THE LYCAN QUEEN REVENGE-Chapter 1 - ONE

The soft vibration on the nightstand pulled me halfway from sleep. My phone lit up with a message, the glow bright in the dim room. I reached for it out of habit, thumb hovering over the screen.

Before I could read it, Lucas leaned over, kissing my forehead and it burned as my cheeks flushed.

"Good morning, sunshine," he murmured, his voice deep and smooth.

I blinked against the morning light spilling in through the curtains, only to find him balancing a tray of breakfast in one hand. Toast, eggs, a glass of fresh orange juice, even a rose laid across the plate. He wasn’t the best chef, but the effort made me grin ear to ear.

"You cooked?" I teased, raising a brow.

He placed it on my lap as if he were serving a queen.

His grin flashed as he tugged the rose free and tapped it against my nose. "Cooked might be stretching ittt. I supervised the toaster and bullied the coffee machine. Don’t question my methods."

I pressed the flower to my chest. "So ruthless this early in the morning. Oh my."

"That’s how deals get closed." He slid into bed beside me, stealing a piece of toast. "Eat, Ava. You’ll need energy to keep up with me today."

We leaned into each other, heads brushing, shoulders pressed tight. He made silly faces as he tried to snatch more food off my plate. I swatted him with the fork, but it only made him laugh harder.

"You’ll stab me someday," he teased.

"Maybe that’s the plan."

"Please. You love me too much."

He wasn’t wrong.

By the time we finished picking at the tray, we were tangled in each other’s arms, finishing off what we couldn’t earlier. The clock ticked away unnoticed until Lucas bolted upright.

"Mhmmm, we’re late," he groaned, as he ran a hand through his hair.

I sat up in a panic. "Lucas, the party!"

The room became chaos. He was buttoning his shirt while spinning in the middle of the floor, trying to shove one leg into his trousers. I staggered across the carpet with one heel on and the other dangling from my hand, hunting for my clutch.

"Where are my earrings?" I muttered, crawling halfway under the dresser.

Lucas spun again, snatched them from the nightstand, and flicked them toward me. "Your knight in shining armor delivers."

I caught them, barely, then tossed him the car keys from my clutch. He fumbled, laughed, then slipped his jacket on as smoothly as if none of the chaos had happened.

When I straightened again, both heels finally on, earrings secure, he was suddenly standing at my right, not my left. Arm extended, waiting.

’Record time.’

Somehow, impossibly, we were both perfectly dressed.

"Magic?"

"Synergy. Ok ok, let’s go!" he completed.

I hooked my arm through his, still laughing as he swept me toward the door.

The laughter broke when the door opened. Flashes erupted, blinding in the morning sun. Paparazzi pressed in, their cameras snapping like gunfire. Voices shouted questions I couldn’t make out.

"Smile," Lucas whispered through his teeth.

Our guards pushed the crowd back, clearing a path to the car. We slid inside as bulbs popped against the tinted windows, and the world outside dimmed into muffled noise. Lucas took my hand in his, squeezing.

"Those circling vultures. Well, we escaped them once again, I can’t be complaining."

I smiled, because that was what was expected.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

The hall shimmered no matter where you looked. Chandeliers blazed overhead, spilling light across glass, gowns and tuxedos. Lucas was in his element, moving through the crowd with the charm of a man who owned every room he entered.

I stayed at his side, the perfect partner, smiling when he smiled, laughing at his clever quips, letting his hand rest proudly on the small of my back.

He looked perfect. We looked perfect.

"I told you," he murmured, leaning close as applause rang for his latest deal. "Tonight is ours."

"I know how hard you worked to close this deal. You deserve a party!" I said.

When the waiter passed with champagne, I excused myself, eager to bring back two flutes. I wanted to toast with him, to celebrate him the way he deserved. The bubbles sparkled as I balanced the glasses carefully, weaving through the crowd.

That was when I heard the sharp cut of a woman’s voice near the entrance.

"Lucas!"

My head turned instinctively. A woman stood in the doorway, clutching the hands of two children, a boy and a girl with wide curious eyes. She looked irritated, and her cheeks were flushed with fury. Murmurs rippled through the crowd as heads turned.

Lucas stiffened just ahead, his smile faltering.

I hurried toward him, setting the glasses down on a nearby table. "Know what’s going on there?" I whispered.

"No one," he snapped under his breath.

The woman was already striding closer, dragging the children along. She picked up on his reply. "No one?" she laughed without humour.

"I’m Cynthia. Do you want to pretend you don’t know me in front of your little doll here?"

’Rude!’

"What did you say?" I asked.

His hand clamped around my wrist, nails digging in. "Stay out of this, Ava."

"Maybe I can help," I said quickly, hoping to smooth the tension, hoping to calm him before the scene grew uglier.

"Help?" His eyes burned into me. "God, you’re embarrassing."

I froze.

"Lucas, please," I tried again, my voice small against the sharpness of his. "Everyone is watching."

"Let them." He turned on me, his voice raised enough to echo across the ballroom. "They might as well see what a burden I’ve carried. You can’t even give me children. Do you hear that, Ava? You’re barren. Damaged goods."

There was no need to go that far... Why did he have to bring that up everytime. It hurt more than the sound of gasps from the crowd.

"I’m j-just trying to help..." I murmured.

Cynthia smirked as I stood there, crushed under the weight of his voice, of the truth he had thrown so carelessly into the open.

"Just leave, Ava..."

"Please, Lucas. We ca—"

"I said leave!" He yelled.

I didn’t wait for him to repeat himself. I didn’t wait for the pity stares. I turned and fled, trying not to trip on my own dress in the process.

The garden outside was quiet compared to the chaos of the ballroom, but it offered no comfort. I stumbled to a bench under an arch of roses, collapsed, and buried my face in my hands.

Hot tears streaked down my cheeks, sobs shaking through me until I could hardly breathe. I’m surprised I could even hold them in this long.

His words replayed in my mind, each one heavier than the last, but damaged goods hurt the most.

I pressed harder against my face, trying to hold myself together, trying to silence the noise in my head. My palm brushed against my forehead and I flinched at the sharp sting.

’Ouch.’

That spot hadn’t healed yet... not since the night Lucas had "accidentally" shoved me into the wall during one of his drunken tempers.

He kissed me there this morning. I remembered the burn of it now.

And suddenly, all I could feel was pain.