Because he said so

I continued to put up with those final hours of pure humiliation that the king was subjecting me to as the hushed weeping that surrounded me slowly progressed into wailing.

"H-how, j-just how could they do this to you?" My head maid's voice shivered with much melancholy. But her question was rhetorical… Even if it wasn't, I didn't feel compelled to give her an answer. Why should I go out of my way to come up with excuses for him?

I took a deep calming breath and held on to all the betrayal feelings that were bubbling up inside of me. Then I did the only thing I could, I swallowed all of it in. The female in the mirror looked back at me with her doe eyes; she was beautiful, dignified, and composed. These were the three attributes that made for a worthy pureblood queen.

I heard that people always cry at weddings, it must be true then.

The maids wept as they combed my hair into perfection. And all I had to do was to sit in front of my dressing table and stay strong. These hard moments, much like everything else in this life, were going to come to an end... Soon, my husband-to-be was meant to come and sweep me off my feet and into the werewolves' territory.

I smiled darkly at that disturbing thought.

"Princess, forgive my audacity. But why in the world did you agree to this marriage?" said another maid who was much younger and had the rare courage to speak her mind in the presence of nobility. She was making the final adjustments on the long blusher wedding veil that was going to cover my face when they presented me to my groom, the Alpha and heir of the proud Turner's pack.

The rest of the maids glared at the one who dared to ask what everyone else was thinking. But no one reprimanded her out loud, I knew that they secretly wished for me to rebel against the king's order.

"Why did I agree you ask? Why... Because he said so," I answered matter-of-factly.

If the king imagined for one second that I'd fall to my knees and beg him to love and cherish me like he had done my entire life, then he didn't know me at all. I wasn't the little girl whom he had raised under his wings anymore. I was a fully grown woman now. Was my heart bleeding? Yes. But that blood was my precious pureblood.

I didn't need a king to stay forever a queen.

"Now give me that," I pointed to the tiara, the king's gift, handmade of diamonds and rubies, especially for this day. How I wished that my finger was not trembling like a leaf in the wind as I asked for that precious gift.

The maids started weeping all over again at that sight.

I sighed, guessing that it couldn't be helped. And finding a very small sadistic satisfaction in the tears that they shed for me. At the very least my maids didn't want me gone, at least somebody around here was sure to miss me.

I felt his mental presence roaming around my body before I heard his deep voice inside of me. So I closed my eyes, knowing all too well what his voice did to me…

'Come by my chamber once your preparations are done,' he ordered.

…I truly did not get him anymore. At this stage, he was only burning down the few bridges that were left between us.

'Emmeline,' he warned when I didn't answer him, he hated that.

A small smile played on my lips, 'I'm busy following the last order I received from you, my king,'

I regretted calling him that as soon as the words left my lips. It was true, he was a formidable immortal. He was feared and respected, and his strength wasn't comparable to any other male in all of our history.

But he wasn't -my- anything after today. Not by choice, at least.

'Then I shall come to you,' he commented with a low voice that faded as I felt him breaking the connection between us.

When I opened my eyes again to refocus on my surroundings, the maids' work was done and over with. It was the perfect timing.

"King Arthur is on his way," I announced, startling them. "Please, give us some privacy,"

The three maids folded their handkerchiefs in a haste and placed them inside the inner pockets of their gowns then left in a hurry.

It was with a heavy heart that I caught myself recognizing him in layers. First, he was a brilliant moving blue light, a creature that was mentally compatible with me, a pureblood that I was able to physically detect.

Next, came the bond between us, pulling my body in the direction that he was coming from, begging me to run and greet him with open arms.

The door opened, and he came into my view with all his glory… and I recognized him as the male that I loved and looked up to ever since I opened my eyes in this world and knew that I existed. He was what I had always wanted.

I tried to open my mouth, I wanted to greet him with an arrogant air that belonged to a pureblood queen, but I was too afraid that my own words could betray me.

His long legs took sure strides my way, he stopped when he was close enough to cause goosebumps that started in my neck and went down until they reached my lower back.

Our eyes found each other inside the mirror that was in front of me. And I ignored the tenderness that floated through our bond when the back of his middle finger caressed the end of my hair.

And there it was, my biggest regret. Having never felt the carnal pleasures of a female in the arms of my mate… That possibility was no more.

On second thought, I suddenly became grateful that he never held me that way. This mate... This immortal king... This male who was everything to the me who had nothing without him once upon a time.

Today… he didn't deserve me.