Forbidden Mating With The Alpha

Chapter 14

The last thing Lucy expected to see when she returned to the dinner table was Layla and Creed standing so close to each other with the former pressing her hand against his chest. She was practically clinging on to his arm as though she were a child and did not want to lose sight of him in a crowd. Lucy came to an immediate halt at the door and her heart almost leaped out of her chest.

Kiko had already made her way past the dining hall to the bedrooms upstairs, Karena and Robin having followed her. Yelena was gradually finishing her meal and listening with a mild amusement as Layla tried to charm Creed, who was evidently uncomfortable. It was far too early for him to be getting intimate with his fiancées but Layla proved to have been the impatient type.

She guided his hand up to her waist and he held on to it with some discomfort and hesitation.

"You should stay a little longer. There's nothing for me to do but to wait. Nothing is ever entertaining around here," her sultry voice made Lucy's blood run cold, especially when she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I wish I could stay a little longer but I have duties to attend," Creed said, trying to be as polite as possible. From what he had seen so far, Layla was fussy tupe who would not stop until she got what she wanted. It was not enough that she would be married to him. She had to make sure that she was his favorite and nothing less.

"I wish you could have waited until I was done," Yelena called out to Layla's. Her smile dropped and she raised her head off his shoulder.

"Don't be so grumpy. You'll get your turn soon enough." Yelena glared at Layla from the corner of her eye when she said those words. Lucy could not stand it anymore. She could not watch Layla steal something of hers again but there was not much she could do. She unobtrusively made her way to the stairs by walking behind Creed and Layla, but right as she was about to go up a step, she stopped when he called out her name.

"Are you heading up already?" Creed asked, releasing Layla's waist and approaching her.

"Yes, it's been a long day and I'm tired," she lied. If anything, she still had all the energy one could because she had spent the afternoon sleeping.

"I want to talk to you for a bit," he said and Lucy's heartbeat accelerated from excitement. She simply nodded and allowed him to take her hand and lead her to an empty room away from the dining hall.

Layla was beyond infuriated when she saw the way he held on to Lucy's hand, as though he never wanted to let her go.

"What does he see in that pathetic girl?" Layla asked more to herself than anyone else, but Yelena heard and decided to answer.

"I've known Creed for a long time and if anything is obvious, it's that he loves Rosalie..." She paused when Layla turned on her heel and walked towards her.

"He loves her? Didn't they just meet yesterday?" She asked and Yelena shook her head.

"Of course. They've met before, long before Rosalie lost her memories. I can't say there was much of a relationship between them but unlike the rest of us, he isn't being forced to marry her," she explained, meaning that Creed was marrying Lucy of his own volition.

Layla clicked her tongue out of annoyance. To think that she had already lost the fight long before she even realized it. The notion did not sit well with her and she would not give up or accept defeat. She wanted Creed all to herself. She wanted to be the first wife so that she could have a chance at seizing the throne as queen of the kingdom. No one would stand in her way.

When they were alone together, Lucy cordially pulled her hand away from Creed's.

"Really, I should be heading to bed soon. I have to wake up early-" she was silenced when Creed moved in close to her. Their faces were mere inches away from each other and they both stared into each other's eyes like they were caught in a dream.

"You saw me with her," he did not want to mention her name because he knew it would ruin the mood. There was no other reason Lucy could have been acting so distant other than that she witnessed how Layla was being sultry towards him.

"I'll get over it. It's nothing for me to worry about," she said and he smiled.

"I'm glad you think of it that way. I said I only love you and I truly mean it," he moved in until their lips were brushing against each other. He wanted to take her on the spot but Lucy moved away. She wanted to kiss him but she hesitated so much that in the end she felt she was not ready to take it that far yet.

"I've been thinking," she began and he raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, "Before I get married to you, I want to find myself... I mean, I need to know about my life before yesterday."

"We can do that together afterwards," Creed said, seeing that she was starting to change her mind about getting married. It couldn't be helped. She felt completely lost because she knew nothing about her self. If her parents were either alive or had passed on, she wanted to know who they were and what their life had been like. She wanted to know if they loved her.

"Trust me, Rosalie. I'll always be there to help you with anything you might be going through, including this," he reassured her. She nodded and allowed him to embrace her. They wanted to stay in that position, holding on to each other, for a little longer. They were interrupted when Ida entered the room and they quickly broke away as though they had been caught doing something naughty.

"Excuse me," she bowed as she was in the presence of the prince and spoke to Rosalie without raising her head, "I've prepared your evening bath for you." Lucy looked back at Creed and saw that he was disappointed, but he could not keep her for too long. He had his own duties to attend to and she needed some time to herself to sleep.

"You won't get to see me tomorrow," Creed said when she was about to walk away. She paused, her expression dropping to match his disappointment.

"I'm certain I can go a day without you," she said, unsure of herself. He was the only one she found the most comfort in. To go a full day without seeing him sounded like a difficult task to achieve.

"Don't miss me too much," he said, taking his own words into consideration. He also could not think to go that long without seeing her but it had to be done. It was customary that the groom should not see the bride for a full 30-hours before the ceremony. He watched her back as she followed behind Ida, her hair swinging with each step she took.

As they walked through the dining hall, Lucy saw that Layla and Yelena had already left the room and it had once again become quiet in the inn. But it would not be for long. It was raining outside still but the guests would be arriving to continue with the celebrations. None of them had seen the future brides and they would not get to until the day of the actual wedding. In the meantime, they had to remain hidden from the public eye.

The warm bath was the very thing that she needed before she would have to go to bed. It eased all the tensions she felt in her body. She was able to relax for the first time in a while and allowed the warmth to consume her being.

Once again, she could not stop thinking about Creed. The ceremony would be the day after tomorrow and she was steadily growing nervous. The life that lay ahead of her from that point on was very unfamiliar to her. She had no idea what to expect but from what Kiko told her, her new life would be an easy one where she would not have to do much.

Perhaps it would have been better if she did find a new hobby. What was she good at, anyway, she asked herself. With no memories of her life whatsoever, where could she start?

Her thoughts continued to plague her even after she had gotten into bed and the lights had been turned off. She lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling and hoping for an answer to her problems. That day had been too much for her. The incident in the bathroom, discovering that she, too, could harbour feelings of jealousy, and learning that her new life would be different from what she expected before.

There was too much to think about and little chance that she would fall asleep early because of those thoughts. Tomorrow would be a very busy day as preparations for the ceremony would begin.