, where the bride and groom will both drink each other's blood-"

"What?" Lucy was so shocked that she interrupted Ida without realizing it. Ida stopped going through the wardrobe, glanced at Lucy to see what was the matter, recalled that she had lost her memories, and continued to speak while she resumed searching for the right dress.

"Exchanging blood is a sign of forming a bond between vampires. But since there isn't one bride in this instance, the brides will drink each other's blood and then the prince's last..." Ida continued to explain the basics of the ceremony but Lucy's mind had already wondered deep into her own thoughts. It was finally happening and Lucy did not know to react.

She was told that she would become a family with the other brides: Layla, Kiko, Karena, Robin and Yelena. But she was not sure if she was actually prepared for it. Her heart was still against the concept of having to share Creed and his love with someone else. There was a dark void deep in her heart that continued to grow each time she either saw the brides or when she saw them with Creed.

The other night when he had been talking to Karena at the dinner table, the void had turned so dark that it became too difficult for her to breathe. It was thanks to Yelena who noticed her discomfort that she was able to collect her nerves. However, she was not certain how far the void would go after the actual ceremony and wedding.

"... afterwards, you will be taken to the palace to meet the king..." only this part of the next few words that Ida said Lucy heard. She had never fully comprehended that the kingdom had a king and that he was residing within the town in the castle at the base of the mountain nearby. As far as she was concerned, Creed was the only royal and she never bothered to consider that there would be others.

"... and the rest of the family-"

"Family?" Lucy asked, unknowingly interrupting Ida who did not mind the questions of curiosity.

"Yes. The prince's mother, the queen, presides in a different kingdom and governs its affairs there. I doubt you'll be able to meet her anytime soon," Ida explained and Lucy found herself filled with admiration and a mild form of anticipation. To meet the prince's mother... Creed's mother, the queen. She became nervous at the thought and was able to calm down knowing that she would not meet the queen for quite a long time.

"Does he have any siblings?" Lucy asked next, fully invested in learning about her new family. She had no one and was already prepared to start a large family with the others. It no longer mattered that she would have to share Creed, at least not at the moment.

"Two, actually. An older brother and a younger sister. His brother married into his wife's kingdom and took the throne because her parents tragically died during..." Ida was about to say when the parents had died but remembered that she was instructed not to reveal anything that was tied to Lucy's past.

"During?" Lucy asked and Ida stammered for a moment before she collected her thoughts.

"A war. His younger sister is only 16 years old and lives in her mother's kingdom," she quickly finished what she wanted to say and randomly pulled out a dress to show her to change the subject. Lucy knew there was something amiss. Ida had pulled out a dress she said she did not fancy a few minutes ago. Well, Lucy did not mind. All the dress in the wardrobe were extravagant and beautiful.

"Perfect," Ida complimented when Lucy was fully dressed. Her hair was parted at the center of her head as asual and braided into two, long pigtails that hung down her front. The dress was extremely long and stopped a few inches above her ankles. The long sleeves were tight around her arm but she could still move about without much frustration, but as Ida carefully looked her over, she remembered why she had rejected the dress the first time.

"I love it. It's the best dress I've ever worn," Lucy said and Ida tried to conceal her disapproval. If Lucy liked it that much, she could not complain.

"You're finally awake," Kiko stopped by the door and looked inside to watch in admiration as Lucy checked her appearance in the mirror.

"She recovered right after everyone went to sleep. It was quite a busy night but we managed to get everything done in time," Ida said to Kiko, who smiled. She was also dressed beautifully and in a dress that Ida strongly approved of.

"Did you find out what the problem was?" Kiko asked and Ida quickly shook her head. She was not sure if it was safe to tell any of the other wives what she had discovered. After all, it only made sense to suspect that one of them had to have put the paper under Lucy's pillow, though it was not certain how they did it without being detected.

When Lucy was satisfied with her appearance and the time had come for the ceremony to begin, Ida ushered the two of them out into the sitting area so that she and other maids could begin packing. They would leave as soon as the ceremony was completed.

Kiko took Lucy's hand and lead her down the stairs.

"I'm sure you know how the ceremony goes?" Kiko asked, and Lucy felt a shiver run up her spine.

"I think it's a bit bizarre," she said.

"Of course you would," and Kiko replied, "You're a human. It's only natural that you would be averse to consuming blood." Kiko's words did not help Lucy at all. As a vampire, it was natural for them to consume blood but Lucy was a human and the idea of doing so made her stomach turn. Not to mention she had to do it six times and then also watch as the others consumed hers.

The banquet hall had changed drastically from the way it was the previous day, and Lucy could not tell when it had been altered. Despite it being early in the morning, the room was very dark with only a few candles giving light. Black curtains were used to keep out the light from the windows. There was only one long table in the middle of the room this time.

The candles were placed at the corners of the table and there were six chairs on one side and one on the other. In the one chair, she spotted Creed sitting in it with Dante standing a few feet away. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest and she felt her face heat up, especially when he noticed her and Kiko enter the room, flashing the both of them a smile.

Lucy caught on to the fact that the smile was not hers alone but when she felt that Kiko was holding on to her hand so lovingly as though they had been long-time friends, she could not feel the slightest bit of jealousy. Creed could not stand up and speak to Lucy no matter how much he wanted to. He could not break protocol.

Kiko lead Lucy to the table and they both sat down next to each other. Lucy was seated in the first chair and Kiko in the second.

"Are you nervous?" Kiko whispered to Lucy as Yelena came down the stairs next.

"A little," Lucy replied, Yelena taking the seat next to Kiko.

"Don't worry. It'll only hurt a little bit," Kiko said next, hee words shocking Lucy.

"What do you mean?" But her question went unanswered because Kiko turned her attention to Yelena. Lucy felt her head heat up and her heart rate increased tremendously. She did not understand what was supposed to hurt and thinking about it made her more nervous.