Ch. 13：Fired

“What is wrong with you?” An irritated voice devoid of warmth asked.
I laughed at my pitiful situation but then choked on a gasp, tears streaming into my mouth. I had a month to get used to this feeling but it was a new and unfamiliar kind of pain. One I knew I would have to deal with for as long as Noah lived.
“Nothing,” I responded to the prince’s question, fighting down a gasp. “It's just a random pain I get sometimes.”
It was a callous way of describing the pain that came with my mate desecrating our sacred bond but right in front of me was a prince that chose me as his mate. Fake or not, I would have a better life as the Luna Queen than as Noah’s mate.
“You’re a terrible liar,” Killian said with pursed lips. “I expect you to be truthful to me as your king.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him he had a lot of expectations for me when he didn’t plan to give me anything but I kept my mouth shut. I’d been accused of not knowing my place many times but with this man who breathed and exhaled power, no one had to tell me my place.
“It’s not – not a lie.” I breathed out when the pain of Noah's actions started to subside.
Earlier on, I realized my mate did not last long in bed. It was not something I should find out like this but I did. The pain of a mate desecrating a mate bond would be felt for as long as the other party was engaged in the act but the pain I got when Noah indulged another woman never lasted more than ten minutes.
“I do not care about what goes on in your life so you can keep as many secrets as you like.” He stared down at me with a blank face. “But if there is anything you are hiding that will expose this façade then you better say it now. Do not embarrass me.”
Having a mate would be a problem but it wasn’t something I would tell him. I would deal with Noah on my own. That bastard would not steal one more thing from me.
“There’s nothing like that. I don’t have friends or family so –“ I trailed off with a shrug of my shoulders. His lips curled and my heart twitched.
“Good. Since we are on the same page, I have work to do.”
He took several steps away from me before he paused on his way to the door. He turned back, his expression worsening. He looked like he regretted this decision already and for a split second, I thought he would call off the whole thing.
Don’t embarrass me.
However, he could not. He’d proclaimed me as his mate already and I knew word was already flying around the place that he found his mate. He’d be disgraced if it turned out to be a lie. His impulsive decision already tied us together so whether or not he regretted it, it would be difficult to go back on his word.
“No one would believe this sham if you continue to work as a maid so you are fired.” I reeled from the shock of his forceful words. “I will find someone to polish your image for our first public outing.” With that, he slammed the door shut with a bang.
I sagged in the seat. My heart beat a loud rhythm in my ear and I gasped, letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. It was arduous breathing in his presence. His existence alone sucked up all the air in the room and tightened my lungs, and the way he looked at me with distaste shining in his eyes ripped something inside me.
Many rumours surrounded the Alpha Prince. He was the Alpha King’s second son born from a former slave the king slept with twenty-seven years ago. As the queen wasn’t the alpha’s true mate, but a woman forced on him due to political reasons, the Alpha became a philanderer. The Luna Queen blocked all the women that the king showed interest in but surprisingly, her closest maid was sleeping with the king and thus Killian was born.
That wasn’t even what made the prince interesting. What made him interesting was that he wasn’t the first prince. Until a few months ago, we had another Alpha Prince and Killian was just a regular royal but then the Alpha Prince mysteriously died and all fingers pointed at Killian as the murderer. A few weeks ago, the king died, leaving Killian as the last wolf of royal bloodline, the only person on the planet who carried the red eyes of the royal wolves.
Recalling the many horrific rumours swirling around the monstrous Alpha Prince, I hung my head as emotions choked me.
“What the hell did you just do, Carrot?” I whispered to myself, clutching my head in my hands. “The Luna Queen?” It was a position too high for a rat like me. A position so dangerous I may not survive a year. If my so called ‘mate’ did not kill me, his stepmother would, or Scarlett would get to me first, or maybe even Noah who must be on the hunt for me.
I just put my life in danger for a position that came with no power.
“Should I run away again?” It was a daring idea to think of running away from the Alpha Prince. He’d find me before I even navigated the complex palace grounds. “Why did I accept?” I muttered and the answer danced around in my head. It was because I had no choice. The Alpha Prince chose me to be his fake fiancée and there was no refusing a man like Killian.
“On the upside, I’ll become rich.” I may not have power but I would have money as a part of the royal family. “And my fake mate would protect me.” If he did not kill me first.
Killian was a conceited murderer. He killed people and never hid that he did it, thus he had many enemies. The only one he never claimed to have killed was his brother. I suppose it was too heinous a crime for even him to admit and killing a member of the royal family was punishable but death, no matter the person involved.
“Doesn’t that mean he can’t kill me once I mate with him and become a part of the royal family?” A knock on the door pulled me from my inner ravings.
The door opened as I jumped to my feet, straightening out my maid uniform.
“I greet the Luna.” Two girls entered the room with a deep bow the way we had been taught to greet every member of the royal family. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would receive such a greeting in my lifetime.
“Raise – Raise your heads.” My voice shook as I spoke. We’d been taught that once we greeted a royal, we had to wait for them to ask us to raise our heads or for them to leave the room before we could raise our heads.
“Thank you.” Their eyes sparkled as they assessed me from head to toe. They were girls I had never seen before but then I didn’t work in the main palace. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, future Luna!” Their exuberance startled me but I nodded with a grimace.
“The Alpha Prince asked us to help you wash up and relax for later.” Their eyes twinkled and my skin heated.
For later? What did he mean by that?
The girls prepared my bath for me while I tried not to combust from the numerous feelings inside me.
“It’s such a fairytale,” one of them sighed. “Someone like us will become the queen one day. The goddess writes such beautiful stories.”
A fairytale. Yeah, the nobody meeting her prince and climbing the ladders thanks to his love was a story fit to be called a fairytale but for me, it was nothing short of a nightmare. A lie that could cost me my life. A risk I had no choice but to take.
“I hope I can serve you even when you become the queen,” the most outspoken of them said. “My name is Sabrina, by the way. My colleague is Ella.” She poked the other girl beside her.
“Yeah,” I answered without paying attention.
It amazed me how a life could be flipped on its head in the blink of an eye. Just last week, I was imprisoned by my mate and in the weeks before that, I lived a low-key life. Now – Luna Queen. Sheesh, it was unbelievable and frightening to think about.
It was awkward having people prepare my bath but not as awkward as being put in a dress which did not belong to me. They were putting my hair in a bun when a knock sounded on the door.
A man came in with a letter in his hands carrying the golden seal of the queen.
“The Luna Queen has sent you an invite.”