Lycan King's Regret: Punished The Wrong Daughter

Jasmine Smith:

I sat behind the large mahogany desk in Queen Theodora’s office, going through the schedule Tina had placed in front of me.

I had been coming here almost every day for the past few months for my queen training. Meetings, petitions, charity funds and royal accounts... Urgh. Apparently wearing a crown involved a lot more paperwork than looking pretty beside the king.

Today the queen wasn’t here, and I was sitting in her chair. The first time she’d told me I could use it in her absence, I’d actually refused. Now I was slowly getting used to it.

"After thirty minutes, you have a meeting with the representatives from the northern packs. His Highness will preside over it," Tina explained from the other side of the desk and flipped a page on her tablet. "Then at three, the orphanage committee will be here to discuss next month’s funding. Don’t worry. I do remember that I have to take a few photos for your social media handles. Especially with His Majesty."

I nodded at her with a small smile. No matter what. I was always particular about letting everyone know that I was someone important. And I hoped Arabella would see them too. Let her see for herself that I had my man back, and now nobody was going to take him away from me again.

No matter how much my private life was messed up. I wanted to tell her that we were happy with each other and there was no place for her in Lucien’s life.

"Move the committee to three-thirty," I made a note beside the file in front of me. "I want enough time with the Northern representatives. Last time their meeting went almost an hour over schedule."

"Of course."

"And ask someone to send me last year’s funding report before they arrive. I don’t want to sit there asking questions we already have answers to."

With a nod, Tina added it to the schedule. I was reaching for the next file when the door opened, and Queen Theodora walked in.

I immediately pushed my chair back and started to rise. "Your Highness."

She waved her hand in the air. "Stay there, sweetheart."

That made me pause midway. She crossed the room and calmly took the chair opposite me, next to Tina. "Relax. Now that’s your seat too." She said with an easy smile and settled back comfortably, "We both need to get used to it."

I couldn’t even smile. She was giving me her place so easily. I couldn’t see any insecurity or hesitation. Not even a trace of resentment.

"If I had been sensible enough back then ... if I had fought for the man I actually wanted instead of accepting what life handed me, I would be standing in Theodora’s place today."

Mom’s words from yesterday returned without warning, and I studied the woman sitting across from me. She had known me since I was a child and had supported my engagement. And my mother wanted me to believe this woman had stolen the king from her?

I loved Mom, but if I was being completely honest with myself. I didn’t trust her! I had my reasons.

"Jasmine dear," The Queen’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "I’ll send the Lunaris heirloom before the engagement. It’s time for you to have it."

Lunaris heirloom. My friends used to gush over it whenever they saw the queen wearing it.

"Really?" My face must have lit up because she smiled warmly and nodded at me.

"Of course, dear. As a future queen, you deserve it."

Future queen!

Sigh. I hoped it would happen soon. I just couldn’t wait any longer to be his wife.

***

During the meeting, I stopped myself from yawning. Sometimes I found it boring to attend such meetings and listen to all the bullshit those Pack alphas uttered.

Lucien sat at the head of the long conference table, presiding over the discussion while alphas from some of the most prominent packs in the Lunaris Kingdom occupied the seats on either side. I sat to his right. Exactly where the future queen was expected to sit.

"Then increase the patrols along the eastern border for the next month," Lucien ordered, barely glancing at the report in front of him. "I don’t want another rogue crossing blamed on lack of manpower."

Alpha Roland nodded, "Understood, Your Majesty."

I stole a glance at him. His sleeves were rolled up, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, giving him that effortlessly sexy look that always messed with my head.

Oh Goddess. It was a struggle to peel my eyes off him and keep my focus on the meeting. When the short break was announced, Omegas entered with refreshments. An Omega placed a pot of coffee near me along with two cups.

I poured one for myself instead of asking her to do the job. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, poured the second. Lucien was speaking quietly to one of the Alphas when I slid the cup toward him. "Your coffee, Lucien."

It was such a small thing, but I wanted them to see us together. As a couple who would soon rule them. Lucien barely glanced at the cup, then he looked toward an Omega standing nearby.

"Iced water." He said in a clipped voice. The Omega quickly poured water into his glass while my soon-to-be fiancé quietly pushed back the untouched coffee towards me and pretended to study the papers in front of him.

The meeting resumed a few minutes later, but I got stuck in the moment. An alpha was explaining the issue with southern territory when he suddenly looked toward me.

"Lady Jasmine. The figures I’m referring to are in the second report, page thirty-one."

With a frown, I reached for the thick file in front of me. Before I could touch it, Lucien’s hand came over mine. He pulled the file toward himself, flipped through several pages, and then turned it around, placing it directly in front of me.

"Here." He said gently.

I simply stared at the page, then looked at him, "Thank you."

He had been like this for the last three years. Quiet. Cold. Always working. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d heard him laugh. Or seen him genuinely smile.

My mother was the one who arranged those potions for me. Right before that dinner, she had given me a syringe and told me to ask Arabella to put only three drops into Lucien’s food to make him unconscious for a few hours.

And like a fool, I trusted her. It wasn’t until we rushed Lucien to the hospital that I learned the truth.

Those three drops weren’t meant to knock him unconscious. They were poison.

My mother hadn’t just lied to me, but she had also used me to kill Lucien.