Lycan King's Regret: Punished The Wrong Daughter

Jasmine Smith:

(THE ROYALENGAGEMENT OF KING LUCIEN VOLKOV AND JASMINE SMITH)

The long-awaited day had finally arrived.

Amy leaned closer to inspect my face, "Put something warmer on. You need to complement her dress."

The makeup artist gave her a polite smile. "Of course, Your Highness," She dipped her brush into another shade.

"No, no. Not that one," Amy pointed at the palette. "That one."

I closed my eyes in annoyance. "Amy! Stop being a pain in the ass!"

"Pain?" She looked at me innocently. "I’m helping, Jas."

"You’ve been helping for forty minutes," Goddess. I couldn’t believe it. This was my engagement day, and my nerves were already on edge. Amy’s constant interruptions weren’t helping either.

"Jasmine!" She placed her hands on my shoulders. "Look how beautiful you look."

I pressed my lips together as the makeup artist tried very hard not to laugh. Amy picked up another palette from the table. "What about her lips? I think—"

"Amy!" I finally turned toward her. "Will you please shut up and let the poor woman do her job?"

Her mouth fell open. The makeup artist lowered her face, but I saw her shoulders shaking.

"You’re kicking your best friend out?" Amy seemed shocked. "On your engagement day?"

Before I could answer, Aliya appeared behind her. "I’ll handle this."

She grabbed Amy by the arm. "Come on, makeup expert."

"Hey! I was helping!"

"You were terrorizing my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Don’t forget she can behead you once she becomes the queen!"

I burst out laughing as Aliya dragged her toward the door.

Amy caught the frame with one hand. "Jasmine! Tell her to let me go!"

"Goodbye, Amy," I waved at her with a faint smile.

"You’re going to regret this!"

Aliya peeled her fingers from the frame one by one before finally pulling her outside. The door closed behind them.

Silence.

I met the makeup artist’s eyes through the mirror. "Sorry."

"Thank you," she whispered instead.

I laughed again.

At last, she was able to finish my makeup in peace. When she stepped away, I barely recognized the woman staring back at me. My blue eyes looked brighter, my skin seemed almost flawless, and my hair had been swept away from my face with a few soft strands left around my cheeks.

But the real transformation happened when I entered the dressing area.

My sage-green gown waited for me on a mannequin. Two attendants helped me into it and fastened the back before arranging the enormous skirt around my feet. I slowly turned toward the mirror and felt my breath catch.

Mrs. Lucien Volkov. Queen Jasmine Volkov.

The off-shoulder neckline left my shoulders and collarbones bare, while the fitted bodice hugged my waist before opening into a magnificent ball-gown skirt. Hundreds of tiny sequins and stones had been worked into the fabric, scattered delicately rather than covering every inch.

Under the lights, they shimmered whenever I moved. It was elegant, and fit for royalty. Exactly what a future queen should wear.

A strange uneasiness suddenly stirred inside my chest. I frowned when I noticed my wolf’s restlessness.

"What is it?" I asked her.

For a moment, she didn’t answer, then her voice came quietly.

"I don’t know. Something feels strange."

My smile faded. "Strange how."

"Like..." She seemed equally confused. "Like something is about to happen."

I stared at myself in the mirror. "You’re imagining things. We are so close to making this official."

She didn’t respond. I took a slow breath and ran my palms over the sides of my gown. Nothing was going to happen. Everything had been planned down to the smallest detail.

The door opened behind me. "There you are." Amy walked in, fully dressed now, and stopped when she saw me.

Admiration flickered across her face. "Oh, Jasmine. You look so beautiful."

I smiled. "Thanks."

After dressing up, I felt more confident. More like a queen I was supposed to be... I was born to be.

For once, Amy didn’t make a joke and stared at me in awe. She walked over and slipped her arm through mine. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

Then she noticed my expression, and her brows pulled together. "Are you worried about something?"

"I don’t know." I shrugged. "My wolf is acting strange."

Amy glanced at me. For a second, she was silent, then she squeezed my arm.

"Come on." She turned me gently toward the door. "Wipe that worry off your face."

I looked at her, and she shook her head. "You’re about to become the Queen of the Lunaris Kingdom." A confident smile spread across her face. "You’re finally getting what was written for you, Jasmine. No one can take that away from you."

The tightness in my chest eased a little. She was right. I looked at myself one last time in the mirror and smiled. "Let’s go."

Amy squeezed my hand before leading me toward the door. She was a gem, and I couldn’t have asked for a better friend. And as I walked out with her, I pushed my wolf’s warning to the back of my mind.

Today was supposed to be the beginning of everything I’d waited for, and I refused to believe it could be anything else.

***

As I stepped out with Amy on one side and Aliya on the other, Mom was the first one to reach me.

"Oh, my beautiful girl." Her eyes instantly turned glossy as she pulled me into her arms.

Dad joined us with a proud smile and wrapped an arm around both of us. For a moment, I was squeezed between my parents like I was a little girl again.

"Careful with my dress," I complained with a laugh.

Dad kissed the top of my head before stepping back. "You look beautiful, sweetheart."

Queen Theodora was waiting right behind them. The moment Mom released me, she came forward and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

But even while everyone fussed over me, my attention had already drifted past them.

Lucien stood a few feet away with Bradley, dressed in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. One hand rested casually in his pocket while he listened to something his Beta was saying.

Goddess. He looked devastatingly handsome.

When Bradley noticed me, a knowing smile touched his face before he murmured something to Lucien. The king turned his head as his golden eyes found mine.

For a few seconds, he simply looked at me, and my heart sank when I thought that he would ignore me and turn back to Bradley. But a miracle happened. The corner of his mouth lifted into a small smile, and he gave me a slow nod.

My heart skipped a beat.

Coming from Lucien... It felt like everything