Chapter 155

Carol’s POV

Everyone was silent.

Katrina’s eyes were nearly bugging out of her head, and I could practically hear the sounds of her heart beating. I was completely stunned as the king put his hands on his hips and stared down at Katrina and her friends.

“Is this how you treat the Luna?” The King asked her again.

“N…no… your majesty,” Katrina stammered, her face turning a funny shade of red.

He turned his stares to the former Alpha and Luna.

“Is this how you trained your packmates? To act disrespectfully to those in charge?” He asked in a growly tone. “What is the meaning of this? I have been hearing whispers concerning my daughter from the moment I walked in and now I walk in here and hear this she-wolf speaking ill of her in front of the other packmates. Not one person came to her defense which makes me wonder if this is normal behavior.”

My heart was thudding rapidly against my chest; the color in Miranda’s face was completely gone. Nobody knew what to say and I wasn’t even sure if anyone was breathing. They were all so still that it was unsettling.

“D…daughter?” The former Luna asked her voice hardly a whisper.

The King squared his shoulders and then stole a glance in my direction. I was frozen in my place, Aiden’s arms were wrapped around my waist, keeping me close to his side. There was no doubt he could feel every one of my emotions and hear my every thought; I was so wrapped up in my own mind and feeling my own feelings that I couldn’t tell what he was feeling or what he was thinking.

“My apologies, Carol. I can’t keep this secret from you much longer. You are my daughter and it’s about time that your packmates show you the respect that you deserve. You a princess and—”

“There has to be some kind of mistake!” Katrina nearly shouted, her body trembling and her eyes wild as she glared at me. “Carol is a human. She can’t be your daughter. She—”

“Are you calling me a liar??” He growled.

“N…no… but she—”

“The King speaks the truth,” Oliver chimed in, shocking me even more. “We have the proof. They had a paternity test done and I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

Whispers erupted amongst everyone; I could see the horror on Miranda’s face as she covered her mouth.

“Aiden?” I heard the former Alpha ask, his tone unsteady.

Aiden went to his father, almost hesitantly like he was a small child getting ready to get scolded.

“Is it true?” He asked after a brief pause.

“Yes, Father,” Aiden said without hesitation. “The King is Carol’s birth father. His former wife was her birth mother.”

Miranda gasped, her eyes wide and I could feel them on my face though I attempted to avoid her gaze.

“She has werewolf blood?” His father asked, narrowing his eyes at her son. “And royal blood?”

“Yes,” he answered, nodding his head.

“How long have you known this?”

“Since we went to the King’s empire,” Aiden answered. “It was one of the reasons why we went there. Finding out who poisoned you was a bonus.”

“How could you not tell us!?” Miranda finally spoke, her voice shaky.

Aiden opened his mouth to answer, but I stopped him with my mind, telling him that I could handle this. He glanced at me from over his shoulder and nodded, giving me a thoughtful and loving look.

“Because I asked him not to,” I said firmly, wrapping my arms around my body like I was trying to hold myself together. “I didn’t want anyone to respect me because of my status. I wanted to prove myself in other ways. I apologize for keeping this secret; I meant no disrespect to anyone…”

Tears pricked the corner of my eyes, and I felt heat surfacing in my face.

“Can we move on with the ceremony?” Aiden finally asked, looking at Katrina. No doubt he could feel my rapid and unsteady emotions. “Does the new Luan have your support, or should I banish you and your friends.”

Her friends paled and quickly scrambled to the cauldron. Without a second thought, they held their hands out to Aiden. He smiled, pleased with their choice as he sliced into their palms. They lifted their hands over the cauldron and allowed their blood to drip inside, mixing with the others.

Then, to my surprise, they bowed their heads at me, baring their next.

“We accept you as our Luna and our princess,” they both said in unison.

I heard Jenny scoffing from nearby, making my cheeks warm even more. I didn’t want to be known as a princess; this was exactly what I was afraid of. They weren’t respecting me because of who I was as a person, they only respected me because of my connection to the king.

Aiden shot me a curious look, catching my thoughts. I could see the concern in his eyes, but I turned my direction to Katrina who was shivering in her place.

“Well?” The King asked her, raising his brows. “Are you going to keep us all waiting? I cannot stay much longer. My empire needs me. As you know, I no longer have a Beta which was why my wife couldn’t get here until this morning.”

Katrina swallowed and with a tense stance she walked over to the cauldron. Her hand was nearly shaking when she lifted it towards Aiden.

He didn’t smile at her; he gave her an indifferent look as he sliced into her hand, not bothering to be gentle.

To her credit, she didn’t wince.

Her blood dripped into the cauldron and then she stepped away.

Aiden cleared his throat loudly, getting his point across.

With a slight scowl she tried desperately to hide, she bowed her head, baring her neck to me. She didn’t bother speaking any words, but she didn’t need to. It was enough that she bared her neck to me. I was on the verge of tears with everyone staring at me, thinking about me as a princess.

This was not the impression I wanted to make. I was way too overwhelmed, and I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

Aiden glanced at me again, and my face reddened with shame from my thoughts. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the King cleared his throat, getting his attention.

“Is that everyone, Alpha?” The Alpha King asked.

Aiden looked around at everyone and then nodded. He grabbed the golden wine glass, dipping it into the cauldron and bringing it to light. I could see the crimson-red liquid inside the glass and my stomach twisted.

I had to drink that.

The former Alpha opened a bottle of red wine, and I was surprised when he poured it into the glass, mixing it with the blood.

Aiden stepped to me and lifted the glass in the air for all to see.

“We welcome our new Luna!” He announced, and to my surprise, he took a sip of the wine and blood mixture.

A small droplet of blood lingered on his bottom lip, and he used his tongue to lick it away, making my eyes remain on his plump lips. I wanted to taste his lips and from the smile he was giving me, I knew he heard those thoughts.

“To our new Luna!” Everyone else chanted as I took the glass from Aiden, lifting it into the air.

“It’s an honor,” I replied, glad my voice didn’t come out as choked as I felt.

I brought the glass to my lips and took a long and steady sip. I felt something inside of me shifting; it was almost like I could feel the Moon Goddess standing right beside me, giving me her blessing and the powers of a Luna. I felt a warmth radiating inside of me, spreading across my body and lighting me up.

For a second, I thought I was actually glowing.

There was a rapid surge deep within me, making me feel connected to each packmate. It was something unexplainable and so incredibly powerful.

Cheers were erupting all around me and when I looked around at everyone, they were all staring at me with a newfound eagerness and admiration. But it wasn’t because I was Carol Miller… it was because I was Carol Sawol, the heiress of the Alpha King and late Luna Queen. My heart ached from that feeling and I suddenly felt so ashamed.

I handed Aiden the glass, and he gave me a concerned look.

The former Alpha took the glass from Aiden and refilled the glass with blood and wine. Then, maids emerged from the backrooms with more wine glasses. They got to work filling the glasses with the wine and blood mixture, passing it along to each packmate.

When they reached my parents and Fiona, they passed on the offer, looking almost ill.

Everyone cheered for me and the Alpha, before clinking their glasses with those next to them and drinking from the glasses.

“Now, let the celebration begin!” The King announced.

Everyone cheered and started to disperse as the music began and the food started to be served. Packmates went to their tables and started to mingle with their friends, excitedly talking about the ceremony and all that had happened. I heard whispers about me being a princess on more than one pair of lips.

I couldn’t keep the tears from leaking out of my eyes any longer.

“Carol?” Aiden asked, finally having a moment to speak to me. However, if I spoke, I knew I would burst into tears in front of everyone.

My parents, Fiona, Aiden’s parents the King, and his family, not to mention Katrina and her friends, were all staring at me expectantly. But the only thing I could think to do was shake my head and run out of the ballroom.