The Lycan King's Rebellious Queen

Morning

Harley

For the past two nights, I had been tossing and turning all night long thinking of Archer and my doomed impending marriage to him. For the first time in my life, I was unsure of what my future held, despite our constant arguments my father was still not able to see the bad in Archer and considered my behavior to be that of a spoiled brat.

Why did it have to be me? Maybe as my father politely put it, I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time but how was I to know Archer was the one my father had a meeting with,? how was I to know this was going to happen at all?

My phone beeped from beside me, I groaned as reached across to retrieve it, picking it up I saw my father's name flashing across the screen once again. I hesitated momentarily wondering whether to click on it and read the message, or was it going to be just like the others he had sent me. We had done nothing but argue so I knew this wasn't going to be a sweet good morning msg.

Taking a deep breath I clicked on it and began to read....

Harley, please don't be angry with me I can't stand the thought of you being upset.

I rang Alpha Archer last night and did what I could to persuade him to change his mind

but it was no good. He has promised me that you will be well taken care of and has

offered to come to some sort of arrangement with you regarding p*****t for your services.

This is for the greater good of our nation and when things change for the better it will be because of you.

Please just try, for me. It is an opportunity others would die for.

Kind regards

Dad

“For my services” I repeated scrunching up my face in disgust. What the hell did that mean? He was always so formal in his texts, which irritated me even more so. I clicked off the message throwing my phone down beside me, I didn't want another day angry at the world and I especially didn't want Archer's money.

I closed my eyes and began to think of him, I mean, he's far from ugly. If he was a human from here he would have a line of women that went on for miles waiting to jump on him. His friend wasn't bad looking either, but they were Lycan's and I had no interest in them at all.

I could hear movement outside my bedroom door followed by the clinking of cups in the kitchen. Leah was up, she was my roommate and best friend growing up. She was the only person I ever spoke to about problems I had. Ever since my mother passed away she was like a rock, always there to help me even if it was with just one of her fancy cups of tea. I hadn't spoken a word of my departure tomorrow, maybe there was still hope inside of me that Archer would change his mind and find someone else's life to ruin.

“Coffee!” Leah called from the kitchen, I looked over at the clock seeing it was still quite early. She was due to leave for work in an hour's time and I wasn't too sure if I would see her again later tonight. So I had to tell her now, but what do I say? how did I explain this to anyone?

All of the questions I had were still unanswered and my father was still to answer them for me. What was happening after the wedding? would I be allowed to come back home? Or maybe I would move to one of the properties Archer was buying around here?

Surely he wouldn't make me stay in the Southern territory with all the other Lycans, I was confident I could handle my own but I had never faced a throwdown with a Lycan before.

“I'm coming” I called back to her as I threw my covers off of me to the bottom of the bed.

I walked out of my room and into the kitchen, Leah was leaning over the countertop reading something in the newspaper. “Morning” she smiled. She always looked so flawless in the mornings, her blonde hair was tied on top of her head in a messy bun. She wore a navy blue oversized jumper that only just covered the important parts.

“I need to tell you something” I looked at her as I took a seat on the stool opposite her. She stood straight as she looked me in the eyes, “Oh god, I know that look, what have you done?” she asked seriously.

I opened my mouth to speak but I paused thinking of how to word what I was about to tell her. Would I be in trouble telling her the truth? No, I wasn't going to lie to her. She has never let me down in the past she knows how to keep a secret. “The other day when I visited my father” I began, she reached next to her and pulled the stool behind her so she was sitting like me not taking her attention away from me once.

“Yeah,” she said slowly nodding waiting for me to continue.

“I kind of met someone, and...” Just then I was distracted by a knock at the door. Leah and I looked at one another confused as it was way too early for visitors “ Who the hell is that at 7.45 in the morning, I've not even had a sip of coffee,” I cursed as I slid off my stool and walked out of the kitchen through the lounge finally making it to the door. I unlocked it and yanked the door open.

“Morning wife to be” Archer stood smiling down at me, his whole body filling the doorway. He was wearing a white shirt with the top two buttons open, and black suit trousers. The smell of his aftershave hit me instantly, it was a musky scent with a hint of spearmint, it was nice. "I see you're a morning person" he added sarcastically.

I stood in shock not knowing what to say as he pushed by me. “Your father called and said you were worried about a few things so while I am in the area I thought I would call round and answer your questions.

“You can't be here, I haven't told my roommate about this yet, I don't even know what to tell her, heck, I don't even know what is happening tomorrow. She's my best friend and I can't just leave her” I began rambling in a hushed tone so Leah didn't hear us.

“Tomorrow I will pick you up, take you back to mine where you will be fitted for your dress, all the other arrangements have been taken care of. Then on Saturday, we marry, your father and a few of the council members will be there so I hope your acting skills are top notch” He explained as he walked around the room nosing through the items I had displayed on shelves.

“Why me? I really don't want to do this, there are plenty of other...” I began but he was quick to cut me off.

“Arrangements have been taken care of, nothing can be changed now, by the end of Saturday you will be my wife, I don't expect any more of you, all I ask is that you play the part in front of others” he shrugged not bothered he was taking a year of my life away from me.

I huffed in annoyance, “Then I come back here, right?” I looked at him hoping and praying he was just going to agree and that would be it.

He turned to look at me, his eyes roamed my body from head to toe. I looked down and realised I was only wearing my shorts and vest top that I had slept in the night before. I folded my arms across my chest knowing I was not wearing a bra and he probably knew that already. “No, then you will live with me until everything I need is set in stone. Then you are free to go where you please, I will make sure you are taken care of financially and have the protection you need,” he smirked.

“But, I have a life here, you can't just decide to take me away from everything here” His expression soon changed and it actually looked like he was concerned. “I'm going to have nobody, you can't expect me to be alone in all of this” I tried playing the helpless girl act to see if he actually did have a heart.

“We can solve that” he took my hand and and began dragging me to the kitchen, I tried to pry his hand off of mine and pull back to try and stop him. “What are you doing, stop, please” I whispered to him panicking the closer we got to Leah.

In one swift motion, he yanked me in front of him, I smiled and walked as normally as I could but the walk I was doing felt completely alien to me. Archer was still holding onto my hand as he stepped into the room behind me. Leah looked up from the paper she was reading her cup halfway to her mouth, and she froze. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she slowly placed the cup back onto the counter as she saw the giant behind me.

“Leah, this is what I was trying to explain to you,” I said trying to speak with my normal confident voice.

“Hi, I'm Alpha Archer from the Southern Territory, It's nice to meet you Leah,” Archer said as he stepped around me and offered his hand to her.

She remained silent her mouth still open from the shock as she slowly took hold of his hand and gave him the most delicate handshake I had ever seen.

“I'm afraid this is a flying visit as I have a lot of meetings in town but I wanted to introduce myself, Harley's told me lots about you” Her eyes shifted to mine only a second before returning to Archers, he must be used to this kind of reaction from people by the way he let her muteness go over his head. “Anyway, I just wanted to formally invite you to our wedding on Saturday,”

Her eyes went even wider as they darted back to mine, “Surprise” I sang nervously smiling at her like I knew exactly what was happening. I had never seen this look on her before, I was beginning to wonder whether I needed to call the paramedics before she completely goes into shock.

“I will be here tomorrow to pick up Harley so if you would like to travel with us and stay at the packhouse with us for a few days you are more than welcome. I think it will help Harley adjust better to our ways if she has a friendly face there.” he politely offered her. Leah never spoke, she simply nodded her head accepting the invitation.

“Great that's settled.” He turned his attention to me, I was just as dumbstruck not knowing how to react in this very moment. “We can iron out the rest of the details tomorrow, pack up your things and I'll get a couple of my guys to come with the truck to take it all in the morning.”

His phone pinged from his back pocket he swiftly pulled it out and looked at the screen. “I have to go, I'm running late, I'll see you tomorrow babe” he leaned forward and kissed me on the lips, taking a leaf out of Leah's book I froze as he smacked my butt as he walked away leaving Leah and I here silently staring at one another.

The door closed with a bang and I waited for her to say something. But nothing, her eyes dropped to her cup and she slowly reached for it and took a sip. “I didn't know he was going to show up like that,” I said hoping in some way it would make everything ok.

Her brows creased as she finally began to move like a human again, “So let me get this right, you have been back only a couple of days and you're getting married?” she asked as if she was trying to understand.

“Yes,” I nodded.

“You know who he is right?” she pointed to the front door squinting her eyes at me.

“Yes, I know who that is” I confirmed.

She tried to say something further but the words all jumbled together, closing her eyes she took a deep breath and said just one word. “How?”

I knew I was going to have to make this believable, somehow. “I met him at my father's office, he asked me for a drink, we got talking and I just knew there was something about him.” Arrogant was the word that sprung to mind but I didn't say that out aloud. “You know them Lycans, they don't hang around when they find something they like,” I said in a high-pitched tone trying to lighten the situation as I began drinking my coffee.

“Alpha Archer was in our house” Leah gasped as she sat back on her stool taking it all in.

“You do know if you marry him you become like a mother to his pack” she stated as if I should know this already. She loved talking about this kind of stuff. She is a journalist, so she knows a lot more than I did about everything.

“A mother?” What the hell did that mean?

“Yeah” she nodded, I could see a glint of excitement in her eye as she began to explain. “He is the Alpha, if he marries you, then you become the Luna. You would be like the most protected person in the world. Plus I heard he was going to be in the running for the crown too” she whispered like it was top secret.

“Oh, really, I didn't know that” I lied turning away from her hoping she wasn't going to say any more on the matter.