Lycan King's Regret: Punished The Wrong Daughter

Jasmine Smith’s pov (The royal head warrior) :

"Again!"

"Swords higher!"

I kept giving commands to my warriors.

Today I was training the young warriors who had just joined the army. My day was busy correcting their stance, fixing postures, correcting grips, and barking orders. Usually John used to train them, but today I needed to introduce myself so that they knew who they would be reporting to in the future.

I had spent years proving I deserved to stand where I did. Yet my thoughts refused to stay in one place. They kept drifting back to Lucien... to that slave Arabella who looked into my eyes so boldly.

I was told that she was a timid girl who didn’t know how to speak for herself but was aware how to pose innocence.

I couldn’t understand it. She wasn’t even beautiful. There was no strength in her body like mine. She wasn’t even intelligent enough to advise a king.

She was nothing but just a useless baggage... an ordinary girl. The murderer of Lucien’s sister, Anika Volkov.

Yet, somehow, she had achieved something I never could.

Lucien’s bed, his chambers, and his mark.

What was so special about her?

"Ma’am?" A young warrior’s voice pulled me back from my thoughts. With a sigh, I clapped thrice, "Fifteen-minute break!"

The training ground erupted into chatter. I walked towards a large oak tree and sat beneath it. Picking up a branch, I absently drew random patterns in the dirt.

"I knew I’d find you doing that," I didn’t have to turn around when I heard the voice. She sat beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"How is Zara?" I asked her.

Amy shook her head, "She is good. She misses that bitch and sometimes cries. She wants to meet her but I ..." she let out a shaky breath, "I’m not here to discuss my daughter, Jas. It’s you I’m worried about. You still write his name with branches," she pointed to the name written in bold letters on the ground.

Lucien.

I quickly scratched it out with the same branch. After a few moments, she nudged my shoulder, "Why’re you worrying so much?"

I didn’t answer, and she exhaled a long breath, "Jas! You’re worrying for nothing. Didn’t that witch tell us a long time back that the future Queen of Lunaris Kingdom would return with a bang after disappearing for three years?"

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Maybe she was right. We met a witch in our teenage years and asked her a few questions about our crushes. The witch even predicted how Amy would meet her mate, Noah. All her predictions came true, but we never took it that seriously.

"Look at you, Jas," she gestured towards me with a grin, "You’re the one who came back from the border. That too after three long years... Don’t you get it, silly? You’re the future queen of Lunaris Kingdom!"

Her smile widened as her arm squeezed me into her, "You’re stronger, tougher and... twice the warrior you were before, girl."

I snorted and didn’t even look at her.

Amy leaned closer to bump her shoulder against mine, "Jasmine. Nothing has changed. You’ve got a status. You’re an Alpha’s daughter. While she is nothing but a nuisance. Have you forgotten about Freya? She came here as his mistress... and now see? Here she is, nothing but a woman who now tries to get her needs fulfilled from outside. Just wait and watch, my friend. You can’t give up on your first love just like that," she patted my shoulder.

For the first time that day, I found myself believing her, "You’re right," I at last turned to look into her blue eyes, "I might challenge that girl to a fight," I said jokingly, and she laughed at that.

"She wouldn’t last a second against you, darling," she said with a smirk, "Whatever is happening between Lucien and that slave... it won’t last. I wish you were here when he pulled her by her hair and took her to the Omega quarters."

Throwing back my head, I laughed hard, holding Amy’s hand tightly, "Really?"

Amy nodded with a smile. Goddess. My shoulders finally relaxed as a hearty chuckle escaped my lips.

Maybe she was right. Arabella was nothing but a temporary inconvenience. Another responsibility Lucien had taken upon himself.

"There she is," Amy smiled, "That’s the Jasmine I know."

Exhaling a sigh, I looked at her, "There is one more thing bothering me."

Her expression turned serious as if asking what?

"The security breach. It was not a small thing. The king’s family was attacked when it was not far from the palace."

Her mouth opened in an O. Of course, the royal family was still worried about that attack. It was a miracle that Zara was safe.

"We still don’t know who is involved, Amy. And I’m still working on it," I raised one shoulder casually.

Amy’s brows furrowed a little, "But it wasn’t your mistake..."

Her voice trailed off when I started shaking my head, "I know. I was at the borders. But as a head warrior, I am responsible, Amy. Gala is postponed because of it. The council elders might point out that the King’s palace isn’t safe enough."

"Whoa... girl. Slow down. Okay!" she got up when she saw warriors returning after the short break, "One step at a time, okay?" she said, offering me her hand.

I held it and got up, staring at the palace in the distance. Whoever had slipped past our defenses, I intended to find them.

"Stop thinking about the security breach," Amy warned me, dusting off her pants, "Just focus on Arabella. I know she saved Zara, but I have my doubts," she said meaningfully.

She was right.

I also needed to run a background check on that slave. Nothing of this sort happened before her arrival.

She might be involved in this. Or maybe this was planned by her pack or her family.