Betrothed by Moonlight

Chapter 4

"It's fine" she nodded and went out. I was hesitant to strip and take a shower. But since I'm already here, I might as well play the part of good girl until they were able to find Genevieve.

I stripped out of my clothes and took a quick shower. When I came out, there was an exquisite green dress laying on the bed. I picked it up. The material felt expensive.

Who wears such a glamorous dress for lunch. There was a knock on the door.

"The family has arrived" Rivka said from outside the door. s**t. I dropped the towel and quickly put on the dress. I didn't put on a bra because of the backless dress.

Rivka was still outside and she escorted me downstairs. I heard their voices before I saw thenm.

The moment I stepped into the sitting room, I paused. The room was crowded and I was overwhelmed.

"Oh don't be scared. Come here" a very mature woman said coming over to me with a wide smile.

"You're very beautiful" she sounded amazed.

"Thank you" I mumbled.

"What's your name?"

"Im Celeste" she chuckled.

"You even have a pretty name. Oh goddess" I blushed shyly.

"Mama stop. You're overwhelming her" A pretty girl who looked just like her came over to us.

"Im Winry and this is my mother, Elowen" This was the queen? She was so homely. I kind of expected her to be uptight and rude.

"Nice to me meet you" She led me further into the room.

"This is my second brother Dryden and his mate Nouria" The couple who had their arms wrapped around each other smiled at me. I returned a stiff smile to them.

"This is my cousin Marisol"

"Nice to meet you Celeste" the blonde hair girl said in a sweet voice. She had a striking resemblance to someone I had met before but I just couldn't remember who it was.

"Nice to meet you too Marisol" Genevieve was so lucky. She had the most friendly and amazing in laws.

"This is my Aunty, aunt Whitley" the elderly woman didn't offer a smile. She just turned her face to the left and Winry chuckled. Spoke too soon.

"Don't mind Aunty Whitley, she didn't have a good night sleep and probably the stress is getting to her" Her aunt snorted. We all knew that was far from the truth. Aunt Whitley had made it clear she didn't like me.

Well I didn't like her either. I looked around the room. Where was the man Genevieve was supposed to get mated to.

As if she sensed the question on my mind, she took my hands again grabbing my attention.

"My brother is not at home now. He's out with our father but they'll be back soon" Winry said.

Her mother rushed over to me grabbing my hands and moving me away from her daughter. She sat beside me on the couch and asked me questions.

"You're so beautiful. Which family do you come from. Silas must have mentioned it but I've forgotten already. I have a hard time remembering names. My siblings and I used to joke about it. We had a theory that my mother dropped me countless times as a child and... sorry I'm rambling" she smiled sheepishly.

"It's okay ma'am. I'm from the Dolivo family" she scrunched her brows trying to remember something.

"I know that family name... but for the life of me I just can't remember the faces. How is the village? Still the same as before? It's been a long time since I've been there"

"The village hasn't changed much ma'am"

"Ma'amn? Don't call me that. You're going to be my daughter in law. I'll be glad if you call me mom"

Huh? I looked around and the others were looking at us. She wanted me to call her mom? That was too personal considering the fact that I wasn't going to be her original daughter inlaw. Her face fell at my hesitation.

"It's fine. You don't have to if you don't Want to"

"No. No. Of course I want to. Mom" she smiled brightly and pulled me into her arms.

I returned her hug while feeling a lang of guilt. Mama needed to find Genevieve and bring her back before anybody got too attached. I didn't want to hurt anyone.

Mom didn't release me for a long time.

"Mom" it was Winry's voice. Mom pulled away and looked at Winry before smiling at me.

"Im sorry"

"It's fine"

The door opened and all our attention shifted to the door. An elderly man with a strong resemblance with Dryden came in. His eyes landed on me for a second before they shifted to mom who stood up from the chair and ran over to him. He caught her in his wide arms and kissed her. They were so adorable. Even in their old age, he looked at her like she was the only woman in the world. This was how I wanted it to be between I and Edel.

She pulled her mate towards her me and I got up from the chair.

"This is Celeste. Isn't she so beautiful?"

"Nice to meet you Celeste. I'm Dakarai. Has my beautiful mate been smothering you?" She slapped his arm lightly and he chuckled.

"Not at all. She has been welcoming"

"We're glad to have you here" he smiled at me and we all heard a loud scoff. We shifted our attention to

Aunt Whitley who rolled her eyes and stormed off.

"Ignore her. It's probably that time of the month" the others snickered and a short laugh escaped me.

"Let's move to the table. Brayan will be here soon" I nodded. So Brayan was his name. I wondered what he looked like.

I followed behind Dryden and his mate. Dakarai sat at the head of the table and Elowen sat on his left. The seat on his right was empty and I assumed it to be Brayan's seat. I took the seat beside it and Wiry sat beside me. Aunt Whitley came to a table with a scowl on her face. Nobody laid her any attention.

As soon as the meal was served, the table went silent. The scent of garlic mashed potatoes and steak with mushroom sauce filled my nose. The meal tasted as amazing as it liked and smelled. Whoever prepared this meal deserved a five star rating and their very own restaurant.

Dakarai was the first to finish and he left the table with his mate. The table emptied out until it was just Aunt Whitely and I. She glared at me and I tried to ignore her burning gaze. I was about to address her when I heard a loud voice from the front.

"Where is she?" A deep masculine voice asked. I stood up from my chair, took a deep breath, squared my shoulders before making my way to the living room.

Our eyes met the momnent I stepped into the room. His deep green eyes boring holes into mine. He had a small smile, almost unnoticeable.

He looked so much like his father. His black hair packed sleekly in a man bun. He easily towered over everybody in the room. He was

fucking attractive. My eyes travelled down the length of his arms and bulging muscles. His shirt fitted tightly against his body and his pants clung to his corded thighs. I could feel my panties get damp. I had never had this reaction to any man. Not even Edel.

"Come and say hello" his mother interrupted my gawking. My eyes shifted to her for a second before returning back to him. My legs moved in their own accord. With each step, I drew closer to him.

The smile on his face died out as i drew closer to him.

"Lavender and roses" he murmured like he just discovered something. I frowned at his statement. Lavender and roses were the common ingredients in my bath wash and perfume.

When I looked up at him again, he had a burning rage in his eyes and it was directed at me.

"Brayan? What's Wrong?" His mother interrupted his glare.

"What's wrong? Why is she here?"

"You said... you knew she was coming today. Celeste is your mate"

"Celeste? My mate?" His furious glare shifted to me again before he stormed out angrily.

"My boy never disappoints" Whitley chuckled mockingly. She didn't deserve any aunty. She was a total b***h.

"Shut the f**k up or get the hell out of here Whitely" Dakarai shouted at her angrily and she stopped laughing.

"Im sorry for his behavior. I don't." Elowen started but was cut off by her mate. She looked really confused.

"Im apologize for my sons attitude. You should get some rest before dinner. Winry will escort you back to your room" I nodded. Winry was silent as she followed me back to my bedroom. Brayan was so hostile and unwelcoming. Like he didn't expect to see me here. I sniffed my clothes. He had mentioned my scent. Did I smell bad? I smelled alright. He was just being a jerk. Will Genevieve have to go through this?

"Stop thinking about her. She betrayed you' my subconscious reminded. I scoffed. I can never forget what she did to me but that doesn't mean I'll stop caring about her well being.

I was left alone in the room doing nothing but stare at the ceiling as I lay on the bed.

I fell asleep curled in a ball in my beautiful dress. The sheets smelled masculine.

The banging on the door woke me up. "Il be out mama" I grumbled and snuggled deeper into the heavenly pillows. The banging continued and I groaned sitting up in bed.

When did my room turn into this? I wondered for a second. Looking around in fright before remembering I was no longer at home. I sighed and climbed dowm from the bed. I opened the door and saw Rivka standing there with a yellow dress in her hand.

"This is your dress for dinner. Itll be served in two hours" I frowned. Didn't we just have lunch now.

"Thank you" I said instead and watched her walk down the hallway. I shut the door and looked at the dress. It was shorter than the one I was wearing but still as beautiful.

I looked at the bedside clock and realized it was already past 5. I stripped out of the green dress and took a shower. The bathroom had masculine products arranged.

I wondered if the room belonged to a male. I placed my things on the free space and left the bathroom.

I changed into the yellow dress and sat on the bed. I was not looking forward to this dinner. Brayan had made it clear he didn't like me and it would be uncomfortable for me to stay by his side for dinner.

As I sat on the bed and waited for dinner, I wondered how everyone at home was doing. I thought about Genevieve. Was she okay? Had she eaten? Was she sad? I prayed she was alright and doing well and I prayed mama and papa would find her soon. I also thought about Edel. I couldn't wait for all this to be over so I could go back to him. The moment this pretense ended, I was getting married to the love of my life.