CHAPTER 4

Mona’s mother, rushes into her room, in a flurry of activities. Female servants, holding on to shoes and jewelry. Another maid was carrying a box of scented oils. Lily stops and looks at Mona aghast. Mona looked behind her to see the object of her mother’s displeasure.

“ Why are you not dressed?” Lily asks as she sashays to Mona.

“I was about to put on the dress, but it’s so tight!” Mona moans as she tugs on the dress,

“I honestly hate this color" Mona laments

“It’s too fu..”

Lily glares at Mona.

“Mother, it’s too bright; I don’t like bright colors” Mona laments.

Lily gestures to the maids to help with Mona’s dress.

They drop everything and rush to Mona. They help her into the top part of the dress.

“You are marrying one of the most eligible and the most powerful Alphas in the land; you have to be prepared to meet all his needs.” Lily says

“Like a slave” Mona says

“Like his Luna” Lily says. Lily’s wolf lets out a low growl, showing Mona that she is displeased.

The maids tug and pull the dress until it took on Mona’s shape. Her mother looks at Mona with pride. Mona looks away not wanting her mother to see her tears.

Lily snaps her fingers, and the maid with the jewelry opens the box to an array of beautiful and shiny jewelry. Lily picks one that matches Mona’s dress. The maid puts it on Mona.

“Do you like it?” Lily asks.

Mona nods, and she lets out a sniffle. Her mother stops.

“Mother, I don’t want to marry this stranger; please make it all stop” Mona pleads with her mother.

Lily steels her back, and leans close to Mona; she growls long and low. Mona shifts back; scared.

“A Luna doesn’t just do what she feels like; she does what is needed of her. I have done that for over three decades and so have other she-wolves. You will steel your back, put on a smile, and do what the ones before you have done; their duty”, Lily says. Mona steps away from her mother. Lily looks at her daughter, and pastes a smile on her face.

“Let’s get the shoes on and get the tiara too. Our guests would be arriving anytime from now” Lily says.

The maids rush into action. Everything was hazy as they put her shoes on and place a beautiful tiara on her head. Satisfied with the look, Luna Lily snaps her fingers and the maids follow her out. Mona withdraws into her wolf. She looks at how sad she looked.

“this cannot be right; I have a fated” her wolf says.

Luca's car makes its way through the gate of the palatial mansion of Alpha Lister; the long pathway leading to the front of the mansion is exquisite with well-trimmed flowers and fruit trees. It didn’t look like the picture of financial troubles that Logan had painted. But Logan has been known to exaggerate issues. He hoped he had not exaggerated the girl’s beauty too; he would have no option but to leave. He turns to see Logan staring at him.

“This doesn’t look like a kingdom in financial distress, Logan,” Alpha Luca says.

“People know how to hide their problems well” Logan says with a chuckle.

“I just want this meeting done and dusted, so I can go home to my Mavis.” He says.

“Mona is beautiful, intelligent, and a warrior; one of her father’s close confidantes,”Logan says.

“She must not have given them good advice for them to fall into hard times,” Luca says and chuckles.

“That’s not even funny. “ Logan says laughing. Luca laughs.

“Don’t even say that when we get there,” Logan says

“I’m going to be a good boy and just do as I’m told,” Luca says as he looks at the edifice as the car pulls to a stop in front of the marble steps leading to the house. A man wearing a military uniform opens the car door for Luca; Logan rushes out from the other side; he rushes to stand beside Luca's car door as Luca emerges from the car. The men in uniform blow their trumpets. The man at the foot of the steps bellows

“Behold! Arriving from the kingdom far away, the very distinguished Alpha Luca of the Swansoolo Pack!” The door of the Mansion flies open. Alpha Lister and Luna Lily; both wearing their ceremonial insignia emerge and stand at the head of the stairs.

Logan nods to Luca. Luca climbs the stairs slowly; determined to show his displeasure. Logan walks behind him.

Mona jolts up as she hears the blaring of the trumpet. She turns to Mana her wolf.

“He’s here!” Mona says; her voice shaky.

“The old man is here; this is the beginning of the end of my life,” Mona says to Mana.

They both move close and put their foreheads together.

“We should have looked at his picture,”Mana says

“It would have been a nightmare; at least I didn’t have to agonize over my life. This way, I take what I see.”

“He’s rich, I hear, “Mana says with a glint.

“Money is not that important,” Mona says. She gets up and goes to her window. She looks out just in time to see Logan go in. She groans as she’s about to fling herself on the bed, Her door opens. Her Mother’s PA comes in.

“It is time,” she says officiously. Her mother’s PA have always been known to be overly officious. Marvin and she used to make fun of her. As Mona and Marvin had gotten older, they have both realized that, her mother's PA had to do that in order to elevate the office of the Luna. An office which made sure everything ran as it should in the pack.

Mona looked at herself in the mirror, Steeled her back and struts out of the room; she felt a bit heavy, feeling what her wolf felt: Dispair.